Sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, halt and reverse land degradation, halt biodiversity loss

Forests cover 30.7 per cent of the Earth’s surface and, in addition to providing food security and shelter, they are key to combating climate change, protecting biodiversity and the homes of the indigenous population. By protecting forests, we will also be able to strengthen natural resource management and increase land productivity.

At the current time, thirteen million hectares of forests are being lost every year while the persistent degradation of drylands has led to the desertification of 3.6 billion hectares. Even though up to 15% of land is currently under protection, biodiversity is still at risk. Deforestation and desertification – caused by human activities and climate change – pose major challenges to sustainable development and have affected the lives and livelihoods of millions of people in the fight against poverty.

Efforts are being made to manage forests and combat desertification. There are two international agreements being implemented currently that promote the use of resources in an equitable way. Financial investments in support of biodiversity are also being provided.

The Lion’s Share Fund

On 21 June, 2018, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), FINCH and founding partner Mars, Incorporated, announced the Lion’s Share, an initiative aimed at transforming the lives of animals across the world by asking advertisers to contribute a percentage of their media spend to conservation and animal welfare projects. The Lion’s Share will see partners contribute 0.5 percent of their media spend to the fund for each advertisement they use featuring an animal. Those funds will be used to support animals and their habitats around the world. The Fund is seeking to raise US$100m a year within three years, with the money being invested in a range of wildlife conservation and animal welfare programs to be implemented by United Nations and civil society organizations.

Facts and Figures

Forests

Around 1.6 billion people depend on forests for their livelihood, including 70 million indigenous people.
Forests are home to more than 80 per cent of all terrestrial species of animals, plants and insects.
Between 2010 and 2015, the world lost 3.3 million hectares of forest areas. Poor rural women depend on common pool resources and are especially affected by their depletion.

Desertification

6 billion people depend directly on agriculture, but 52 per cent of the land used for agriculture is moderately or severely affected by soil degradation.
Arable land loss is estimated at 30 to 35 times the historical rate
Due to drought and desertification, 12 million hectares are lost each year (23 hectares per minute). Within one year, 20 million tons of grain could have been grown.
74 per cent of the poor are directly affected by land degradation globally.

Biodiversity

Illicit poaching and trafficking of wildlife continues to thwart conservation efforts, with nearly 7,000 species of animals and plants reported in illegal trade involving 120 countries.
Of the 8,300 animal breeds known, 8 per cent are extinct and 22 per cent are at risk of extinction.
Of the over 80,000 tree species, less than 1 per cent have been studied for potential use.
Fish provide 20 per cent of animal protein to about 3 billion people. Only ten species provide about 30 per cent of marine capture fisheries and ten species provide about 50 per cent of aquaculture production.
Over 80 per cent of the human diet is provided by plants. Only three cereal crops – rice, maize and wheat – provide 60 per cent of energy intake.
As many as 80 per cent of people living in rural areas in developing countries rely on traditional plant-‐based medicines for basic healthcare.
Micro-organisms and invertebrates are key to ecosystem services, but their contributions are still poorly known and rarely acknowledged.

Space-based Technologies for SDG 15

Protecting nature and biodiversity is an increasingly important challenge for humanity.
Satellite technology can be used to track endangered species and disrupt the poaching activities that drive the illegal wildlife trade.
UNOOSA helps stakeholders in biodiversity and wildlife management use space applications to monitor, assess and manage biodiversity and ecosystems.
http://www.unoosa.org/oosa/en/ourwork/psa/emnrm/biodiversity.html

SDG 15 Targets

Graphic displaying an end to desertification and the restoration of degraded land

Graphic displaying the financing and incentivising of sustainable forest management

Graphic displaying the conservation of mountain ecosystems

Graphic displaying the combatting of global poaching and trafficking

Graphic displaying the protection of biodiversity and natural habitats

Graphic displaying the promotion of access to genetic resources and fair sharing of the benefits

Graphic displaying the elimination of poaching and trafficking of protected species

Graphic displaying preventing invasive alien species on land and in water ecosystems

Graphic displaying the conservation and restoration of terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems

Graphic displaying the integration of ecosystems and biodiversity in government planning

Graphic displaying an end to deforestation and the restoration of degraded forests

Graphic displaying increased financial resources to conserve and sustainably use ecosystems and biodiversity

Learn more about the SDGs

How do you personally and professionally relate to water?

Growing up in Israel, water scarcity was a constant backdrop to my childhood. The arid climate and frequent droughts shaped my relationship with water from an early age. One vivid memory that remains stamped in my mind is the series of TV campaigns highlighting the importance of water conservation. I recall sitting in front of the television, concerned by the urgency conveyed in those campaigns. The images of dry landscapes and the emphasis on every drop of water as precious left a lasting impression.

Interview with Sawaid Abbas, Assistant Professor at the Centre for Geographical Information, University of the Punjab, Lahore, Pakistan

Sawaid Abbas, Assistant Professor at the Centre for Geographical Information System, University of the Punjab, Lahore, Pakistan discussed his extensive work in addressing water-related challenges through the nexus between smart sensing and space technologies. His thematic focus spans water scarcity, food security, climate risks, and environmental monitoring with an emphasis on the Asia-Pacific region, including Pakistan and China. Key Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) guiding his work include SDG2 (Zero Hunger), SDG13 (Climate Action), SDG15 (Life on Land), and SDG11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities). Abbas's passion for water emerged during his early career at the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), where he was involved in Pakistan’s Wetland Program and witnessed the impact of water on associated ecosystems. This sparked his interest in understanding and managing water, forestry, and wildlife resources. He recently studied coastal ecosystems and their responses to climate and anthropogenic stressors in the Asia-Pacific region. The Living Indus – Investing in Ecological Restoration has become a new focus of interest for him, addressing sustainability challenges related to food security, river basin management, and efficient water use in alignment with the UN Decade of Ocean objectives. Abbas shared his fascination with water, recognizing its complex and essential nature. He is captivated by its beauty in all forms and acknowledges its fundamental importance for life on Earth. This water connection further motivates his commitment to addressing global water challenges and promoting sustainable water use through innovative solutions. Sawaid Abbas's work, stimulated by both professional commitment and personal fascination, stresses the critical role of space technologies, particularly earth observation, smart sensing nexus, and artificial intelligence in addressing water-related challenges. His research contributes to the development of innovative solutions for sustainable water use, environmental protection, and disaster response, aligning with global goals for a more resilient and water-secure future.

Pénuries d'Eau en Milieu Urbain : Comment les Données de la Mission GRACE-FO de la NASA Peuvent-Elles Soutenir la Gestion de l'Eau en Temps Quasi-Réel ?

Plus la population augmente, plus la demande en eau augmente, notamment l'eau nécessaire aux usages domestiques, industriels et municipaux (Mogelgaard 2011). L'Inde en est un bon exemple : le 20 juin 2019, la ville de Chennai a failli manquer d'eau. Des images satellites ont montré l'ampleur de la pénurie d'eau dans la ville (schéma 1). Alors que les habitants faisaient la queue pour de l'eau stockée dans des camions-citernes qui la rendaient disponible dans la ville, le véritable défi de gestion concernait les bâtiments municipaux et les entreprises de la ville. La pénurie d´eau a gravement affecté la capacité des hôpitaux à soigner les patients et à nettoyer les équipements, et a contraint les entreprises à fermer leurs portes jusqu'à la fin de la crise.

Earth observations for mangrove restoration

A mangrove is defined by the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History as

“a woody tree or shrub that lives along sheltered coastlines within the tropic or subtropic latitudes” (Teutli-Hernández et al. 2020).

Inondations au Soudan - Surveillance Spatiale des Inondations pour Soutenir la Gestion des Risques de Catastrophe

Merci à Martin Sarret d'avoir traduit cet article volontairement.

Space technologies for drought monitoring and management

The impacts of climate change are ever more apparent. The frequency and scale of devastation and destruction of weather hazards are on an increasing trend. According to the latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Report (IPCC, 2021) climate change is intensifying the water cycle. This will cause more intense droughts in many regions. Moreover, water-related extremes impact the quality of life disproportionately strong. Drought accounts for 25% of all losses from weather-related disasters in the United States of America (Hayes et al., 2012).

Wetlands conservation: How satellite observation supports sustainable wetland management

Pelicans in the Danube Delta, Photo by Florin Tomozei.

On 2 February 2020, we celebrate World Wetlands Day to raise global awareness about the vital role of wetlands for people and our planet. This year’s edition highlights the connection between water, wetlands, and life.

Monitoring River Delta Using Remote Sensing

Since ancient times, people have established communities in river deltas because it provides water, fertile land, and transportation access, making them an ideal place to live. This pattern has been carried forward to the present. With nearly 6 billion people living in river deltas, they are one of the most densely populated places on Earth (Kuenzer and Renaud, 2011). However, they are facing threats such as climate change, sea level rise, land use changes, and ecosystem degradation.

Monitoring the impact of mining on water quality based on space technology

^{Source: (Morgan, J. 2020)}

Technologies Spatiales pour la Surveillance et la Gestion de la Sécheresse

Merci à Mussa Kachunga Stanis d'avoir traduit cet article volontairement.

SAR backscatter to monitor under tree cover

Forest cover refers to the extent of land area covered by forests. It can be expressed either as a percentage relative to the total land area or in absolute terms measured in square kilometers or square miles (ScienceDirect). As of 2020, globally, forests account for 31 percent of the land area with roughly half of this area considered relatively intact. The total forest coverage is 4.06 billion hectares.

Mind the mapping gap between the ocean and coastal zones

Do you know that about 70% of the Earth’s surface is covered in water, yet it remains unmapped? As NASA oceanographer Dr. Gene Feldman said,

“We have better maps of the surface of Mars and the moon than we do of the bottom of the ocean.”

But can all these vast blue portions of the universe be explored and mapped like the Mars, which is 54.6 million kilometers away from us, but have nearly 90% of its surface mapped? "Well, that's the million-dollar question, isn't it?"

Conservación de humedales: cómo la observación por satélite apoya la gestión sostenible de los humedales

Translated by: Isabel Zetina

El 2 de febrero de 2020 celebramos el Día Mundial de los Humedales para concienciar al mundo sobre el papel vital de los humedales para las personas y nuestro planeta. La edición de este año destaca la conexión entre el agua, los humedales y la vida.

Space technology observing the effects of forests on watersheds

Have you ever heard the phrase "All the rivers run into the sea"? In most cases, this statement holds, with one exception: rivers that end up in lakes. If you imagine mountain ranges as the walls of a bathtub, the ocean is like the bottom of the bathtub, collecting all the water from the bathtub. No matter where you live, you inhabit a land area where all the water, above and below ground, converges into a common body of water (Figure 1). We call this area a watershed. Watersheds vary in size.

Urban Water Scarcity: How data from NASA’s GRACE-FO Mission can be used for (near) real time water management

As population becomes larger the demand for water soars, including water needed for domestic, industrial and municipal uses (Mogelgaard 2011). One example of that, is India, where on 20 June 2019 the city of Chennai almost run out of water. Satellite images show the extent of the water shortage in the city (figure 1). While people are queuing up to get water from water trucks that transfer water to the city, the greatest struggle is taking place in the city’s municipal buildings and businesses. Hospitals are facing the threat of not having enough water to treat patients and to clean equipment, and businesses are forced to shut down and wait until the crisis is over.

Towards new applications of spaceborne technology on flood protection

Recently, in July 2021, destructive and deadly floods occurred in Western Europe. The estimated insured losses only in Germany could approach 5 billion Euros (AIR Worldwide, 2021). However, the total amount of the damage is currently not foreseeable due to the variety and complexity of the damage patterns and the unbelievable extent of the disaster. It seems the socio-economic losses will dramatically increase and break a new record in the insurance industry after evaluating the complete record of damages’ reports (see Figure 1).

Remote sensing techniques for observing snow and ice

Introduction

Snow has a crucial contribution to Earth’s climate and helps to maintain the Earth’s temperature. When snow melts, it aids in providing water to people for their livelihood and affects the survival of animals and plants (National Snow and Ice Data Center). Approximately 1.2 billion people - constituting one-sixth of the global population - depend on snowmelt water for both agricultural activities and human consumption (Barnett et al., 2005).

United Nations/Ghana/PSIPW - 5th International conference on the use of space technology for water resources management

From 10 to 13 May 2022, the United Nations Officer for Outer Space Affairs organized the 5th International conference on the use of space technology for water resources management. The conference was hosted in a hybrid format in Accra, Ghana, by the University of Energy and Natural Resources, Sunyani on behalf of the Government of Ghana. The event was attended by several senior government representatives of the host country including Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, Vice President of the Republic of Ghana, the Honorary Minister of Education Dr.

Escasez urbana de agua: cómo pueden utilizarse los datos de la misión GRACE-FO de la NASA para la gestión del agua (casi) en tiempo real

Vers des Nouvelles Applications de la Technologie Spatiale à la Protection Contre les Inondations

Merci à Mussa Kachunga Stanis d'avoir traduit cet article volontairement.

Space-based observation helps improving climate modelling

Climate has become a subject of global concern, especially in recent decades. Climate models are practical tools that can simulate physical processes and predict future change. However, because of the complexity of atmospheric, ocean, and land processes, scientists are faced with significantly large uncertainties in climate models. As world leaders grapple with the urgency of climate action, the role of space-based technology and data has become increasingly critical. Various observed climatic variables (e.g.

Floods in Sudan - Space-based Flood Monitoring to Support Disaster Risk Management

In 2019, floods caused 43.5% of all deaths due to natural disasters and thereby represent the deadliest type of disaster with an increasing number of events compared to previous years (CRED, 2019). Floods furthermore lead to the highest number of people affected compared to other disasters as they affect human activities and the economy (CRED, 2019; Elagib et al. 2019).

Interview with Stephanie Tumampos, PhD Student at Chair of Remote Sensing Technology, Technical University Munich

How do your professional career and/or your personal experience relate to space technologies and water?

My interest in water is deeply rooted in my personal life. I grew up on an island in the Philippines where a lot of people depend on water as a source of livelihood. From fishing in the open sea to fish breeding, water has always been a source of income at home. Aside from this, the small community where I grew up struggled with access to running water.

Interview with Harriette Okal, Associate Scientist, Stockholm Environment Institute

How do you professionally relate to water and/or space technologies?

As a hydrologist, I’ve always been fascinated by the potential of space technologies in transforming water resource management. My work integrates satellite-based Earth Observation (EO) data with hydrological modelling, particularly for drought and flood monitoring, and water availability assessments in regions with scarce ground data. EO technologies allow me to capture real-time, high-resolution data, critical for climate resilience, especially in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Interview with Claudia Ruz Vargas, Researcher at IGRAC

Claudia Ruz Vargas is a civil engineer, graduated from the University of Santiago, Chile, with an international master’s degree in Groundwater and Global change. Her master thesis focused on groundwater modelling for recharge and saline intrusion risk assessment under climate change scenarios, in Cape Verde. Claudia has six years of work experience as a project engineer and researcher. She is currently a researcher at the International Groundwater Resources Assessment Centre (IGRAC), where she is involved in projects of high impact on the groundwater sector. In this interview, we talked to her about her career path, and how she has contributed to an improved and more sustainable management of groundwater resources, at a regional and global levels.

Interview with Yolanda Lopez-Maldonado

Name of the community

Maya

Short description of community and hydrogeology of the area

Yucatan is located in the southeast portion of Mexico. The total area of Yucatan is 124, 409 km2 and the population (by 2018) was ca. 2.1 million inhabitants. The landscape of the area is defined by a highly permeable karstic soil, a notable absence of rivers or permanent freshwater resources in the surface, and a high number of natural wells or sinkholes (locally called cenotes, from the Maya word t´sonot).

Interview with Rebecca Gustine, PhD Student at Washington State University, Intern at Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Rebecca Gustine is currently a PhD student at Washington State University in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering studying civil engineering with a focus on water resources. She is also an intern at NASA JPL where she is a member of the ECOSTRESS applied science mission team working with local agencies to inform resource management and conservation efforts. We talked to her about her interdisciplinary research experiences through her undergraduate and graduate school.

Interview with Lukas Graf

Lukas Graf used to take clean drinking water for granted. As he grew up, and conversations around climate change and environmental destruction became increasingly intense, he started to become more aware of the importance and scarcity of water resources. Around a similar time, he became increasingly enthusiastic about space, realising that space technologies could be used to explore many of the pressing topics that he was interested in. He has participated in research projects that used remote sensing methods to study the effects of global change on ecosystems and especially on water availability. Lukas is interested in a range of topics from virtual water and water quality to irrigation and agriculture. He believes that interdisciplinary approaches and mutual dialog with societies and stakeholders need to be deepened for sustained resource management.

Interview with Gregory Giuliani, Head of the Digital Earth Unit (GRID-Geneva) & Senior Lecturer in Earth Observations (UNIGE)

Photo of Gregory Giuliani teaching at INPE in Brazil

In this interview, we discuss how time-series of satellite data can be used to monitor the environmental, and more specifically the water domain, using the data cube technology.

Interview with Dr. Ayan Santos Fleischmann, Lead, Research Group in Geospatial Analysis of the Amazonian Environment and Territory

Ayan Santos Fleischmann is a hydrologist with a particular interest in wetlands and large-scale basins, mainly in South America and Africa, and in the context of human impacts on water resources. His main study approaches involve remote sensing techniques and hydrologic-hydrodynamic modeling, as well as interdisciplinary collaborations with other disciplines such as ecology and social sciences. Currently, he is a researcher at the Mamirauá Institute for Sustainable Development (Tefé, Amazonas, Brazil), where he leads the Research Group in Geospatial Analysis of the Amazonian Environment and Territory. He also leads the Conexões Amazônicas initiative for science communication about the Amazon Basin. Ayan holds a PhD degree from UFRGS, with a collaborative period at Université Toulouse III – Paul Sabatier (France). His Ph. D. thesis focused on the hydrology of the South American wetlands. Ayan holds an Environmental Engineering degree from the Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), with a research stay at the University of East Anglia in the United Kingdom. In this interview, we talked to him about his career path, the work he has been developing in Brazil with wetlands and floods, and his work in the Amazon River basin.

Interview with Hafsa, Aeman, National Researcher, International Water Management Institute (IWM), CGIAR

In the interview, Hafsa Aeman discusses her passion for integrating water resource management with space technologies. She uses remote sensing and AI to tackle challenges like seawater intrusion and coastal erosion, focusing on vulnerable coastal ecosystems. By leveraging satellite data, her work provides critical insights for sustainable water management, crucial for communities impacted by climate change. Ms Aeman highlights the significant role of space technology in water management, especially through remote sensing, which helps monitor precipitation, soil moisture, and groundwater levels. Her proudest achievement is a publication on seawater intrusion, recognized for its innovative use of AI and remote sensing, contributing to Pakistan’s Living Indus initiative. At the International Water Management Institute (IWMI), Hafsa’s research integrates AI and remote sensing to optimize water and irrigation management systems. She emphasizes the importance of addressing seawater intrusion, which poses threats to agriculture, ecosystems, and global food security. She also underscores the role of community engagement in sustainable water management through capacity-building workshops for farmers, promoting smarter irrigation practices. She advocates for leadership opportunities for young scientists and believes AI can revolutionize water management by enabling more accurate and efficient data analysis. Rain, symbolizing renewal and sustenance, is her favorite aggregate state of water.

Interview with Prof. Wolfgang Wagner

Photo of Prof. Wolfgang Wagner lecturing a seminar

Interview with Dr. Sherine Ahmed El Baradei

Interview with Ailin Sol Ortone Lois, Director of SAR Research group, at Universidad Tecnológica Nacional, Specialist at the Argentinian Air Force, Teacher and Researcher at Universidad Nacional de Luján and the UTN

Interview with Dr. Shimrit Maman, Senior Scientist at the Goldman Sonnenfeldt School of Sustainability and Climate Change

How do you personally and professionally relate to water?

Interview with Padmi Ranasinghe, Doctoral student in Urban Planning and Public Policy at the University of Texas (UT) - Arlington

Padmi Ranasinghe doing field work at Sinharaja Evergreen rain forest

Padmi is currently reading for her Ph.D. focusing on Nature-based Solutions (NbS) for climate change risk reduction and resilience cities. She believes NbS can reduce hydro-meteorological hazards such as floods, droughts, and landslides in the long run. It is a strategy to minimize the gaps in decarbonizing and reducing greenhouse gases and a path to Net-zero cities. NbS, are actions to protect, sustainably manage, and restore natural and modified ecosystems that address societal challenges effectively and adaptively, benefiting people and nature (IUCN & World Bank, 2022). Ecosystem-based adaptation (EbA), ecosystem-based disaster risk reduction (Eco-DRR), ecosystem-based mitigation (EbM), and green infrastructure are some branches under the umbrella of NbS. NbS include conserving forests, mangroves, and wetland ecosystems, halting deforestation, increasing reforestation, climate-smart agriculture, and opening green spaces. According to her, space technology is integral to planning, monitoring, and analysis. Space technology today is so advanced that it can capture and predict changes in the water cycle, climate change variables and so forth. Remote sensing data and satellite-derived information are essential in obtaining accurate data on a specific site anywhere on the Earth's surface. Most recently, she has been involved in projects utilizing urban NbS such as the conservation of Ramsar-Colombo to mitigate urban floods and adapt to climate change. To conduct wetland inventories, space-based data and GIS techniques can be utilized to detect the presence of wetlands and/or water in wetlands. Though there can be some challenges encountered such as limited coverage of specific areas within the wetland, clouds often hiding images, and the low resolution of data making it difficult to differentiate floral species. Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (drones) can provide enhanced accuracy and consistency in measuring wetlands, as well as the presence of water in wetlands, using space technologies. Data and technologies from space contribute to watershed management, sediment measurements and many other environmental aspects.

Interview with Shaima Almeer, Senior Space Data Analyst at Bahrain National Space Science Agency

Shaima Almeer is a young Bahraini lady that works as a senior space data analyst at the National Space Science Agency. At NSSA she is responsible for acquiring data from satellite images and analyzing them into meaningful information aiming to serve more than 21 governmental entities. Shaima is also committed to publishing scientific research papers, aiming to support and spread the knowledge to others. In addition, she has recently graduated from a fellowship program at Bahrain’s Prime Minister’s Office. Shaima was selected among more than 1000 individuals to spend a year working as full-time research fellow, benefiting from advanced training in writing skills, research methods and policy analysis. The fellowship forms a core pillar of HRH the CP and PM initiative to improve national skills and support the Kingdom’s growing cadre of young government professionals. Part of the fellowship program is to work as a supervisor at the COVID-19 War Room. Shaima has obtained her bachelor’s degree in the field of Information and Communication Technology from Bahrain Polytechnic and is currently pursuing her Msc. degree in Management Information System from the University College of Bahrain. Prior to obtaining her bachelor’s degree, Shaima was titled as the first robotics programmer in the Kingdom of Bahrain and also won the title “Pioneering Women in Technology”. She has recently also won the “Women Innovator of the Year 2023 Award” in New Dehli.

Interview with Sawaid Abbas, Assistant Professor at the Centre for Geographical Information, University of the Punjab, Lahore, Pakistan

Call for Applications: Internal Research Fellow in Earth Observation for Earth System Science

The ESA-ESRIN Earth System Science Hub has 5 positions open for new Post-Docs (Internal Research Fellows)

Call: 2nd Global Online Stakeholder Consultation in preparation for the UN 2023 Water Conference

Contribute your inputs on the themes proposed by the co-hosts for the UN 2023 Water Conference interactive dialogues!

Call for contributions to the PaleBlueDOT challenge by NASA and the United States Permanent Mission in Vienna

Are you interested in leveraging public Earth observation data and visualization techniques to contribute to SDGS? You have until 26 January 2024 to sign-up to the PaleBlueDot challenge organized on behalf of NASA and the US mission to international organization in Vienna.

Register for the Participatory Workshop for Indigenous Women - apply for funding until 21 August

Are you an indigenous women or in touch with indigenous communities. Don't miss this chance to make the voices of indigenous women heard. We would like to contribute to closing the digital divide, as well as to raise the voices of indigenous women on their views realated to water and the environment.

Spread the word about this opportunity so we can reach as many Indigenous women as possible.

Call for abstracts - United Nations/Costa Rica/PSIPW - Sixth conference on the use of space technology for water management

San José, Costa Rica, 7-10 May 2024 (with a possibility of online attendance)

Hosted and supported by the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA)
Co-sponsored by the Prince Sultan Bin Abdulaziz International Prize for Water (PSIPW)

Venue: Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture Headquarters, San José, Costa Rica

Interview with Claudia Ruz Vargas, Researcher at IGRAC

Interview with Rebecca Gustine, PhD Student at Washington State University, Intern at Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Interview with Lukas Graf

Interview with Dr. Ayan Santos Fleischmann, Lead, Research Group in Geospatial Analysis of the Amazonian Environment and Territory

Interview with Hafsa, Aeman, National Researcher, International Water Management Institute (IWM), CGIAR

Interview with Padmi Ranasinghe, Doctoral student in Urban Planning and Public Policy at the University of Texas (UT) - Arlington

Interview with Shaima Almeer, Senior Space Data Analyst at Bahrain National Space Science Agency

Interview with Stephanie Tumampos, PhD Student at Chair of Remote Sensing Technology, Technical University Munich

How do your professional career and/or your personal experience relate to space technologies and water?

Interview with Harriette Okal, Associate Scientist, Stockholm Environment Institute

How do you professionally relate to water and/or space technologies?

The third Space4Water Stakeholder Meeting

co-organised by the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA)
and the Prince Sultan Bin Abdulaziz International Prize for Water (PSIPW)

Register for the Fourth Space4Water Stakeholder Meeting

co-organised by the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA)
and the Prince Sultan Bin Abdulaziz International Prize for Water (PSIPW)

Report on the Third Space4Water Stakeholder Meeting

The Office for Outer Space Affairs and the Prince Sultan Bin Abdulaziz International Prize for Water organized the third Space4Water stakeholder meeting hosted in Vienna on 24 and 25 October 2023 in a hybrid format.

The present report describes the objectives of the meeting and includes details of attendance and a summary of the presentations, discussions and interactive sessions, as well as the conclusions.

The full report is available for download below.

Register for the Third Space4Water Stakeholder Meeting

co-organised by the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA)
and the Prince Sultan Bin Abdulaziz International Prize for Water (PSIPW)

Register for the 1st Space4Water Stakeholder Meeting - End or registration: 30 September

Space4Water stakeholders, featured young professionals and professionals, join us in Vienna at the 1st Space4Water Stakeholder Meeting.

Dates and location

The workshop will take place on 27-28 October 2022 at the Vienna International Centre, with an opportunity to host it online, should COVID prevent travels in October.

Registration

To be considered for participation Space4Water stakeholders and featured professionals can register here.

Participatory workshop for Indigenous women on their roles and responsibilities related to water

Group photo of the workshop participants

5 years of Space 4 Water - ebook on the Space4Water Project published

Photo of the printed version of the Space4Water Publication

Dear Space4Water Community,

Report of the United Nations/Costa Rica/PSIPW - Sixth conference on the use of space technology for water management (San José and online, 7–10 May 2024, with on-site training on 11 May 2024)

Screenshot of the first page of the Report

The United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA), the Government of Costa Rica, and the Prince Sultan Bin Abdulaziz International Prize for Water (PSIPW) were jointly organizing a conference to promote the use of space technology in water management to the benefit of developing countries.

The Conference was heldin San José, Costa Rica, from 7-10 May 2024, hosted by and with the support of the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) on behalf of the Government of Costa Rica.

Register for the 2nd Space4Water Stakeholder Meeting - End of registration: 30 April

organised by UNOOSA in partnership with the Prince Sultan Bin Abdulaziz International Prize for Water (PSIPW)
11-12 May 2023, Online

This event is restricted to Space4Water stakeholders, featured professionals, young professionals and representatives of Indigenous communities featured on the portal.

Registration for speakers submitting technical presentations closes on 15 April 2023.
Registration for all other participants closes on 30 April 2023.

Register for the United Nations/Ghana/PSIPW - 5th International conference on the use of space technology for water resources management

The United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) and the Government of Ghana are jointly organizing a Conference with the support of the Prince Sultan Bin Abdulaziz International Prize for Water (PSIPW) to promote the use of space technology in water management to the benefit of developing countries.

The Conference will be held in Accra, Ghana, from 10- 13 May 2022, hosted by the University of Energy and Natural Resources on behalf of the Government of Ghana.

Report of the 2nd Space4Water Stakeholder Meeting, 11-12 May 2023, Online

The 2nd Space4Water Stakeholder Meeting was hosted by the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs with its partner, the Prince Sultan Bin Abdulaziz International Prize for Water online 11–12

Launch of Zimbabwe's first Satellite ZIMSAT - 1

What began as the development of a cubesat (BIRD-5) at the Kyushu Institute of Technology in Japan took off on a spacecraft to the International Space Station from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA's) Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia, US on 6 November 2022 (watch the video of the launch of the CRS2 NG-18 (Cygnus) Mission (Antares), in the video below the article).

Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space: 2021

The Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space in its sixty-fourth session, which took place form 25 August-3 September 2021 in Vienna, adopted the below on its agenda item "Space and water":

The Committee considered the agenda item entitled “Space and water”, in accordance with General Assembly resolution 75/92.

Register for the 3rd Space4Water Stakeholder Meeting: Registration open

24-25 October 2023, at the Vienna International Centre

organised by the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs
co-organised with the Prince Sultan Bin Abdulaziz International Prize for Water (PSIPW)

This event is restricted to Space4Water stakeholders, featured professionals, young professionals and representatives of Indigenous communities featured on the portal.

Interview with Yolanda Lopez-Maldonado

Name of the community

Maya

Short description of community and hydrogeology of the area

ARSET - Introduction to Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) data and applications

Overview:

This online training introduces participants to the data and applications of the Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) mission. GPM is an international satellite mission that provides next-generation observations of rain and snow worldwide every three hours.

Online Course on Remote Sensing for Agricultural Water Management

Develop skills to use remote sensing for land cover classification, estimating evapotranspiration, water productivity, irrigation performance assessment & irrigation water accounting.

Water Productivity and Water Accounting using WaPOR

Water Productivity and Water Accounting using WaPOR (the portal to monitor Water Productivity through Open-access of Remotely sensed derived data) is an open online course targeting practitioners and academicians who are working in water resources management and related fields and have interest in applying open access remote sensing data and other open data to assess the water resources situation and water productivity and the extent to which water productivity increases have an effect on different water users in a river basin context.

ARSET - Fundamentals of remote sensing

Description

These webinars are available for viewing at any time. They provide basic information about the fundamentals of remote sensing, and are often a prerequisite for other ARSET trainings.

FAO CB4WA: Use of FAO WaPOR Portal

Overview

Welcome to the open access course Use of FAO WaPOR Portal from IHE Delft Institute for Water Education and the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO). WaPOR is the portal to monitor Water Productivity through Open-access of Remotely sensed derived data and has been developed by FAO. The FAO’s WaPOR programme assists countries in monitoring water productivity, identifying water productivity gaps, proposing solutions to reduce these gaps, and contributing to a sustainable increase in agricultural production.

GEO Knowledge Package Deep Dive - Webinar

GEO Knowledge Hub Webinar Series

The second GEO Knowledge Hub (GKH) webinar took place on Thursday 1 April 2021 from 1pm to 2pm (CET)

Objective

The webinar covered a deep dive into the Land Use/Land Cover Classification Knowledge Package developed by the Brazilian Data Cube team at INPE.

The webinar illustrated the journey of a Knowledge Provider, from creating a Knowledge Package through to sharing it in the GEO Knowledge Hub.

Data Recipes & Short Tutorials

Overview

Data recipes are video tutorials that include step-by-step instructions to help users learn how to discover, access, subset, visualize and use Earth science data, information, tools and services. These recipes cover many different data products across the Earth science disciplines and different processing languages/software.

United Nations/Austria World Space Forum 'Access to Space4All'

Launching in November 2019, the WORLD SPACE FORUM is a new event series hosted by the United Nations that is built on the recommendations generated at three High-Level Fora held from 2016 to 2018.The sequence of Fora demonstrated the growing interest of an increasing number of actors in discussing the future of space and of international cooperation along the pillars of space economy, space society, space accessibility and space diplomacy.

2022 IEEE International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium - IGARSS 2022

The International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium (IGARSS) is the flagship conference of the IEEE Geoscience and Remote Sensing Society (GRSS). It is aimed at providing a platform for sharing knowledge and experience on recent developments and advancements in geoscience and remote sensing technologies, particularly in the context of earth observation, disaster monitoring and risk assessment.

Open-Earth-Monitor Global Workshop 2023

Open-Earth-Monitor project’s main aim is to directly support the implementation of the European Green Deal, and the European Digital Transition, the EuroGEO (Europe’s part of the Group on Earth Observations) and overall the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). How? By producing and integrating a range of open-source, data-based and user-friendly tools to monitor European and global environmental trends, and for ecosystem services accounting in constant collaboration with user communities.

5th Space for Hydrology Workshop

The European Space Agency, in the context of the "Earth Observations Science for Society" Programme, the Global Energy and Water EXchanges project (GEWEX) of the World Climate Research Programme and Centre National d'Études Spatiales (CNES) are organising a sequel joint event to Hydrospace2021 and EO4Water2020, called 5th Space for Water Cycle and Hydrology Workshop, HYDROSPACE 2023.

Geo Week

We’re excited to define the next iteration Geo Week: the coming together of the International Lidar Mapping Forum (ILMF), SPAR 3D Expo & Conference and AEC Next as an integrated event covering the next generation of digital technology.

Participatory workshop for indigenous women on their roles and responsibilities related to water

register here until 21 August 2022 - if you would like to be considered for funding

In many places around the world women are responsible for water collection, a responsibility that globally takes them 200 million hours annually. It often leaves them with little to no time for school, work or to spend time with their family. Furthermore, indigenous communities' cultural heritage and knowledge about natural resources, including water, urgently needs to be considered and protected.

9th International Conference on Remote Sensing and Geoinformation of Environment (RSCy2023)

The 9th International Conference on Remote Sensing and Geoinformation of Environment or RSCy2023 will be held in Cyprus on 3-5 April, 2023.

The RSCy2023 is organized by the Cyprus Remote Sensing Society in cooperation with ESA, NASA, Copernicus, DLR, Group On Earth Observations, the Department of Electronic Communications of the Ministry of Communications and Works, the Technical Chamber of Cyprus, the Cyprus Department of Meteorology and the Agricultural Research Institute.

The conference is published by SPIE.

Drought Resilience +10 conference

In 2013, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), the Secretariat of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), in collaboration with a number of UN agencies, international and regional organizations and key national agencies organized the High-Level Meeting on National Drought Policy (HMNDP) in Geneva from 11 to 15 March 2013.

14th International Conference on Hydroinformatics HIC 2022 − Water INFLUENCE

About

Hydroinformatics focuses on the application of information and communications technologies, to address problems in the water industry, water resources management, and other fields connected to the aquatic environment. New trends, like the digital transformation of urban water systems, smart water networks and smart cities demand multi-disciplinarity and interoperability, to ensure a sustainable management of water resources.

5th COSPAR Symposium: Space Science with Small Satellites

The Fifth COSPAR Symposium will be held in Singapore, in April 2023, and will address the broad topic of

2nd WASAG International Forum 2023

The Global Framework on Water Scarcity in Agriculture (WASAG) will hold its 2nd International Forum with the theme "Making agriculture resilient for climate change: Water scarcity, an opportunity for action and collaboration" on 7-10 February 2023 in Praia, Cabo Verde.

The second WASAG International Forum provides the setting for developing collaborative actions as solutions to the increasing challenges posed by climate change and the resulting water scarcity, in order to make agriculture more resilient. The Forum aims to:

International Conference on Environmental and Water Resources Engineering

Overview

ICEWRE 2021: International Conference on Environmental and Water Resources Engineering is the premier interdisciplinary forum for the presentation of new advances and research results in the fields of Environmental and Water Resources Engineering. The conference will bring together leading academic scientists, researchers and scholars in the domain of interest from around the world.

This year the conference will be held digitally

Prices

Early Registration Ticket Fees:

Stockholm+50: a healthy planet for the prosperity of all – our responsibility, our opportunity

“Stockholm+50: a healthy planet for the prosperity of all – our responsibility, our opportunity” (Stockholm+50) will take place five decades after the 1972 United Nations Conference on the Human Environment. The event will provide leaders with an opportunity to draw on 50 years of multilateral environmental action to achieve the bold and urgent action needed to secure a better future on a healthy planet.

LAND4FLOOD Conference 2023

The IWRA Task Force Land4Flood Network will hold, in cooperation with IWRA, its next Land4Flood conference in Dortmund, Germany, from September 27 to 29, 2023. The conference will be hosted by the “Land policy and land management" research group, part of the Department of Spatial Planning at the TU Dortmund University.

The main theme of the conference is

United Nations/Costa Rica/PSIPW - Sixth conference on the use of space technology for water management

San José, Costa Rica, 7-10 May 2024 (with a possibility of online attendance) - streaming in UTC-8 time zone.

Hosted and supported by the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA)
Co-sponsored by the Prince Sultan Bin Abdulaziz International Prize for Water (PSIPW)

RCMRD International Conference 2023

The theme of this year's Conference will be "NEXT LEVEL: Space to Community". It will be held from 8 to 10 August 2023 at RCMRD, Nairobi, Kenya.

United Nations/Ghana/PSIPW - 5th International conference on the use of space technology for water resources management

Rationale and context

The Conference will be held in Accra, Ghana, from 10- 13 May 2022, hosted by the University of Energy and Natural Resources on behalf of the Government of Ghana.

Multi-Stakeholder Thematic Webinars: Preparing for the Water Conference and the Water Action Agenda

The Multi-Stakeholder Thematic Webinars will be held virtually as an additional opportunity for stakeholders to prepare for the UN 2023 Water Conference, including to encourage their contributions to the Water Action Agenda.

Water, Wastewater & Environmnetal Modelling

WWEM The Water, Wastewater and Environmental Monitoring event 2021 is a virtual event that focuses on Instrumentation and services for water and wastewater process monitoring.

International Conference on: “Soil & Water Resources Management for Combating Desertification in Drylands under Climate Change”

SWDCC 2022 promotes the major themes of Soil & Water resources assessment and management and the related challenges due to the degradation processes exacerbated by the effect of climate change.

IUCN World Conservation Congress

The first hybrid in-person and virtual environmental event since the pandemic began, the Congress will drive action on nature-based recovery, climate change and biodiversity post-2020.

About

The IUCN World Conservation Congress is jointly organised by IUCN and Marseille, hosted by the French Government.

United Nations/China Forum on Space Solutions

United Nations / China Forum on Space Solutions: Realizing the Sustainable Development Goals

Co-organized by the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs and China National Space Administration

39th International Sympsonium on Remote Sensing of Environment

In this inspiring time for the space sector and its important contribution towards helping to realise the timely delivery of the SDG’s, ISRSE-39 offers a unique opportunity for in-depth, cross-disciplinary exchanges between key public and private sectors organizations and leading actors in the field of satellite observing systems, remote sensing applications and information services. A global event, the symposium places strong emphasis on practical applications and societal outcomes - at local, national and regional levels.

8th Biennial UF Water Institute Symposium

The UF Water Institute and Duke Energy invite you to participate in the 8th biennial UF Water Institute Symposium. The Symposium will bring together individuals from a broad range of disciplines and organizations to explore water issues from multiple perspectives. The 2022 Symposium will focus on innovative science, technology, education, policy, and management advances that address the following pressing water issues:

World Wetlands Day 2023: It’s time to wetland restoration

Every year, on the 2nd of February, we celebrate World Wetlands Day (WWD) to raise global awareness about the high importance of wetlands for people and our planet. WWD is also an occasion to commemorate the signing of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands in the Iranian city of Ramsar in 1971.

Wetlands are disappearing three times faster than forests, and more than 35% of wetlands have been degraded or lost since 1970. Reversing this trend is critical.

World Water Week

What is World Water Week?

World Water Week is the leading conference on global water issues. In 2021 it will be held digitally on 23-27 August. Join us for an intensive week of learning and collaboration on the theme Building Resilience Faster. Together we can develop solutions to address climate change and other water-related challenges.

The 15th Asia-Oceania Group on Earth Observations (AOGEO) Symposium

The AOGEO symposium is the annual regional forum to initiate the directions of the activities on Earth observations (EO) and their applications based on exchanging broad perspectives as well as identifying regional emerging topics to coordinate further collaboration amongst various stakeholders.

The theme of this year’s AOGEO Symposium is:

“New horizons for Earth observation in Asia Oceania Region: Searching for engagements”.

Local Perspectives Case Studies

Need for data on snow quality which is assumed to be affected by runoff and emissions from industrial use

Dirty Snow NASA Image- Credit: T. H. Painter_Snow Optics Laboratory, JPL/Caltech

We predict that there are high levels of contamination deposited on the snow due to emissions from industrial use in our surrounding area. Therefore, we need data on snow quality. But we do not have the data to know where the deposition is happening on the snow and what that loading is doing to the water system.

Need for wetlands inventory

When the mining operations began about 40 years ago, they removed a lot of the wetlands. Now they (the companies) are trying to reclaim and bring back the wetlands so that they serve potentially as future infiltration systems. Data to understand what types of wetlands are suitable for our environment and how to develop criteria to monitor the success of the reclamation of wetlands is needed. And in general, we also need data for the inventory of wetlands as they are an important infiltration system to manage runoff within our river systems.

Lacking historic knowledge on vegetation cover and surface water extent / river course

Long view of Ngakoahia Stream and surrounding vegetation

The Māori community has Ngakoaohia River running through the customary lands and currently there are no records or knowledge of the river, so the community is not able to use it for any particular function. There is lack of understanding historical land use and land cover surrounding the river. Historical data is essential for understanding where things were planted or where was vegetation in order to be able to decide what plant are suitable for our location. So, the planting will help with the land, stabilising the riverbanks and help with plant life as well. We must work in unity with our environment, so historical data will help not to make ill informed decisions that will be detrimental to the environment.

Need for technical assistance to identify new water sources such as springs within the forest, in Guatemala

DDASO project team using drones to identify water sources

Need for assistance to identify more efficient ways (for example, through the use of new technologies) to find unknown water resources within the forest and also be able to determine soil and water quality. This will have the community to have access to safe drinking water.

Potential consequences due to the melting Athabasca glacier, Canada

The Athabasca glacier is our source of water and it is being reduced significantly because of climate change. We need to understand what is the data showing from the increases in temperature due to climate change, will the melting glacier increase more water loading in the Athabasca River, will that cause more flooding and at what point will we have no more glacier? What are the future predictions for the glacier as our source water? This information we will enable us to make a decision on whether we need to relocate or not. On the Peace River side, there are three hydroelectric projects, and we are talking to the companies to see if they can release water in the delta. But we need data to understand how much water they can release in the delta without causing flooding in the other areas. For example, how much water need released and in which season in order to have a healthy ecosystem downstream. Another set of data that will be useful is about landform stability. For example, tailings ponds are built to international dam standards, so if there are landform changes there could be consequences of tailings breach where the tailings will basically give out the dam will fail. We need digital topography modelling to understand what will happen in cases where tailing breach and how catastrophic that event will be.

The extraction of information on groundwater for a geographically small, water-scarce and groundwater reliant region

The Kingdom of Bahrain has an arid climate with minimal rainfall amount per year. The rapid increase in urbanization and population growth has placed a huge demand on water resources. The only natural resources available in the country and what has been relied on historically for water usage are spring waters and ground water, which are quickly being depleted due to the increasing demands on water needs. To understand the quantity of groundwater currently available to support the country’s survival needs, space technologies are a crucial tool that can be explored.

Sedimentation, reduced water quality, and ecosystem degradation threats in the catchment areas of Lake Baringo and Lake Bogoria

Increased sedimentation, reduced water quality, and ecosystem degradation have been a major environmental threat to the catchment areas of Lake Baringo and Lake Bogoria. All these issues have been brought about by soil erosion in the upper sections of the two lakes where the source rivers feeding the two lakes originate. The use of space technology such as remotely sensed satellite imagery and other geographic information system (GIS) methods to assess and analyse soil erosion patterns in these two catchment areas will be able to develop solutions that will help to quantify the rate of sedimentation and come up with policies and targeted interventions to enhance soil and water conservation measures in these areas. Soil erosion in the catchment areas enhances sediment deposition into the two lakes, reducing storage capacity in terms of volume and also affects livelihoods that depend on these water sources.

Change detection in land cover mapping using remote sensing data over prioritized hydrographic basins of Venezuela

The challenge is to determine changes in watershed coverage in the watersheds prioritized by the Venezuelan Ministry of Water over the past five years, using medium- and high-resolution satellite data to identify the areas of need for response to identified problems and minimize the risk to water reservoirs.

Spatiotemporal analysis of hydrometeorological disasters in the Indian Himalayas: integrating space-based techniques for enhanced disaster resilience

Hydrometeorological disasters (HMDs) in the Hindu Kush Himalayan (HKH) area have led to multiple water-related issues that resulted from extreme rainfall, glacial melt, and changing river flows, all of which are made worse by climate change and land use changes. Accurate warnings of these disasters are difficult due to sparse gauging and rugged topography in the Garhwal Himalaya region, which increases the likelihood of disasters during the monsoon. The same region experiences water shortage and drought especially during non-monsoon periods. The use of wide coverage remote sensing data from the study region as well as from neighboring countries with access to space-based data can play a significant role in the monitoring and analysing of these challenges. This study applies spatiotemporal clustering and multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) to map high-risk zones, which will allow policymakers to reinforce infrastructure providing disaster resilience. There is a need for a solution that uses multi-criteria decision making (MCDM) and spatiotemporal clustering to map areas in Uttarakhand, Himalaya, that are prone to disasters with the help of satellite-based data. To determine which tehsils (smaller administrative units) are vulnerable, it is suggested to examine more than 150 years of recorded disaster data with location and fatalities. Further vulnerable regions can be mapped using high-resolution satellite data (procured through Sentinel, Landsat, Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) Digital Elevation Model (DEM), and Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM)) and analysed in the QGIS platform. This solution could use spatiotemporal clustering and MCDM to map high-risk zones, which will allow policymakers to reinforce infrastructure providing disaster resilience. Data of the Garhwal Himalayan region (India), which lies in the Hindu Kush Himalayan (HKH) region are needed. The topography of the HKH region is almost the same over eight countries, and all bear similar kinds of disasters and climate patterns. The Garhwal region occupies about 64 per cent of the area of the Uttarakhand state and is also the origin of the river Ganga.

Groundwater resource management using artificial intelligence and remote sensing technologies

Groundwater is a critical resource for drinking water, agriculture, and industry. With increasing anthropogenic activities and exponentially increasing population, groundwater in India is facing several challenges, related to quality as well as quantity, due to over-extraction, pollution, and climate change. Over-exploitation of groundwater may impact the availability and quality of groundwater which is not sustainable. Moreover, due to pollution in surface water, groundwater quality is also affected. In most of the cities of India, the quality of groundwater is below standard. Remote sensing and artificial intelligence can play a very vital role in monitoring the quantity as well as quality of groundwater. As, it is clear that presently no remote sensors can directly be used for groundwater observations, but by using surface features anomalies and gravity data obtained by various satellites, optimal groundwater management can be done using remote sensing. Space4water is one of the best communities addressing water related issues and work towards sustainable solutions. For the last three years, I am following this community, and I find that the community consists of scientists, NGO, policy makers etc. This combination has the potential to resolve issues related to any challenges related to social issues. I am looking for few global research partners who work for groundwater management using space technology. I am equally looking for data driven resource persons who can collaborate with me on real field conditions of various countries, related to groundwater management. What has been done so far is listed below: • Worked on GRACE satellite data and used it in field condition to study groundwater anomalies of few cities of India. • Developed spatio-temporal maps of Standardized Groundwater Index (SGI). • Worked on water quality of water bodies. • Used various satellite data to map water spread areas of various water bodies. • Worked on machine learning models to study in situ remediation of contaminated groundwater.

The disappearance of Lake Ol’ Bolossat: a threat to biodiversity, livelihoods and water security in central Kenya

Screenshot of Google Earth Engine App develpoed for Lake Ol' Bolossat's Water and Habitat Monitoring

Lake Ol’ Bolossat, the only lake in central Kenya and the 7th Ramsar site in Kenya, is facing a severe ecological crisis as it steadily disappears due to environmental degradation, unsustainable water use, and climate change. This has led to biodiversity loss, economic decline, and disruption of water supply to the Ewaso Nyiro River.

The ecohydrological trade-off in Nepal’s Middle Hills: mapping spring decline and groundwater loss in community forests through space-based solutions

Map of Sharadha Khola watershed in Nepal

In Nepal’s Middle Hills, community-managed forests have successfully reversed deforestation, but they are now unintentionally contributing to water insecurity. Afforestation has heavily favored Pinus roxburghii, a fast-growing conifer with high year-round evapotranspiration and low infiltration capacity, significantly reducing groundwater recharge. As pine offers limited economic value, forest users increasingly shift to Sal (Shorea robusta) forests, valued for timber and compostable leaf litter. This shift concentrates human activity—such as litter collection, grazing, and trampling—around Sal patches, causing surface compaction and further reducing infiltration. Combined with unplanned road construction that disrupts natural flow paths, these disturbances have degraded upland recharge zones. Once crucial for replenishing groundwater, these uplands are now losing their recharge capacity, leading to measurable declines in groundwater storage and drying of springs in foothill and riparian zones that once flowed year-round. The consequences are widespread and socio-ecologically severe. Rural and Indigenous communities relying on spring-fed systems for drinking water, irrigation, and livestock now face escalating dry-season scarcity. Women and elderly members of marginalized groups bear the greatest burden, while increasing outmigration to urban centers exacerbates inequality. Yet forest governance remains focused on canopy cover and carbon sequestration, often overlooking essential hydrological processes like infiltration, baseflow, and subsurface storage. The continued decline in groundwater recharge also raises long-term concerns about shallow aquifer sustainability and overall water security. This situation is further complicated by a lack of reliable, long-term ground-based hydrometeorological data—many precipitation, temperature, and stream discharge records are missing or incomplete due to sensor failure—making it difficult to calibrate ecohydrological models and to design informed forest and water policies. Fortunately, space-based technologies provide a powerful solution. Remote sensing allows for long-term monitoring of vegetation, precipitation, soil moisture, and terrain, revealing the drivers of spring decline. When paired with ecohydrological modeling and community knowledge, these tools can guide forest management strategies that restore groundwater recharge and help achieve SDG targets 6, 13, and 15. Goals and milestones: The main goal of this research is to assess and mitigate ecohydrological trade-offs in Nepal’s Middle Hills caused by unscientific forest expansion under community forestry (CF). While CF has successfully increased forest cover, it has often overlooked hydrological impacts—particularly where high water-use species like pine have been planted without considering water balance consequences. This has led to declining baseflows, reduced groundwater recharge, and increased dry-season water stress. A key focus is to bridge the gap between Indigenous forest management practices and scientific understanding of forest-water interactions. By integrating Regional Hydro-Ecological Simulation System (RHESSys), ecohydrological modeling, satellite remote sensing, and community-level knowledge, the project aims to reveal how forest type, topography, and land use influence spring recharge zones, groundwater dynamics, and soil moisture retention. Research has shown that nearly 70 per cent of the springs in the region are degrading, threatening long-term water security. One of the critical goals of this research is to identify vulnerable and resilient spring zones—and ultimately support the rebirth of these springs through improved forest and land-use strategies. Short-term milestones include generating high-resolution maps of vegetation phenology, evapotranspiration, and groundwater storage (1985–2025), and validating RHESSys outputs with both field data and satellite products. In the mid-term, the study will identify groundwater-rich zones for future water-resilient settlements, simulate climate scenarios, and collaborate with local stakeholders. The long-term objective is to promote scientifically informed, community-adapted forest governance that enhances both ecological and water resilience across Nepal’s Middle Hills.

Need of geospatial analysis on further strengthening water sensitive urban planning and design to stormwater management in the Greater Colombo metropolitan area

Beddagana wetland Park in western province, outside of Colombo. Photo by Sureshkumar1213. CC.

In urban environments, three distinct water systems can typically be identified: (1) the drinking water supply, (2) the wastewater/sewer system, and (3) the rainwater/stormwater management system. While many cities are situated within urban watersheds, urban development has a significant impact on urban hydrology-associated environments, including waterways, coastal waters, and water supply catchments. Managing water flows within an urban setting is critically important, as original natural ecosystems have undergone significant land changes alongside anticipated precipitation variations due to climate change. It is imperative for urban areas situated on or near waterfronts to prioritize this matter. Therefore, water-sensitive urban planning and design framework integrating Nature-based Solutions in coastal, delta, and riverine cities within urban watersheds. It is similar to Green Infrastructure and/or Stormwater Best Management Practices, as well as Low-Impact Development, and the Water Sensitive Urban Design concept, which is an innovative framework for urban planning and design. It has evolved from its initial focus on stormwater management to encompass a more comprehensive approach to sustainable urban water management. It offers a cohesive framework for integrating the interactions between the built environment, including urban landscapes and the urban water cycle. Colombo, the commercial and financial hub of Sri Lanka, faces significant challenges due to its aging and congested urban infrastructure. The city is built on thirty-six wetland patches linked by a 50-kilometer man-made canal system called the Colombo Wetland Complex (CWC). Due to its strong connection with its wetland complex, Colombo City was recognized as the first capital to be accredited as an International Wetland City by Ramsar in 2018. The CWC includes open-water lakes, a canal system, wet woodlands, herb-dominated areas, riverine forests, active and abandoned paddy fields, and reedbeds. These wetlands provide crucial ecosystem services, enhancing residents' well-being through water purification, urban flood mitigation, temperature regulation, recreational opportunities, and urban agriculture. Revitalizing and developing the city, as well as encroachments, has led to the loss of its natural mosaic and ecosystem services. It is essential to explore sustainable solutions that address significant urban water management issues, including stormwater, wastewater, and groundwater.

WMO Hydrological Observing System Portal

Currently, WHOS makes available three data portals allowing users to easily leverage common WHOS functionalities such as data discovery and data access, on the web by means of common web browsers. For more information on WHOS data and available tools, please refer to the Section WHOS web services and supported tools.

WHOS-Global Portal provides all hydrometeorological data shared through WHOS. WHOS-Global Portal is implemented using the Water Data Explorer application.

e-shape

e-shape is a unique initiative that brings together decades of public investment in Earth Observation and in cloud capabilities into services for the decision-makers, the citizens, the industry and the researchers. It allows Europe to position itself as global force in Earth observation through leveraging Copernicus, making use of existing European capacities and improving user uptake of the data from GEO assets. EuroGEO, as Europe's contribution to the Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS), aims at bringing together Earth Observation resources in Europe.

The United Nations University Institute on Comparative Regional Integration Studies (UNU-CRIS)

The United Nations University Institute on Comparative Regional Integration Studies (UNU-CRIS) is a research and training institute of the United Nations University. UNU is a global network of institutes and programs engaged in research and capacity development to support the universal goals of the UN. It brings together leading scholars from around the world with a view to generate strong and innovative knowledge on how to tackle pressing global problems. UNU-CRIS focuses on the study of processes of global cooperation and regional integration and their implications.

Remote Sensing, GIS and Climatic Research Lab, University of the Punjab

The emerging demand of GIS and Space Applications for Climate Change studies for the socio-economic development of Pakistan along with Government of Pakistan Vision 2025, Space Vision 2047 of National Space Agency of Pakistan, and achievement of UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) impelled the Higher Education Commission of Pakistan (HEC) to establish Remote Sensing, GIS and Climatic Research Lab (RSGCRL) at University of the Punjab, Lahore, Pakistan.

Satsense Solutions Limited

Satsense Solutions Limited is a start-up company that uses satellite earth observation to develop business and governance solutions addressing the challenges of resource management, climate change and sustainable development. It has developed and deployed several applications in the Water Resources, Hydropower, Mining and Infrastructure sectors. These include assessments of eutrophication levels in lakes and reservoirs and sedimentation rates at hydropower plants. Identification of pollution in rivers, acid mine drainage and tailings at mining sites.

Tribhuvan University, Institute of Forestry, Pokhara

The Institute of Forestry, Pokhara Campus (IOF-PC), Quality Assurance Accreditation (QAA) certified institution by the UGC, Nepal in September 2022, was established in 1981 as the Central Campus of the Institute of Forestry, one of the five technical institutes under Tribhuvan University, Nepal. The IOF, founded as Nepal Forestry Institute in Singh Durbar, Kathmandu, in 1947, was shifted to Suping (BhimPhedi) in 1957 and again to Hetauda in 1965.

Status and outlook of the Space4Water Project of the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs: three years of Space4Water

Software/Tool/(Web-)App

ISME-HYDRO

ISME-HYDRO is a platform that helps monitor water resources of dams, thus enabling water resources managers to better execute their duties. It employs linked data infrastructure integrating in-situ measurements, satellite data, GIS data, domain knowledge, deep learning, and provides capabilities of forecasting of water volumes, of alerting for hazardous situations, of interaction with the data through four kinds of search and GIS interactivity. The platform is easily extendable and customizable.

Surface water extent river course - in development

HAND of the investigated region showing flooded araeas and drainage lines

Surface water extent river course - in development

Published on 30 Nov 2023

Land use Land Cover Data Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI)Digital Elevation Model (DEM)Geographic Information System (GIS)Hydrography New Zealand

Surface water extent river course - in development

Published on 30 Nov 2023 , by

Padmi Ranasinghe

PhD Student at University of Texas at Arlington

Cadence Kaumoana

Chair, Te Huia & Rangiwherowhero Trust

National Water and Sanitation Agency of Brazil

University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna

Addressed challenge(s)

Lacking historic knowledge on vegetation cover and surface water extent / river course

Collaborating actors (stakeholders, professionals, young professionals or Indigenous voices)

National Water and Sanitation Agency of Brazil

University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna

Padmi Ranasinghe

PhD Student at University of Texas at Arlington

Cadence Kaumoana

Chair, Te Huia & Rangiwherowhero Trust

1. Resources needed

Software

QGIS https://www.qgis.org/en/site
TerraHidro 5 - Console applications https://www.dpi.inpe.br/terrahidro/doku.php
PostgreSQL https://www.postgresql.org
PostGIS Spatial Database System https://postgis.net/
PgHydro extension for PostgreSQL/PostGIS http://pghydro.org/
PgHydro Plugin for QGIS https://plugins.qgis.org/plugins/PghydroTools/

Data

Forest And Buildings removed Copernicus DEM

Publications

see reference in the bibliography below.

2. Steps to the solution & status

Overivew

Plot the Region of Interest (completed)
Identify the region's main rivers and understand their hydrology (completed);
Identify the region's potential flood areas using H.A.N.D.;
Build a hydrography dataset (completed);
Identify multiple image sources for land cover analysis (completed);
Map the historical land use and land cover surrounding the river (in progress);

Step-by-step

1. Plot the Region of Interest (completed)

Download and install QGIS to plot the KML files of the region of interest

Figure 1: Example KML plot of the strip of land of the Maori communtiy who submitted the challenge

2. Identify the region's main rivers and understand their hydrology (completed)

Download the FABDEM data for the Region of Interest.
FABDEM (Forest And Buildings removed Copernicus DEM) is a global elevation map that removes building and tree height biases from the Copernicus GLO 30 Digital Elevation Model (DEM) (https://data.bris.ac.uk/data/dataset/25wfy0f9ukoge2gs7a5mqpq2j7).

Figure 2: A FEABDEM Digital Elevation Model of the Ngutunui region, New Zealand.
Download and Install TerraHidro 5 - Console applications (https://www.dpi.inpe.br/terrahidro/doku.php) to extract the hydrograph products derived from the FABDEM to understand the hydrography setup of the area (Flow direction, flow accumulation and drainage lines and areas, H.A.N.D.).

Figure 3: Flow direction in the Ngutunui region, New Zealand
Figure 4: Flow accumultation in the Ngutunui region, New Zealand

Figure 5: Sintetic draingage lines and areas Ngutunui region, New Zealand

3. Identify the region's potential flood areas using H.A.N.D.

Building on Nobre et. al (2011) in which the HAND terrain model that "normalizes topography according to the local relative heights found along the drainage network, and in this way, presents the topology of the relative soil gravitational potentials, or local draining potentials" is introduced by the authors.

Height Above the Neaerest Drainage (HAND)in the Ngutunui reiong, — Figure 6: Height Above the Neaerest Drainage (HAND) in the Ngutunui region showng the areas for potential flooding in darker blue. In the current map this is in the bottom right quarter of the image.

4. Build a hydrography dataset (completed)

Download and instal PostgreSQL/PostGIS Spatial Database System (https://www.postgresql.org/) (https://postgis.net/), PgHydro extension for PostgreSQL/PostGIS (http://pghydro.org/) and PgHydro Plugin for QGIS;(https://plugins.qgis.org/plugins/PghydroTools/).
Build the Hydrograph Dataset;(https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgkCUQ-i72bBY41a1bhVWyw) using the Drainage Lines and Drainage Areas extracted from FABDEM;
Information like drainage area, upstream area, drainage line length and distance to sea information are now available.

Figure 7: Hydrography dataset of the Ngutunui region in New Zealand

5. Identify multiple image sources for landing cover analysis (completed);

To collect historic and high-resolution up-to-date imagery over the area, UNOOSA contacted the Land and Information New Zealand Data Service, which provided both historical aerial imagery and LIDAR data sources.
Historic data for the relevant land patch can be accessed via the Retrolens New Zealand Service (https://retrolens.co.nz/Map/#/1784971.9859981549/5783474.532151884/1786387.2653498782/5784857.564632303/2193/12).
Up-to-date aerial photos of the area can be accessed here at the New Zealand Data Service. Tile 503 and 603 are the ones of interest (https://data.linz.govt.nz/layer/112048-waikato-03m-rural-aerial-photos-index-tiles-2021-2023/history/).
Relevant Landsat data are available from 1989. For the study area, Landsat 7 data is available from 2 July 1999, and Landsat 4 from 2 February 1989;
Google Earth Engine Apps - Global Forest Change (https://google.earthengine.app/view/forest-change)

6. Map the historical land use and land cover surrounding the river (in progress);

Relevant publications

SDG 15 - Life on land

Facts and Figures

Forests

Desertification

Biodiversity

Space-based Technologies for SDG 15

SDG 15 Targets

Learn more about the SDGs

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