A new publication highlights the contributions of Earth observation (EO) for reaching the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The Compendium of EO contributions to the SDG Targets and Indicators was produced by the ESA-funded EO for SDGs project, in close cooperation with the GEO EO4SDG initiative and the CEOS Ad-Hoc Team on SDGs.
In recent years, the world witnessed many devastating wildfires with disastrous impacts on the environment as well as on its population. In the past satellite- and airplane-based radar instruments have been used to detect wildfires and observe their temporal progression and the damage caused. A new scientific project supported by the Earth Applied Sciences Disasters programme at NASA uses radar data for a new approach in order to decipher where and how well landscapes recover in the years after major fires.
A new satellite that allows the most accurate measurements of sea level yet was successfully launched on 21 November. The Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich satellite will map up to 95 per cent of the world’s oceans every 10 days, taking continuous measurements of sea surface and wave height as well as of wind speed. It thus will provide crucial data for disaster and emergency management, helping to forecast cyclones, droughts, hurricanes and heat waves.
The United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration of the United States Government (NASA) signed a landmark Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on 17 December 2020 pledging cooperation in areas of science and technology to support the peaceful uses of outer space.
A briefing session was held with the newly established National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority. The discussion between the Authority and the Resident Coordinator’s Office enhanced cooperation in Nepal and paved the way for the provision of increased support to the country in 2021.
The UN-SPIDER mission was scheduled to take place in Savannakhet Province from 11 to 15 May 2020. The purpose of the mission was to offer technical advisory support with a view to improving disaster risk management, early warning systems, emergency response and institutional capacity. However, owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, the mission has been postponed and a virtual format through which to deliver the mission’s objectives is being sought.
A high-level technical advisory meeting was conducted on 19 October 2020 and was attended by the Member of Parliament and Vice-President of the Economic, Technology and Environment Committee of National Assembly, the Vice-Governor of Savannakhet Province and other senior officials. Representatives of two
UN-SPIDER regional support offices, the International Water Management Institute and the Asian Disaster Preparedness Centre also attended the meeting.
As a follow up, a joint project proposal between UN-SPIDER regional support offices and the Lao People’s Democratic Republic will be prepared for flood and drought monitoring, early warning for disaster preparedness and the building of resilience among smallholder farmers.
UN-SPIDER held six webinars and discussion sessions with staff at the Forest Conservation Institute of the Ministry of Environment and staff at the national office of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations in order to raise awareness of novel satellite technologies and products for monitoring forest fires. Participants took note of the UN-SPIDER recommended practice on burn severity mapping, the capacity of the Sentinel-5P satellite to monitor smoke dispersion in the atmosphere and a procedure developed in Colombia for assessing the susceptibility of vegetation to forest fires.
As a follow-up, UN-SPIDER will provide technical advisory support to the Forest Conservation Institute through the creation of a 20-year database of forest fires (2000–2020), the modelling of the susceptibility of vegetation to forest fires in two geographical areas identified by the Institute and dedicated training on the use of these novel applications.
UN-SPIDER and the Federal University of Santa Maria of Brazil (a UN-SPIDER regional support office) conducted three webinars for staff at the National Institute for Disaster Management, the National Meteorological Institute, the Regional Water Administration Authorities, the Ministry of Public Works, Housing and Water Resources, the Mozambique Red Cross and universities in order to raise awareness of the applications of novel satellite technologies and products to monitor droughts and map the geographical extent of floods. The National Institute for Disaster Management, the Regional Water Administration Authorities and the Ministry of Public Works, Housing and Water Resources gave presentations on their efforts to monitor floods and droughts; the development of an information system on arid and semi-arid areas; the use of the Africa risk capacity tool by the National Institute for Disaster Management; and efforts by the Ministry of Public Works, Housing and Water Resources to monitor droughts.
UN-SPIDER, together with the National Institute for Disaster Management, the National Meteorological Institute and other institutions, including universities, discussed the establishment of a technical, inter-institutional team that would focus on the generation of geospatial information to support disaster management using geographical information systems and Earth observation applications.
UN-SPIDER and the Agustin Codazzi Geographic Institute of Colombia (a UN-SPIDER regional support office) conducted two webinars for staff at the National Disaster Risk Management Unit and the Geological Survey of Colombia. UN-SPIDER visiting scientists presented the results of and challenges involved in the development of a methodology to map landslides triggered by earthquakes. The webinars also provided an opportunity to discuss the standard operating procedures for the activation of the International Charter on Space and Major Disasters.
In addition, UN-SPIDER was invited to participate in the eighth meeting of chiefs of the information technology offices of institutions linked to the agricultural sector, which was organized by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Colombia. A UN-SPIDER visiting scientist delivered a presentation on the use of Earth observation technologies in the agricultural sector, with a focus on droughts and forest fires.
