The citizen science approach has gained momentum in recent years. It can enable both experts and citizen scientists to co-create new knowledge. Better understanding of local environmental, social, and geographical contexts can help in designing appropriate plans for sustainable development. However, a lack of geospatial data, especially in the context of developing countries, often precludes context-specific development planning. This study therefore tests an innovative approach of volunteer citizen science and an open mapping platform to build resilience to natural hazards in the remote mountainous parts of western Nepal. In this study, citizen scientists and mapping experts jointly mapped two districts of Nepal (Bajhang and Bajura) using the OpenStreetMap (OSM) platform. Remote mapping based on satellite imagery, capacity building, and mobilization of citizen scientists was performed to collect the data. These data were then uploaded to OSM and later retrieved in ArcGIS to produce a usable map that could be exploited as a reference resource for evidence-based decision-making. The collected data are freely accessible to community members as well as government and humanitarian actors, and can be used for development planning and risk reduction. By piloting in two communities of western Nepal, we found that using open data platforms for collecting and analyzing location-based data has a mutual benefit for researchers and communities. Such data could be vital in understanding the local landscape, environmental risk, and distribution of resources. Furthermore, they enable both researchers and local people to transfer technical knowledge, collect location-specific data, and use them for better decision-making.

The concept of using open data in development planning and resilience building to frequent environmental hazards has gained substantial momentum in recent years. It is helpful in better understanding local capacities and associated risks to develop appropriate risk reduction strategies. Currently, lack of accurate and sufficient data has contributed to increased environmental risks, preventing local planners the opportunity to consider these risks in advance. To fulfil this gap, this study presents an innovative approach of using openly available platforms to map locally available resources and associated risks in two remote communities of Nepal. The study also highlights the possibility of using the combined knowledge of technical persons and citizen scientists to collect geo-spatial data to support proper decision making. We harnessed the power of citizen scientists to collect geo-spatial data by training them on currently available tools and platforms. Also, we equipped these communities with the necessary instruments to collect location based data. Later, these data collected by citizen scientists were uploaded in the online platforms. The collected data are freely accessible to community members, government and humanitarian actors which could be used for development planning and risk reduction. Moreover, the information co-generated by local communities and scientists could be crucial for local government bodies to plan activities related to disaster risk reduction. Through the piloting in two communities of Nepal, we have found that using open data platforms for collecting and analysing location based data has a mutual benefit to researchers and communities. These data could be vital in understanding the local landscape of development, environmental risk and distribution of resources. Furthermore, it enables both researchers and local people to transfer the technical knowledge, collect location specific data and use them in better decision making.

Flooding is one of the most frequent natural hazards affecting Nepal’s lowland river basins, particularly during the monsoon. Among others, students and children are continuously exposed to these floods, as many schools are proximate to these rivers. Although flood risk awareness is high due to recurrent exposure to flooding incidents and the incorporation of flood education into the school curriculum, there remains a persistent gap in translating this awareness into informed response behavior. In this study, we assessed the effectiveness of an immersive Virtual Reality (VR)–based flood preparedness intervention for secondary school students in the Kamala River Basin of Nepal. Over the period of three months, We first (a) organize an orientation session to collect baseline information of the students (b) collect the data on local landmarks and perform drone based mapping along with 360° imagery (c) perform content analysis of national hydrometeorological agency (d) develop a scenario based gamified simulation in Unity 3D tailored for Meta Oculus 3S VR set that was used with controlled group of students aged between 12-16 years. A pre- and post-intervention mapping was conducted with 180 students to assess their knowledge gains in comprehension of flood warning signals, understanding of early warning systems, and recognition of safe evacuation zones. Results show statistically significant improvements across all preparedness indicators following the intervention (p < 0.001) with VR experience. The findings demonstrate the potential of immersive VR tools to strengthen preparedness and behavior in hazard-prone communities and support school-based disaster risk reduction as a complementary risk reduction measure within flood risk management frameworks.