Irwin, Daniel: NASA MSFC (Project Lead)
Project Funding:
2008 - 2011
NRA: 2007 NASA: Decision Support through Earth Science Research Results
Funded by NASA
Abstract:
The objective of this project is to initiate a SERVIR-like system utilizing NASA science research results for improved decision support for the continent of Africa. This project will be modeled after the highly successful NASA SERVIR system implemented in Central America (http://www.servir.net). We will partner with the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and the African Regional Centre for Mapping of Resources for Development (RCMRD) in Kenya, to investigate the benefits and implement the use of NASA research results. This project responds to the Applied Sciences Program national applications themes for Ecological Forecasting, Disaster Management, and Public Health. After a careful review of potential partners in Africa, we have chosen to work with RCMRD because of their extensive network of member countries in Africa, their strong connections to the international community, their expertise in remote sensing and geographical information systems, and their communications infrastructure including high speed internet and access to NASA's direct broadcast satellite data. Based on extensive dialogue with our RCMRD partner and the operational agencies in their network, we have chosen a primary and a secondary application: flooding and Rift Valley Fever (RVF). These two applications areas are related in several of the environmental parameters necessary to monitor them: precipitation, topography, soil moisture and land cover.
We plan to use data from multiple NASA missions/sensors (SRTM, AMSR-E, TRMM, MODIS) and adapt existing NASA models including the NASA GSFC Global Hazard Model- Flood (Adler et al.), and the NASA GSFC Infectious Disease Ecoclimatic Link algorithm (Tucker et al.). The architecture for the SERVIR Africa system will be modular and will allow for future expansion to SERVIR Africa nodes in other areas of the continent. We will also coordinate this project with the operational SERVIR team at the CATHALAC facility in Panama to leverage existing capabilities including the physical infrastructure and training facility. The major results of this project will be a functioning SERVIR Africa node at RCMRD and improvements to the current decision making processes of the Kenya Flood Response System enabled by adopting the NASA products. An additional benefit of this project will be improved flood forecasting and monitoring capabilities at the operational SERVIR facility in Central America.
More details may be found in the following project profile(s):
