GC017
Applications of Earth Observations for Addressing Environmental and Development Challenges in Africa

Session ID#: 160791

Session Description:
Recurring extreme events and climate change across Africa have fueled food insecurity, destroyed critical infrastructure, caused loss of human lives and suffering, and degraded environmental quality and services. These impacts are experienced differently by various social groups and by women, and these differences should be incorporated into EO research and analysis. In a world of increasing scientific capabilities, such phenomena have been observed by orbiting environmental satellites, and simulated using a wide range of physical models. These have contributed to a growing body of data, tools, products, and services available to African decision-makers for addressing such challenges. The purpose of this session is to examine the impacts of recent Earth observation-related research efforts which help to address development challenges and promote societal benefit across the continent. Submissions are welcome from researchers, networks, and practitioners, focusing on how Earth observation data are and can be used to address environmental and development challenges in Africa. Submissions with a gender or socially inclusive focus are encouraged.
Index Terms:

1616 Climate variability [GLOBAL CHANGE]
1630 Impacts of global change [GLOBAL CHANGE]
1817 Extreme events [HYDROLOGY]
4332 Disaster resilience [NATURAL HAZARDS]


Primary Convener:  Sara Miller, University of Alabama in Huntsville, Huntsville, AL, United States
Conveners:  Robinson M Mugo, Regional Centre for Mapping of Resources for Development (RCMRD), Nairobi, Kenya, Bako Mamane, AGRHYMET, Niamey, Niger and Jacob Abramowitz, University of Alabama in Huntsville, Atmospheric and Earth Science, Huntsville, AL, United States
 
The Role of the Anthropogenic Fire Regime in Protected Areas in East Africa: A Case Study in the Mau Forest Region (1049190)
Stefanie Mehlich, University of Alabama in Huntsville, Atmospheric and Earth Science, Huntsville, United States, Robert Griffin, University of Alabama in Huntsville, Atmospheric and Earth Science, Huntsville, AL, United States and Emily Caitlin Adams, University of Alabama in Huntsville, Earth System Sciences Center, Huntsville, United States
 
Quantifying Aboveground Biomass Dynamics from Charcoal Degradation in Mozambique using GEDI Lidar and Landsat (1068317)
Mengyu Liang, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, United States, Laura Duncanson, University of Maryland, College Park, United States, Julie Silva, University of Maryland College Park, Geographical Sciences, College Park, MD, United States and Fernando Sedano, European Commission Joint Research Centre, Ispra Vey, Italy
 
Toward Validation and Improvement of GEDI’s Biomass Products in Africa (Invited) (1069796)
Laura Duncanson, University of Maryland, College Park, United States, Neha Joshi, University of Maryland, College Park, College Park, United States, Veronika Leitold, Universities Space Research Association Greenbelt, Greenbelt, MD, United States, James R Kellner, Brown University, Providence, RI, United States, John David Armston, University of Queensland, St Lucia, United States, Sean P Healey, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Ogden, UT, United States and Ralph Dubayah, Univ Maryland, College Park, United States
 
Using subseasonal climate variability at the community-level to advance place-based early warning systems in West Africa (1072864)
Shraddhanand Shukla1, Frank Davenport2, Kathryn Grace3, Seydou Tinni4, Abdou Ali5, Alkhalil Adoum6, Bako Mamane5, Colin P Kelley7, Daniel McEvoy8, Gregory J Husak9, Mansour Mahamane5, Emil A. Cherrington10, Rebekke Muench11 and Jacob Abramowitz12, (1)University of California Santa Barbara, Climate Hazards Group, Santa Barbara, CA, United States, (2)University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, United States, (3)University of Minnesota Twin Cities, Minneapolis, United States, (4)AGRiculture HYdrology and METeorology Regional Centre, Niamey, Niger, (5)AGRHYMET Regional Center, Niamey, Niger, (6)AGRiculture HYdrology and METeorology Regional Centre, Nimaey, Niger, (7)Appalachian State University, Boone, United States, (8)University of Nevada Reno, Reno, NV, United States, (9)University of California Santa Barbara, Climate Hazards Center, Santa Barbara, CA, United States, (10)University of Alabama in Huntsville, Earth System Science Center, Huntsville, AL, United States, (11)NASA MSFC, Huntsville, United States, (12)University of Alabama in Huntsville, Atmospheric and Earth Science, Huntsville, AL, United States
 
Estimating Changes in ESV in Response to Land Use Land Cover Change Dynamics in 48 African Countries (1080047)
Uzoma Stanley Ogbodo1, Shuguang Liu2, Shuailong Feng3, Haiqiang Gao2,4, Kevin E. Scriber II5, Arbi Sarkissian6 and Zhao Wang7, (1)Central South University of Forestry and Technology, National Engineering Laboratory of Applied Technology of Forestry & Ecology for Southern China, Changsha, China, Life Science and Technology College, CSUFT, Tianxin District, Changsha City, China, (2)Faculty of Life Science and Technology, and National Engineering Laboratory for Applied Technology in Forestry & Ecology in Southern China, Central South University of Forestry and Technology, Changsha, China, (3)National Engineering Laboratory for Applied Technology of Forestry & Ecology in Southern China, and College of Biological Science and Technology, Central South University of Forestry and Technology, Ecology, Changsha, China, (4)Changsha, Hunan, China, (5)University of Arizona, College of Environmental Science & Engineering, Tucson, United States, (6)Bangor University, College oof Environmental Science & Engineering, Bangor, United Kingdom, (7)Central South University of Forestry and Technology, National Engineering Laboratory for Applied Technology of Forestry and Ecology in Southern China, Life Science and Technology College,, Changsha, China
 
Hotspots of the Wildland-Urban Interface in Africa (1093691)
Heather Cox, Franz Schug and Volker Radeloff, University of Wisconsin Madison, Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology, Madison, United States
 
Replicable AI for Microplanning (ramp): Democratizing Geospatial Data Science for Global Health (1099859)
Matthew Hallas1, Rhiannan Price1 and James Haithcoat2, (1)DevGlobal, Arvada, United States, (2)DevGlobal, St. Louis, United States
 
Mapping Mangrove extents in parts of the Niger Delta region in Nigeria using Digital Earth Africa (1102118)
Kenneth Mubea, Digital Earth Africa, Nairobi, Kenya, Jokotola Omidiji, University of Lagos, Department of Geography, Lagos, Nigeria and Dieynaba Seck, Centre deSuivi Écologique, Dakar, Senegal
 
Planning for Sustainable Cities in Africa: Experiences, Challenges and Prospects of Monitoring Geospatial Indicators (1111926)
Shrijwal Adhikari, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Kathmandu, Nepal
 
An Open-Source Framework for Crop Type Mapping in Africa (1123251)
Meghan Halabisky1, David Ongo2, Julius Buyengo3, Caitlin Adams4, Edward Boamah5, Bako Mamane6, Fang Yuan1,7 and Kenneth Mubea8, (1)Digital Earth Africa, Pretoria, South Africa, (2)Regional Centre for Mapping of Resources for Development, Technical Services, Nairobi, Kenya, (3)Regional Centre for Mapping of Resources for Development, Nairobi, Kenya, (4)Frontier SI, Melbourne, Australia, (5)Digital Earth Africa, Accra, Ghana, (6)AGRHYMET Regional Center, Niamey, Niger, (7)Geosciences Australia, Canberra, Australia, (8)Digital Earth Africa, Nairobi, Kenya
 
Groundwater storage change and recharge estimation using remote sensing data in two major aquifers in Southern Niger (1123407)
Sergio Armando1, Norm Jones2 and Gustavious P Williams1, (1)Brigham Young University, Civil and Construction Engineering, Provo, United States, (2)Brigham Young University, Civil and Construction Engineering, Provo, UT, United States
 
The Rapid Deforestation in Atsimo-Andrefana Madagascar during 2001~2022 monitored with Google Earth Engine platform (1130710)
Jiangjie Bian, New York University, New York, NY, United States, Kayan Shih, New York University, New York, United States, Yanyi Wu, Silicon Valley High-Tech and Education Center, Santa Clara Valley, United States, Teresa Xiong, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, United States, Xiaoyang Zhao, Diablo Valley College, Pleasant Hill, United States and Yuqing Gao, Santa Monica College, Santa Monica, United States
 
Application of Herbaceous and Woody Forage Estimates in Index-Based Livestock Insurance as an Alternative to NDVI for Determining Forage Index (1135498)
Njoki NJOKI Kahiu1,2, Francesco Fava3, Niall P Hanan2, Julius Anchang4, Nathaniel Duane Jensen5 and Vincent Alulu5, (1)International Livestock Research Institute, Nairobi Gpo, Kenya, (2)New Mexico State University, Plant and Environmental Sciences, Las Cruces, United States, (3)Università degli Studi di Milano, Department of Environmental Science and Policy, Milano, Italy, (4)New Mexico State University, Plant and Environmental Sciences, Las Cruces, NM, United States, (5)International Livestock Research Institute, Nairobi, Kenya
 
RANGELAND MONITORING FOR DECISION MAKING: OVERVIEW, PERSPECTIVES AND CURRENT APPLICATIONS (1143898)
Jarumani Gamoyo Majambo1, Anastasia Mumbi Wahome2, Patrick Kabatha3, Maungu Oware1, Steve Omondi1, Emily Caitlin Adams4 and Robinson M Mugo2, (1)Regional Centre for Mapping of Resources for Development, Nairobi, Kenya, (2)Regional Centre for Mapping of Resources for Development (RCMRD), Nairobi, Kenya, (3)Regional Center for Mapping Resources of Development, Nairobi, Kenya, (4)NASA Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, United States
 
THE LIVELIHOOD-FOREST CONSERVATION DICHOTOMY: ARTISANAL GOLD MINING AND FOREST DEGRADATION IN GHANA (1146947)
Foster Kwame Mensah, Center for Remote Sensing and Geographic Information Services (CERSGIS), University of Ghana, Legon, Accra, Ghana, Mary Amponsah, Center for Remote Sensing and Geographic Information Services (CERSGIS), University of Ghana, Legon-Accra, Ghana and Emmanuel Asare, Center for Remote Sensing and Geographic Information Services (CERSGIS), University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana
 
USE OF EARTH OBSERVATION BASED HYBRID MODEL TO SUPPORT NATIONAL MAIZE YIELD FORECASTS IN EAST AND SOUTHERN AFRICA (1147638)
Benson KIPKEMBOI Kenduiywo, Regional Centre for Mapping of Resources for Development, Nairobi, Kenya; Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, Geomatic Engineering & Geospatial Information Systems, Juja, Kenya and Sara Miller, University of Alabama in Huntsville, Huntsville, AL, United States
 
Evaluating the Impacts of Urbanization on Urban Wetland Landscapes in Ghana using Geospatial Technology (Invited) (1150010)
Abena Asare-Ansah, Southern University and A & M College, Urban Forestry and Natural Resources, Baton Rouge, United States, Desmond Ofosu Anim, Engeny Water Management, Water Resources and Environmental Management, Melbourne, Australia and Patrick Banahene, Hohai University, Environmental Engineering, Nanjing, China
 
Improving Standardization and Openness of Agricultural Data in East African Region for Sustainable Development (1150871)
Anastasia Mumbi Wahome1, Benson Kemboi Kenduiywo1, Jarumani Gamoyo Majambo1, Grace Koech1, Patrick Kabatha2, Robinson M Mugo3 and Lilian Ndung'u, Allan Maungu Oware, Steve Omondi Otieno, Joseph Chemutt, Lynn Gacheri, Eric Wabwile, (1)Regional Centre for Mapping of Resources for Development, Nairobi, Kenya, (2)Regional Center for Mapping Resources of Development, Nairobi, Kenya, (3)Regional Centre for Mapping of Resources for Development (RCMRD), Nairobi, Kenya
 
DIFFERENT APPROACHES FOR CROP MONITORING USING EARTH OBSERVATION IN WEST AFRICA (1154880)
Mamadou Sarr1, Modou Mbaye Sr2, Abdoul A Diouf3, Amadou Moctar Dieye3 and Murali Krishna Gumma4, (1)Researcher (CSE / UGB), Dakar, Senegal, (2)IRD, UMR Espace-Dev, Maison de la télédétection, Montpelier, France, (3)Centre de Suivi Ecologique, Dakar, Senegal, (4)ICRISAT, Niamey, Niger
 
An Examination of the Amount of GEDI Data Required to Reliably Characterize Central Africa Tropical Forest Aboveground Biomass at REDD+ Project Scale (1166578)
Herve Kashongwe, Michigan State University, Department of Geography, Environment, and Spatial Sciences, East Lansing, United States, David Roy, Michigan State University, Department of Geography, Environment, & Spatial Sciences, and the Center for Global Change and Earth Observations, East Lansing, MI, United States and David L Skole, Michigan State University, Department of Forestry, and the Global Observatory for Ecosystem Services, East Lansing, United States
 
Effects of ENSO-Induced Precipitation on Lowveld Ecosystems, South Africa (1170236)
Hugo De Lemos1,2, Michel M. Verstraete2, Mary Scholes3 and David Roy4, (1)Michigan State University, Center for Global Change and Earth Observations, East Lansing, United States, (2)Global Change Institute, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa, (3)University of the Witwatersrand, School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences, Johannesburg, South Africa, (4)Michigan State University, Department of Geography, Environment, & Spatial Sciences, and the Center for Global Change and Earth Observations, East Lansing, MI, United States
 
Main production region mapping of cashew in Benin leveraging high-resolution remotely sensed imagery and deep learning method guides new development opportunity (1175878)
Leikun Yin1, Rahul Ghosh2, Seth Ogoe Ayim3, Christoph Weigl4, Chenxi Lin5, Junxiong Zhou5, Martin Boton3, Xiaowei Jia6, Vipin Kumar2, David Hale3 and Zhenong Jin5, (1)University of Minnesota Twin Cities, Department of Bioproducts and Biosystems Engineering, Minneapolis, MN, United States, (2)University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, Department of Computer Science/Engineering, Minneapolis, United States, (3)TechnoServe Labs, Arlington, United States, (4)McKinsey, New York, United States, (5)University of Minnesota Twin Cities, Department of Bioproducts and Biosystems Engineering, Saint Paul, United States, (6)University of Pittsburgh, Department of Computer Science, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
 
What Aspects of Food Security in Southern Madagascar can be Informed by Satellite-based Remote Sensing Data? (1193861)
Alexandria Berry, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, United States, Angela Jean Rigden, Boston University, Earth and Environment, Boston, MA, United States, Peter J Huybers, Harvard University, Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Cambridge, MA, United States and Joanna Upton, Cornell University, Charles H. Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management, Ithaca, United States
 
GALUP: Transformative land use planning in Ghana through satellite observations, suitability modeling, and stakeholder engagement (1196819)
Jasmeet Judge, University of Florida, Center for Remote Sensing, Agricultural and Biological Engineering, Ft Walton Beach, FL, United States, Changjie Chen, University of Florida, Florida Institute for Built Environment Resilience, Gainesville, United States, Aditya Singh, University of Florida, Center for Remote Sensing, Department of Agricultural & Biological Engineering, Ft Walton Beach, FL, United States, Julie Anne Peeling, University of Florida, Center for Remote Sensing, Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, Gainesville, United States, Greg A Kiker, University of Florida, Gainesville, United States, Foster Kwame Mensah, Center for Remote Sensing and Geographic Information Services (CERSGIS), University of Ghana, Legon, Accra, Ghana, Olivier Walther, University of Florida, Department of Geography, Gainesville, United States and Chapman Owusu-Sekyere, Land Use and Spatial Planning Authority, Accra, Ghana
 
Earth Observation Services supporting the Hyperlocal Elicitation and Understanding of Risks to Stability in Complex Systems (HEURISTICS) (1198389)
Pierre C S Traore1, Glorie Metsa Wowo2, Hubert Kanyamahanga2, Victoire Djimna Noyum3, Vijaya Joshi4, Allegra Beal Cohen5, Cheryl Porter4 and Gerrit Hoogenboom6, (1)ICRISAT, Bamako, Mali, (2)International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), Digital Agriculture, Dakar, Senegal, (3)International Crops Research Institute for the Semi Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), Digital Agriculture, Dakar, Senegal, (4)University of Florida, Agricultural Biological Engineering, Gainesville, United States, (5)University of Florida, Agricultural Biological Engineering, Gainesvillle, United States, (6)University of Florida, Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, Gainesville, FL, United States