Accurate machine learning in data-sparse environments

Urban settlement change around Awassa, Ethiopia. Red indicates the extent of urban areas in 2000. Blue indicates the extent of these settlements in 2017. Awassa is located south of the capital city, Addis Ababa.

Policymakers rely on Land Use and Land Cover (LULC) maps for evaluation and planning. They use these maps to plan agriculture policy, improve housing resilience (to earthquakes or other natural disasters), and understand how to grow commerce in small communities. A number of institutions have created global land use maps from historic satellite imagery. However, these maps can be outdated and are…