Coastal and marine ecosystems serve key roles for carbon storage, nutrients and materials cycling, as well as reservoirs of biodiversity. They also provide ecosystems services such as sustenance for millions of people, coastal protection against wave action, and recreational activities. Remote sensing of coastal and marine ecosystems is particularly challenging.
Wednesday, 23 September
(2020-09-23)
15:00 - 16:30 UTC
Panelists will be from FAO, CGIAR, Land Portal Foundation, USDA and Beijing Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences.
The State of Land Information in South Africa
FAO produces and synthesizes a wealth of information data across all the sectors to help eradicate poverty, eliminate hunger, food insecurity and malnutrition, make agriculture, forestry and fisheries more productive and sustainable, reduce rural poverty, enable inclusive and efficient agricultural and food systems, and increase the resilience of livelihoods to threats and crises. These information and data are in text, statistical, graphic and map formats that are accessible through a wide number of FAO Knowledge Platforms.
The spread of COVID-19 in South Africa and other countries in the region has again brought to the fore the fact that very dense, under-serviced, mostly informal, settlements are not healthy places to live. They are also places where the spread of a disease is difficult to prevent or manage.
At night, satellite images of Earth capture a uniquely human signal - artificial lighting. Remotely-sensed lights at night provide a new data source for improving our understanding of interactions between human systems and the environment.
Hyperspectral data presents a unique opportunity to characterize specific vegetation types and biogeochemical processes across the land and oceans. Applications of hyperspectral data include plant species identification, invasive species management, assessment of phytoplankton functional types, mapping of wetlands and shallow benthic communities, and detection of harmful algal blooms (HABs).
Masterclass 10 (16:30-18:00)
NASA’s Applied Remote Sensing Training Program, ARSET has opened a new open, online webinar series: Introduction to Population Grids and their Integration with Remote Sensing Data for Sustainable Development and Disaster Management
Access to land is a critical factor for economic growth and poverty reduction. For government, industry, and citizens to be able to use this asset effectively and to minimize land conflicts, it is important to have access to reliable land and property records.