SERVIR Information systems and dissemination tools Faith Mitheu RCMRD/SERVIR E&SA fmitheu@rcmrd.org 5/18/2017

Overview of SERVIR A joint development initiative of NASA and USAID, SERVIR works in partnership with leading regional organizations world-wide to help developing countries use information provided by Earth observing satellites and geospatial technologies for managing climate risks and land use. We empower decision-makers with tools, products, and services to act locally on climate-sensitive issues such as disasters, agriculture, water, ecosystems and land use. SERVIR is improving awareness, increasing access to information, and supporting analysis to help people in Africa, Hindu Kush-Himalaya, Lower Mekong, and Mesoamerica manage challenges in the areas of food security, water resources, land use change, and natural disasters. SERVIR started in 2005 in Central America

SERVIR Global Networks and regions of interest SERVIR E&SA hosted at RCMRD SERVIR WA hosted at AGYHMET SERVIR-MEKONG hosted at ADPC SERVIR HKH hosted at ICIMOD AST activities in each region West Africa HKH HKH serves 5 countries which includes Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, and Nepal Mekong serves Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos PDR, Thailand and Vietnam Latin America MEKONG E&SA Africa

SERVIR Global Networks and activities SERVIR has grown into a global network of four hubs serving over 45 countries. As part of USAID’s Global Climate Change Office portfolio, SERVIR’s goal is to improve environmental management and resilience to climate change through the integration of Earth observation information and geospatial technologies into development decision making. To date, SERVIR has developed more than 70 decision-support tools, trained more than 2,500 analysts and decision makers, and increased access to geospatial products and information for over 155 institutions around the world. The SERVIR project is required to report on the GCC indicators touching on climate adaptation and sustainable landscapes. To be able to fulfil the requirements, SERVIR had to have kind of a paradigm shift( and adopted a bottom –up approach( which involves conducting user needs assessment in the various countries served by SERVIR Credit: servirglobal.net

Exploring the SERVIR Global tools The SERVIR Global website is linked to all the data/products and information generated from all the hubs across the world and its one stop shop for open source data and information. The website provides a link to products( product catalog), data and Maps and trainings from across the SERVIR hubs Each hub has its own information systems used for sharing data and information to the immediate users and the world for decision making https://servirglobal.net

SERVIR-E&SA SERVIR-Eastern & Southern Africa (E&SA) is hosted by Regional Centre for Mapping of Resources for Development, Nairobi, Kenya SERVIR E&SA operates under 4 thematic areas Agriculture and Food Security Weather & Climate LULC & Ecosystems Water & Hydro climatic disasters

Tools and applications http://apps.rcmrd.org

Service planning and user needs assessment The process starts from identification of the user needs to designing services that are demand driven Service planning is an evolving process-

Water quality monitoring for in-land Lakes Lake Victoria, an important freshwater lake that is shared by three countries and its catchment, which spans five countries, is affected by land-use changes in the lake’s basin. It is therefore, vulnerable to climate variability and population growth. Water quality parameters in Lake Victoria and Lake Malawi being monitored using satellite information. Parameters include chlorophyll a, TSM,SST. The tool is now being refined to inform on pollution hotspots within the basin Started with Lake Victoria and Malawi and now more demand is to include lake Tanganyika. The usefulness of the tool in informing policies There have not been informing policies but have really changed on the use of the geospatial information http://apps.rcmrd.org/waterquality

Flood monitoring tools in Africa SERVIR-ESA is implementing a flood monitoring system using EO data and hydrologic model(CREST). Tool couples a hydrologic model and a simple flood mapping tool which can easily translate water levels into an inundation map The need was to provide water managers with timely information on the likelihood of flooding for decision making.- to easily develop a flood inundation map for water levels above the threshold Recently the tool has been used by a project funded by WB on reconstruction/ rehabilitation of dikes in the lower Nzoia Basin for flood control http://crest.rcmrd.org/simulator/

River flow monitoring tools SERVIR-ESA under the AST project have implemented a river flow monitoring and forecasting service for Mara River in Kenya, Tekeze River in Ethiopia and Upper Zambezi basin The methods involved a Multi-model and multi-satellite approach Aim is to provide water managers with timely information on the availability of water at different time scales Tool is being used by the MaMase project to inform on water allocation plans within the Mara River basin. Tool is being considered for use by the MaMase project to inform on development of water allocation plans within the Mara River basin http://forecast.rcmrd.org/.

Tools and applications in the other hubs Mekong surface water mapping tool HKH flood forecasting and warning Centre for Bangladesh Mekong stream gauge service- extraction of water levels from altimetry data http://catalogue.servirglobal.net/

Other links www.servirglobal.net http://catalogue.servirglobal.net/ SERVIR and GEOGLOWS Use of the service planning tools developed by SERVIR to inform on specific water needs that GEOGLOWS could address in the different regions Explore the capacity building /training criteria and tools already available under SERVIR network and NASA programs Providing a link to stakeholders/users within the SERVIR regions Other links www.servirglobal.net http://catalogue.servirglobal.net/ www.rcmrd.org www.icimod.org https://www.servirglobal.net/multimedia/video