Earth Observations for Air Quality and Energy Management: Best Practices for User-Driven Capacity Development

Abstract:

Environmental governance and management efforts require data to drive policy, monitor change, and enforce action. Earth observations (EOs), such as remotely-sensed satellite data or ground-based data, can provide critical information for these purposes in areas such as energy management and air quality. In this talk, we will highlight key considerations for capacity development across scales, informed by projects in different regions with a similar goal: using EOs for more effective and data-driven environmental management and decision-making. First, we will highlight lessons learned via a US Environmental Protection Agency-funded information exchange and capacity building program on air quality management in Latin America. In this case, regional partners were in government ministries of environment or health. Second, we will highlight lessons learned via a NASA-funded effort to build capacity in using EOs for energy management across a national and international scale in coordination with the Group on Earth Observations (GEO). Partners and end users in this case were found across scales; the program targeted a global audience through the development and provision of online resources. In both cases, a capacity building approach was used to identify needs and priorities, assess data sources and training needs, and co-design an implementation approach. We will highlight the common priorities of data accessibility, actionability, utility, and interoperability, while also discussing differing scales, needs, user types, and mechanisms for engagement.