<html><body>
<p><img src="cid:1__=4EBBF1BFDFA3F9838f9e8a93df9@unvienna.org" width="594" height="105"><br>
<font size="3" face="sans-serif">Dear colleagues,</font><br>
<br>
<font size="3" face="sans-serif">How beneficial are geo-information products for disaster and risk management? Assessing the operational as well as strategic impact of geoinformation (e.g. risk maps, early warning, damage maps) is a central question in this context. It can only be solved by integrating the knowledge and experience of end-users involved in emergency response, disaster preparedness or risk reduction activities, on an operational or strategic level.</font><br>
<br>
<font size="3" face="sans-serif">In the context of the VALID project, the project team has issued a survey which is online on </font><a href="http://www.un-spider.org/validsurvey"><font size="3" color="#0060A0" face="sans-serif">http://www.un-spider.org/validsurvey</font></a><font size="3" face="sans-serif">. We invite you to share with us your opinion on up to ten geo-information products that have been shortlisted in a previous user survey. If you wish to give your opinion in this user appraisal, kindly do so until </font><font size="3" face="sans-serif"><b>11 April 2013.</b></font><font size="3" face="sans-serif"> </font><br>
<br>
<a href="http://www.un-spider.org/VALID-stakeholder-assessment-I"><font size="3" color="#0060A0" face="sans-serif">VALID is an ongoing project </font></a><font size="3" face="sans-serif">jointly carried out by UNOOSA/UN-SPIDER and the Joint Board of Geospatial Information Societies (JB GIS). The objective of VALID is to produce a publication to give evidence of the benefits which can be realized by applying geoinformation to disaster and risk management.</font><br>
<br>
<font size="3" face="sans-serif">If you have any questions about the VALID project and the user appraisal, feel free to get in touch with Dr. Robert Backhaus (robert.backhaus@unoosa.org).</font><br>
<br>
<font size="3" face="sans-serif">Please feel free to share this call for participation with your colleagues as well.</font><br>
<br>
<font size="3" face="sans-serif">Kind regards,</font><br>
<font size="3" face="sans-serif">the UN-SPIDER team</font></body></html>