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New satellite technology tool transforms central Africa's ability to manage food security

The 'African Regional Data Cube' has been launched today at the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development Data GPSDD's inaugural Data for Development festival in the United Kingdom. This new tool harnesses the latest earth observation and satellite technology to help Kenya, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Ghana and Tanzania address food security as well as issues relating to agriculture, deforestation and water access.

The data cube was developed by the Committee on Earth Observation Satellite (CEOS) in partnership with the Group on Earth Observations, Amazon Web Services and Strathmore University in Kenya.

The Deputy President of Kenya, H.E William Ruto said his government will use the data cube to underpin the success food security, a pillar of its 'Big Four' priorities alongside manufacturing, universal healthcare and affordable housing. The data cube will allow the government to understand crop distribution, changing seasons and use of agricultural land in rural areas; as well as better protect its forests and water towers. The Deputy President said: "This technology will help us understand month by month how our land is being used so that we can target interventions aimed at improving our actions against climate change, help smallholder farmers and secure sustainable food and water for our citizens".

Claire Melamed, CEO of the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development Data said: "These five countries are in the vanguard of data for sustainable development. With their example, we hope that we can broaden access to the data cube across the continent so more countries can benefit from this fantastic solution. The sky really is the limit when it comes to how data from satellites can help drive sustainable development"

While satellite data is not new, it has traditionally been difficult to access and use, limiting its potential to help governments meet key development challenges. This new tool will help governments, farmers and consumers manage the complex challenges they face in trying to navigate the economic, social and environmental systems on which they depend. Vast quantities of freely available satellite data offer real opportunity to improve agricultural production, food security and access to water.

Government Ministries, National Statistical Agencies, Geographic Institutes, Research Scientists and Civil Society all stand to benefit from this new technology and training and work will soon commence across countries to help national representatives utilise, contribute to and ultimately benefit from the data cube.

NOTES TO EDITORS

CONTACT

Jennifer Oldfield
Communications Director
Global Partnership for Sustainable Development Data
joldfield@data4sdgs.orgmailto:joldfield@data4sdgs.org
@MsJenOO
+1 347 327 6568

Spokespeople

● Aditya Agrawal, Global Partnership for Sustainable Development Data
● Brian Killough, CEOS/NASA - launch of Africa Regional Data Cube
● Philip Thigo, Government of Kenya
● Argyro Kavvada, GEO / EO4SDG
● Rosemary Okello, Strathmore University
● Jed Sundwall, Amazon Web Services

About the African Regional Data Cube

The African Regional Data Cube (ARDC) is based on the Open Data Cube (ODC) infrastructure (http://opendatacube.orghttp://opendatacube.org/), which has been successfully demonstrated in Australia, Switzerland and Colombia and is under development or evaluation by more than 30 other countries. The ODC allows analysis-ready satellite data (e.g. Landsat, Sentinel) to be spatially and temporally aligned in "cubes" of pixels. These data cubes, hosted in the cloud, allow efficient time series analyses (e.g. land change, water extent and quality, agriculture extent and health), permit the use of diverse datasets via interoperable methods, and support connections to common analysis tools while reducing the data preparation and management burden on users. In addition, the ODC community allows engagement of other global users to develop new core code,share algorithms and provide support for the resolution of problems.

Useful links:

Earth Observations for Sustainable Development Goals (EO4SDGs): http://eo4sdg.org

GEOGLAM: http://www.geoglam.org/index.php/en/
GEOGLAM RAPP: http://geoglam.org/index.php/en/global-regional-systems-en/rangelands-rapp

About the Data for Development Festival
Hashtag: #Data4DevFest
This event focuses on use of all types of data and analysis in support of the Sustainable Development Goals. Delegates include around 400 representatives of partner organizations and collaborators of the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development Data. The three-day event will focus on driving action and fostering strong links that will lead to improved outcomes as the Global Partnership community looks ahead, in the short term to the 73rd UN General Assembly in September and in the longer term to 2030. About the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development Data
The Global Partnership for Sustainable Development Data (GPSDD) is a growing network of more than 300 organizations that act as data champions working around the world, harnessing the data revolution for sustainable development. Among these champions are governments, charities, businesses, and UN agencies. Since it was created in 2015, GPSDD has elevated data issues at a political level, launched a multi-million-dollar Collaborative Data Innovations for Sustainable Development funding initiative, and supported the advancement of country-led Data Roadmaps for Sustainable Development in: Colombia, Kenya, Philippines, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, and elsewhere. Learn more at: http://www.data4sdgs.org.

About the Committee on Earth Observation Satellite (CEOS)
The Committee on Earth Observation Satellites (CEOS) is made up of 55 Agencies from all around the world committed to coordinating their satellite Earth observation programs and sharing data for a more sustainable and prosperous future. These satellite observations are critical for environmental monitoring, meteorology, disaster response, agriculture and many other applications that can improve life on Earth and save lives. CEOS organizations currently operate 137 Earth observation satellites.

About Strathmore University
Strathmore University is a leading non-profit private university in Kenya and has over 8000 stunt populations. It specializes in Information & Technology , Finance & Applied Economics, Graduate Studies , Accountancy , Humanities & Social Sciences, Management & Commerce, Law School , Tourism & Hospitality, Data Science, Technology & Innovation- @iLabAfrica, Business School & Mathematical Sciences. The University also provides world-class executive management education in Tanzania, Uganda and Rwanda and Partnering with major universities in Africa: https://www.strathmore.edu/