HKC :: Ghana PARADeS Open Learning Content

OPEN LEARNING CONTENT

Open Educational Resources (OER)

PARADeS was designed and implemented as a participatory research and development project. Therefore, next to scientific output also trainings for experts and multipliers were developed in order to enable tailored and free access to specialist knowledge from various actors and fields of FDRM. Target groups of the trainings are experts and decision makers from public authorities as well as further actors and experts in the field of FDRM. Additional, universities and students are addressed as multipliers of FDRM knowledge.

The trainings were developed within the interdisciplinary project team and in close collaboration between scientists and FDRM professionals from Germany and Ghana. Furthermore, pilot trainings were conducted and used for intensive evaluation and feedback on content, didactics and the provided training material. Based on this, the trainings were revised and transformed into Open Educational Resources (OER) that are free of access and can be shared and adapted under the license of the creative commons.

PARADeS-Project

The PARADeS-project aims to contribute towards enhancing Ghana’s national flood disaster risk reduction and management strategy by investigating key mechanisms (drivers, pressure, state, impacts, response), existing flood risk and disaster management, governance-policy, human-water interaction, development of scenarios, action plans and feasible and sustainable measures. This will be carried out using innovative socio-technical and participatory approaches and tools.

Open Learning Content and Download Area

In this area you will find an overview of publicly available learning content and Open Educational Resources (OER) created within the PARADeS-project.

The OER training modules comprise an introductory module on floods and flood risk management and flood characteristics in Ghana, a module on hydrologic and hydrodynamic as well as critical infrastructure modelling, a module on citizen science and participatory methods in data collection, a module on the FLOODLABEL tool as well as a module on collaborative governance.

The aim of Module 1 is to introduce definitions and concepts of floods and flood risk management and to describe flood conditions and dynamics in Ghana. The first lecture explains the causes of floods – also with the perspective of climate change - and differentiation of flood types. It presents also global databases for extreme flood events. The concept of flood risk and influencing factors are explained as well as the flood risk management cycle. The second lecture deals with the natural conditions of Ghana with a focus on climate and hydrology of the country. It describes the river system and the different types of flooding and flood dynamics with regional flood hot spots.

The aim of Module 2 is to provide insights on modelling theory and practical applications with specific focus on the hydrological, hydrodynamic, and the consequence modelling. The first part of module 2 focuses on hydrological modelling, which delved into the application of the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) in the White Volta catchment. In this section of module 2, we provide a practical guide to hydrological modelling with QSWAT, including basic theorical introduction to SWAT and hydrological modelling. Sample datasets are provided, which can be used to setup and run model simulation with links to external support. The second part of module 2 focuses on the hydrodynamic and consequence modelling, which explore the ProMaIDes software framework. Here, we provide references that guide the audience to additional documents to gain a deeper understanding of various modelling techniques. Additionally, these references offer practical guidance on installing the free and open software. We also provide a direct link to an example model, known as the Sandbox Model, to facilitate understanding and practical application of the software. Module 2 offers a comprehensive understanding of the entire modelling processes in the PARADeS project.

In module 3, informational material delves into the utilisation of participatory methods to extract water level information. The module aims to document the objectives, methods employed, and lessons learned from the practical application of "Community Gauges" within the PARADeS project. This documentation is intended to serve as the foundation for future initiatives that involve the general public in contributing data pertinent to the water sector.

Module 4 provides an overview about the Ghana-FIS to allow experts, researchers, stakeholders and communities to access relevant information and data on flood disaster risk management (FDRM). This includes the exploration of scenarios and measures and its consequence on flood hazard, risk
and critical infrastructure. Application and technical documentation are provided to interested participants who wish to know in detail the use of the Ghana-FIS in practice and the framework on the technological infrastructure and its set-up.

Module 5 provides a basic insight into the FLOODLABEL tool. The FLOODLABEL empowers people to protect their property from floods. The FLOODLABEL is a multi-stage assessment concept for buildings. It shows the potential hazards, the risk to the property and recommends measures for self-precaution and the right behaviour before and during an event. The FLOODLABEL promotional film and flyer give a first understanding and overview of the concept. The FLOODLABEL information material provides an insight into flood hazards and behavioural and flood protection measures for homeowners. Training presentations were made available for the use of the FLOODLABEL concept with students.

Flooding disasters have a complex nature, which spans across multiple policy and decision-making domains, rendering flood disaster risk management an intersectional challenge encompassing social, environmental, economic, and political dimensions. The objective of this module is to furnish participants with a comprehensive understanding of multi-stakeholder engagement techniques essential for effective flood disaster risk management. The module achieves this goal through an in-depth exploration of collaborative governance, networks, and stakeholder engagement in three different blocks. These blocks shed light on critical barriers and enablers of collaborative governance, factors influencing stakeholder networks along with their mapping, and diverse methods for engaging stakeholders. Tailored for professionals, practitioners, and academics engaged in global flood disaster risk management, the module equips participants with the knowledge and skills necessary to navigate challenges posed by flooding disasters across various sectors.