HONOLULU, HAWAII - The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) announced today a new partnership with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's Business Civic Leadership Center to establish a Pacific Rim Coordinating Center (PRCC) (http://data.pacificrimnetwork.org). The PRCC will allow for real-time sharing of information and best practices to help communities and governments better prepare for and respond to disasters.

"Large-scale disasters across the Pacific Rim have caused more than US$500 billion in economic damage over the past decade. It is important to not only provide assistance as we are doing in the aftermath of the floods in Southeast Asia, but also help build the preparedness and resiliency of local communities," said Nancy E. Lindborg, Assistant Administrator for Democracy, Conflict, and Humanitarian Assistance at USAID. "This partnership with the U.S. Chamber is one more way that USAID is working to better prepare communities for future disasters."

Lindborg provided a live demonstration of one of the center's first initiatives, a new mapping tool for Thailand that utilizes open data, open-source tools, and applications for publishing maps. This new tool helps provide a common operating picture for both public and private sector entities by using data overlays of current disaster assistance efforts, historical disaster trends, and programs that are helping build disaster resilience in Thailand and other Southeast Asian countries. These open-source data sets and maps will allow businesses interested in providing assistance to connect with non-profits and local governments.

The PRCC, which is a primarily virtual operation, will collect and share information on disaster mitigation and response activities, allowing public and private sector stakeholders to collaborate, share best practices, and build upon each other's strengths and existing initiatives.