Using Earth Observations in International Development for Food Security at USAID's GeoCenter
Abstract
To capitalize on advancements in geospatial data analytics, the GeoCenter at the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is committed to leveraging Earth observation data and tools, especially to assist in matters of food security. In an effort to better track where USAID is working, in August of 2018 the GeoCenter recently released geographic data collection and submission standards with a new policy requiring USAID to collect activity location data. It also published guidance on collecting geographically disaggregated indicators to improve performance monitoring of USAID programs.
As an example, for USAID activities focused on agricultural practices such as crop type and yield, there is now an agency-wide policy to facilitate place-based performance monitoring and adaptive management. By combining activity location data with Earth observations and landscape models, there is greater potential to downscale satellite measurements and landscape model predictions to locally track agricultural production both spatially and temporally in our development activities. Recent applications of Earth observation data at USAID include using high-resolution satellite imagery to help farmers secure land tenure rights in Tanzania. The same high-resolution imagery provided through the GeoCenter has been used to map agricultural and horticultural activities on the ground in Bangladesh with our Mapping for Resilience program. Further, Earth observation data assisted in identifying places of agricultural and food price shocks in Malawi. As the collection of USAID-funded activity location data and geographically disaggregated indicators becomes fully adopted at USAID, the opportunity to combine it with Earth observation data and geospatial analysis will greatly enhance the planning, designing, monitoring, and evaluation of food security activities in developing countries around the globe.- Publication:
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AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- December 2018
- Bibcode:
- 2018AGUFMGC42A..02H
- Keywords:
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- 0402 Agricultural systems;
- BIOGEOSCIENCESDE: 1640 Remote sensing;
- GLOBAL CHANGEDE: 6309 Decision making under uncertainty;
- POLICY SCIENCES