NASA + USAID = A Better World (From Space)
Imagine if we could provide a warning of a major flood in Bangladesh by tracking river levels thousands of miles upstream… in near real time, from space. Or could anticipate the patterns of forest fires in Nepal so forest managers could prepare to prevent them.
By Jenny Frankel-Reed
What if governments, policy makers and disaster managers could access the most cutting-edge satellite technologies the U.S. Government has to offer and use them to help countries prevent disasters and save lives?
The good news is — we can. And we do.
For the past decade, NASA and USAID have partnered to use satellite technology and geospatial data to monitor risks and respond to some of the world’s most pressing issues, from the spread of malaria in Tanzania to global climate change and monsoon floods in Bangladesh.
The program is called SERVIR, and in Spanish and French it means “to serve.”
At regional hubs in Kenya and Nepal — as well as our newest hub consortium, inaugurated last month in Thailand — SERVIR is helping build up teams of local specialists with expertise in remote sensing and geographic information systems (GIS), as well as scientific sector expertise and skills to engage local stakeholders.
These teams in turn are helping developing country governments monitor critical changes in land cover, water levels and weather conditions, and assess risks — “serving” them with information and trainings so they can manage risks more effectively.
Our data have helped countries anticipate droughts, floods, forest fires, even severe outbreaks of red tide. And this ability to see and monitor changing ecological conditions and respond swiftly, before lives are lost, has never been more important than today in the era of climate change.
Essentially, SERVIR helps people get their hands on free and open satellite data from space and use it to solve real problems here on Earth.
As a member of the SERVIR team at USAID, I’ve seen the effects of this partnership firsthand in East Africa, where our team at the Regional Center for Mapping Resources for Development is using a hydraulic modeling tool called CREST that turns satellite rainfall data into flood predictions.
Droughts and floods are a fact of life in East Africa, and millions of people’s livelihoods are deeply affected by shifts in rains. This important tool helps African countries make more informed decisions related to agriculture, water resources, floods and hydropower.
USAID’s mission to end extreme poverty and promote resilient, democratic societies depends on strong partnerships, good governance, sustainable local solutions and the right information. This last element, information, is critical to so much of what we do, and it’s why our partnership with NASA is so valuable.
From the vantage point of space, NASA improves our understanding of Earth by monitoring the oceans, atmosphere and land, and making the data that it collects free and open to the public.
This is an incredible resource for science as well as USAID’s development mission, and we are learning every day about what it takes to turn this data into actionable information and user-friendly tools.
Can we predict malaria? Map grazing areas? Monitor seasonal water bodies?
We are constantly inspired by what NASA shows us is possible, and constantly challenged by the local questions we receive from our missions and partners. Through SERVIR, we will continue to share the possibilities with our missions, country partners and the public.
The launch of SERVIR Mekong on Aug. 31 brings five new countries into the program — Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam and Myanmar — through a partnership with the Asian Disaster Preparedness Center and its consortium members. We are thrilled to expand this program with NASA and are committed to continuing to find innovative ways to connect information to action for sustainable development.
About this author: Jenny Frankel-Reed is a Senior Climate Adaptation Specialist in USAID’s Global Climate Change Office. Follow @servirglobal.
USAID and NASA recently gathered to highlight our partnership through SERVIR. Check out our Storify with some highlights from the discussion.
Read NASA Administrator Maj. Gen. Charles Bolden’s blog on SERVIR.
