Rome- Earth Map, a pioneering initiative by the Meals and Agriculture Group of the United Nations (FAO) that leverages freely out there archives of geospatial information for local weather and atmosphere monitoring and mapping has been honoured with a Google Geo for Good Influence Award.
The award, celebrating customers and organizations creating real-world influence utilizing Google’s mapping instruments, acknowledges the initiative as an vital instrument for policymakers and different stakeholders to make knowledgeable choices and drive constructive actions for a extra sustainable future.
“Reaching the worldwide objectives on local weather change, biodiversity and atmosphere requires altering the best way we produce, distribute, course of, retail and eat our meals. Sustainably remodeling our agrifood techniques hinges on harnessing key information and knowledge to tell insurance policies, information investments and drive actions. That’s precisely what Earth Map brings in help of the stakeholders engaged on the frontlines of local weather and meals safety,’’ stated Maria Helena Semedo, FAO Deputy Director-Common, welcoming the award.
Earth Map is a point-and-click cloud-based platform powered by Google Earth Engine and different free information sources with none want for coding. Earth Map permits any consumer to visualise, analyze, and monitor modifications on Earth’s floor, performing multi-temporal and multi-parametric land monitoring, local weather assessments and different geospatial and Earth Commentary-based analyses.
With its intuitive interface and highly effective capabilities, Earth Map eases entry to vital data, benefiting various stakeholders together with researchers, policymakers, and native communities making it a complete and accessible software for addressing varied environmental and climate-related challenges.
The applying was introduced within the Dublin Google Earth Engine Summit in 2018 and launched at FAO headquarters in 2020. Its strategy and methodology are revealed in a peer-reviewed paper on the Journal of Distant Sensing.
Earth Map functions
Earth Map, stemmed from the profitable Accumulate Earth software, has over 33,000 signed-in customers in 50 international locations to this point and has made a considerable influence, with its functions spanning various areas and tasks. Its information can be utilized for the safety of pure ecological, or cultural lands and waters; the efficient conservation of pure areas; and for revitalizing and restoring ecosystems, amongst different initiatives.
FAO, for instance, has used it as a priceless instrument for venture preparation, monitoring, and cost-effective funding design. The software has additionally confirmed essential in supporting Member states of their grant functions to outstanding worldwide funding companions such because the Inexperienced Local weather Fund (GCF), the World Atmosphere Facility (GEF), the European Improvement Financial institution and the World Financial institution.
Equally, Earth Map has proved elementary when designing massive growth tasks and prioritizing goal areas for international locations similar to Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Kyrgyzstan, Myanmar, Sri Lanka and Tajikistan. For instance, Earth Map was instrumental within the space description and prioritization in a GCF venture in Pakistan to remodel the Indus Basin with local weather resilient agriculture.
The platform’s integration with Google mapping instruments additionally facilitates dynamic mapping and quasi-real-time statistics technology. Its world scope and customization choices make it a flexible software for conservation and environmental initiatives throughout various geographic areas. Consequently, Earth Map is presently being replicated in ad-hoc customizations to suit the wants of different tasks and applications, together with the United Nations Atmosphere Program (UNEP)’s Strata portal that identifies and tracks stresses on the inter-linkage between local weather change, environmental degradation and peace and safety.
International locations can freely determine to contribute and share their nationwide information, showcasing the instruments dedication to fostering worldwide cooperation and supporting impactful tasks, from world local weather assessments to regional information integration initiatives. Earth Map ensures a collaborative strategy, offering free coaching and help as wanted.
The rules guiding FAO’s Technique on Local weather Change and Motion Plan spotlight the significance of leveraging progressive options similar to Earth Map to contribute to the basic precedence of safeguarding meals safety and ending starvation with agrifood techniques on the core of options for local weather change and safeguarding the atmosphere.
