Srimal Samansiri

Research Fellow
r.s.p.samansiri@edu.salford.ac.uk

Biography

Srimal Samansiri has over 15-year industrial experience in the fields of Disaster Risk Management, especially in information management and geo-spatial technologies.

He worked for United Nations Residents Coordinators Office, in Malawi Africa during 2018. He established and managed the UNINFO, the planning, monitoring and reporting system to track how the UN system at the country level supports governments to deliver on the Sustainable Development Goals and the 2030 Agenda. Prior to join UN, he worked as Assistant Director Research and Development in in the Disaster Management Centre, Government of Sri Lanka over 10 years and UNOCHA for 02 years. He has industrial experience of promoting space technology for Disaster Risk Management applications. He has engaged in several national projects such as develop “National Hazard and Risk Assessments”, development of “National Spatial Data Infrastructure” (http://www.landmin.gov.lk/web/upload/downloads/SLSDI%20Framework.pdf), in Sri Lanka, managing disaster information management system (www.desinventar.lk), initiating national disaster risk information system (riskinfo.lk).

Research Interests

Disaster information systems
Hazard and risk assessment
Satellite remote sensing in disaster risk management
E-Government
Data governance

Qualifications and Memberships

2017 – 2018: Master of Public Administration in eGovernment, Postgraduate Institute of Management (PIM), University of Sri Jayawardenenpura, Sri Lanka
2012 – 2013: PG Diploma in eGovernment, Postgraduate Institute of Management (PIM), University of Sri Jayawardenenpura, Sri Lanka
2002 – 2003: PG Diploma in GIS / Remote Sensing, Centre for Space Science and Technology Education for Asia and Pacific (CSSTEAP affiliated to UN)
1998 – 2001: BSc in Physical Science, University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka

Major Projects Involved

Development of national multi hazard risk profile for Sri Lanka, GoSL funds 1.5 Million US$
“Disaster Exposure Mapping in Attanagaluoya Basin” 120k US$ grants by World Bank / GFDRR
Implementation of Riskinfo data sharing platform www.riskinfo.lk, 30k US$, World Bank / GFDRR
Code for Resilience Projects, 15k US$ for
Establish a Comprehensive & Sensor Based end to end Early Warning System; for Hydro-Meteorology Induced Disasters in Sri Lanka, Utilizing; Resilient Communication System; for Effective Disaster Management” 65k grant; International Collaborative Research of Asia Pacific Telecommunity (APT)

Publications

S. Samansiri, WAM Fernando, MLM Aswer, MWVS Premrathna, M Sutakar, DMOK DIssanayake, IP Senanayake (2015) Tsunami Modelling and Risk Assessment of Hambantota, Sri Lanka using Integrated Remote Sensing Techniques, ERE Research Conference Proceedings, University of Moratuwa
Samansiri S.P. (2012) Use of Near Real Time Synthetic Aperture Radar for Flood Inundation Mapping: Case Studies from June 2008 and May 2010 Floods at Western Province Sri Lanka, GIT4NDM, Conference Proceeding, 2012
Ranjith Premasiri, Samansiri et. Al (2012) Optimization of drainage network to minimize urban floods using remote sensing and GIS techniques GIT4NDM, Conference Proceeding, 2012
Samansiri S.P., Peter Leth (2007) Use of GPS-Enabled PDAs for Real Time Assessment of Disaster Affected Population, Geoinformatics Symposium 2007
Framework for a Methodology to Integrate Vulnerability to Develop Flood Risk Pro¿les for Ayagama and Elapatha, Sri Lanka. Geophysical Research Abstracts Vol. 13, EGU201111685, 2011
Samansiri et. al, Remote Sensing and GIS application for Landslide Susceptibility Analysis along Shillong – Silchar highway, Northeast India, Tropical Agricultural Research, 2003. (Nominated for the best presentation)
Determination of the relationship between land use change and rainfall using Remote Sensing and GIS, Sri Lankan journal of Geoinformatics, Volume 01, 2004

Trainings / Workshops / Meetings and Conferences

State of Map Asia 2017, Kathmandu, Nepal, October 2017
Asian Conference of Remote Sensing, Session Chair for 02 sessions 17-21 October 2016
State of Technology Map Asia 2016 Philippine 01/02 October 2016
United Nations International Conference on Space-based Technologies for Disaster Risk Management “Best Practices for Risk Reduction and Rapid Response Mapping”, November 2012, China
UNSPIDER Workshop on Space Technology Applications for Disaster Management, March 2011, New Delhi
International Training Course on Application of Space Technology for Disaster Management Support with Emphasis on Geological Risk Management, April/May 2010, India
Satellite Remote Sensing Data Analysis Technology for Disaster / Environmental Monitoring, August/September 2009, Tokyo, Japan
Sentinel Asia System Operation Training, February 2009, Lao PDR
Emergency Network Implementations, September 01to 12^th 2008, at NTT East, Tokyo, Japan
DevInfo Consultancy workshop 14-17 November 2006, Bangkok organized by UNICEF Regional Headquarters & UNDG
UN-ISDR , UNU – EHS Tsunami Workshop 16/17 June 2006, Bangkok
Workshop on community based hazard mapping in Galle District – 18 to 20^th April 2006. Management Development Training Institute in Wackwella, Galle
International seminar on “Earth observation for disaster management, capacity building and challenges” on 29^th and 30^th June 2004 at Indian Institute of Remote Sensing, Dehradun, India
Workshop on ‘High Resolution Satellite Images and GPS’ in GIS Application Centre, Asian Institute of Technology, Bangkok from 14^th to 27^th March 2004
Asian GPS Conference – 21-23 October, 2003, New Delhi
ISPRS Technical Commission VII International Conference February 2003, Hyderabad, India