Unlike other recent initiatives where space-based information is used mainly for immediate humanitarian aid and emergency response, UN-SPIDER is providing support to civil protection agencies and regional organisations in all stages of the disaster management cycle, which will contribute significantly to reduce loss of lives and damage to property. UNSPIDER conducts its activities through staff at UNOOSA in Vienna, in the Office in Bonn, and in the Office in Beijing.

The mission of the UN-SPIDER Bonn Office is to make sure that all relevant information is easily accessible and disseminated to all stakeholders involved in disaster-risk management and emergency response, to establish communities of practice, to manage and transfer knowledge and to foster and strengthen strategic alliances and partnerships on a regional and global scale. The UN-SPIDER Bonn Office was established in October 2007 with support from the German Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology (BMWi) and the German Aerospace Centre (DLR).