Digital Earth Africa

Digital Earth Africa's Lead Scientist, Dr Lisa-Maria Rebelo, has been invited as keynote speaker at the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) Water Talk, addressing the role of AI and Big Data in shaping West Africa's water future. The Water Talk seminar will be held online on Zoom, on the 10th October, at 14:00 - 16:00 GMT, and registration can be made here: https://ow.ly/Bi1150THxCu The seminar will delve into strategies for harnessing the power of responsible AI and Big Data as catalysts for robust water systems in West Africa. Drawing from successful past projects and current initiatives, this event aims to foster collaboration among stakeholders, identify solutions to pressing challenges, and forge partnerships to secure a water-rich future in West Africa, powered by AI and Big Data. This second WaterTalk Seminar is co-hosted by the IWMI and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS Commission) Water Resources Management Center. #ecowas #water #IWMI #BigData #AI #watersecurity #waterfuture #WestAfrica

THIS EXCITING POSITION IS CLOSING TODAY AT 6pm (GMT+2)! If you've knocked off work, or about to, then scan the description below and send it as per the instructions. Good luck! 😀 As the interim host of the Digital Earth Africa PMO, RIIS - Research Institute for Innovation and Sustainability is seeking to appoint a dynamic and creative Communications Officer to support its communications effort and will play a key role in executing communication strategies that enhance the visibility and impact of DE Africa's work across the continent. The communications officer will be a strong all-rounder who possesses excellent long- and short-form writing skills, and strong design capabilities with experience in producing a variety of multimedia products, including video. The communications officer will have a sound understanding of - and experience in - digital and traditional communications principles and tactics. The communications officer should be highly detail oriented, with the ability to work independently and able to quickly digest complex information to formulate high-quality communications outputs. Location: Johannesburg-based or Remote Reports to: Communications Lead Job Type: 18 months Full-time Contract Contract Terms: 01 October 2024 to 31 March 2026, subject to performance evaluations every quarter. Working Conditions : Hybrid working with the main office in Rosebank, South Africa. Occasional travel may be required within and outside South Africa. Application Process Should you be interested in this post and meet the above requirements, please send your detailed CV and cover letter to hiring@riis.africa with the subject line Application: DE Africa Communications Officer

Six presentations in six days. Can it be done? If you’re Joseph Tuyishimire, User Engagement Manager at Digital Earth Africa, the answer is yes. Last week two of our Digital Earth Africa team members undertook an epic travel adventure to take part in the 2024  GEO Symposium and Open Data & Open Knowledge Workshop (ODOK) which was held in Hangzhou, China. The GEO Symposium was attended by Digital Earth Africa’s Lead Scientist, Lisa-Maria Rebelo, and Joseph. Joseph presented six times across six days. It was exciting, invigorating, and extensive. A huge congratulations to Jo, in tandem with Lisa, who ably showcased the impact and opportunities that can emerge using Digital Earth Africa. Here is a rundown of activities. Joseph contributed to five panels and took part in additional sessions. This included a session on ecosystem, biodiversity and carbon management, where he presented Digital Earth Africa’s tools and how these can support biodiversity conservation strategies. There was an exciting session on Digital Earth which Digital Earth Africa jointly presented with Digital Earth Pacific, Digital Earth America and the International Society for Digital Earth (ISDE). The session discussed the advances, opportunities and challenges of Digital Earth initiatives. In a further panel on space-based data advancement on data providers, Joseph discussed data accessibility and the capacity building efforts of Digital Earth Africa and our key partnerships with regional Institutions. He also took part in a session on weather and disaster resilience, where he presented on monitoring erosion along Africa's coastline using Digital Earth Africa’s data cube in a panel of weather and disaster resilience. Joseph further presented information a session on “Wetland Insight Tool Using Digital Earth Africa Data Cube Digital Earth Africa". Finally, Joseph took part in the GEOGLAM open day scientific workshop where he presented "Capacity Building on EO for Food Security, case of Information for Agriculture, Food and Water Security (IAFWS) Project". Visit Digital Earth Africa’s website – particular our Maps (https://lnkd.in/gCg8ZmH) and Continental Services (https://lnkd.in/dF2wWXht), to see our tools and platform in action. If you would like to engage with us to find out more, please email us at communications@digitaearthafrica.org #GEOSymposium #EarthObservation #OpenData #OpenKnowledge #EarthIntelligenceforAll

October's LIVE SESSIONS will once again inform, engage and inspire. This month we have an especially incredible line-up and we will share more about this in the coming days. A sneak peek is that ESRI will be hosting a series of live sessions in English, French and Arabic. These will demonstrate the use of Digital Earth Africa’s Africa Imagery explorer, Africa Geoportal’s GIS tools, the WOFS dataset and much more. Today's LIVE SESSION (02 October) will cover identifying active irrigated cropping in FRENCH. Following this session will be both the English and French sessions that look at connecting to Google Drive API and store your data in your Google Cloud and connect to DE Africa notebooks. Register for all our live sessions here: https://ow.ly/m1hT50TAzRz

As our followers most probably know, Dr Lisa-Maria Rebelo the Lead Scientist at Digital Earth Africa, was invited onto CNBC Africa last month to talk about the potential that decades of satellite imagery and earth observation data hold. With approximately 9,000 active satellites orbiting Earth, around 20% of them dedicated to collecting data on land and oceans, the possibilities for utilising this information are vast. We're pleased to share the link to her informative interview. Dr. Rebelo highlights the critical importance of integrating earth observation data into decision-making processes to enable proactive responses to various events. Digital Earth Africa aims to make earth observation data accessible to entrepreneurs and startups, empowering the private sector to leverage this information for innovation and growth. Through such initiatives, Africa is well-positioned to close the gap in effectively utilising this data, placing the continent at the forefront of the global earth observation landscape. By enhancing access to these resources and supporting diverse sectors, including government and private enterprises, Africa can harness the power of earth observation data to create a brighter and more sustainable future. Watch the full interview here: https://bit.ly/4eNhIR0 #earthobservation #spacesector #satellite #africa #innovation

The impact of living organisms, fauna and flora, on built structures of cultural significance is not yet fully understood. Studies in temperate regions show that plants and animals can sometimes damage stone buildings, while in other cases, they might protect or help preserve them. In tropical countries, however, those findings are not yet known - something that scientist Jokotola Omidiji is clearing up. The Osun-Osogbo Sacred Grove in Nigeria, which is one of the last protected forests in the area, shows the link between cultural traditions and the environment. "Unfortunately," points out Jokotola, "the statutes and structures in the grove are showing signs of damage, like cracks and peeling, highlighting the urgent need for monitoring programs that inform sustainable repairs and protection of structures." "This approach of integrating Digital Earth Africa’s geospatial data with quantitative fieldwork in my research aligns with my broader goal of advancing ecosystem monitoring and sustainable coastal adaptation solutions," says Jokotola. Visit the Digital Earth Africa website to learn more about here research here: https://ow.ly/I8pN50Tx0I1 Jokotola's research and use of Digital Earth Africa datasets is critical for creating innovative, nature-based solutions that strengthen human-nature relationships and inform better policy-making. We would love to hear from others like Jokotola who are using Digital Earth Africa's tools, platforms and services in your real-world setting, in research, and in experimentation. Please contact us using the following form: https://ow.ly/fh3t50Tx0I0 Access to the Digital Earth Africa Sandbox, and all our services and maps are completely free and accessible for all! #eodatachampion #climatechange #climateaction #innovation #africa #eodata

Mpho Sadiki, a DE Africa Earth Observation Data Scientist, held an introductory session with the YouthMappers at the University of Pretoria last week. Her general overview of our offerings and an introduction to the Sandbox were well received by the students. Since many were unfamiliar with our work, they expressed enthusiasm about exploring how our resources could be applied to their studies and future projects. Mpho says, "Many students expressed a desire to learn more about the Digital Earth Africa Sandbox and will be going through the Introduction to the Sandbox training course. Additionally, some students shared project ideas they are interested in pursuing and will be reaching out to us for assistance. It is exciting to see the interest and engagement by this group of young people - our leaders of tomorrow!" Read more about the DE Africa Sandbox: https://ow.ly/lMY850TqCUh #earthobservation

Digital Earth Africa is pleased to be virtually participating in the "EOSTAT Field Boundary Digitizing Mapathon" which is being held from 16 to 29 September 2024 at the National University of Science and Technology (ZW). Our colleague, Edward Boamah, has been showcasing the ongoing work with FAO on crop types/field boundaries mapping. We are pleased to continue our support of the AO-EOSTAT, which is a programme of the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO). Launched in 2019, FAO’s EOSTAT project uses next generation Earth observation tools to produce land cover and land use statistics across 21 countries. Digital Earth Africa's contintental services are well poised to help deliver informed decision making and long-term strategies that support food security and the efforts to achieve Zero Hunger. In particular look at our Cropland Extent Map and Mean NDVI and Anomalies services here: https://ow.ly/XWRs50Tu7Y6 https://ow.ly/q68l50Tu7Y7 #eodata #croptypemapping #innovation #africa #zerohunger

Heritage Day in South Africa is celebrated on 24 September each year, and it provides an opportunity to recognise the rich and diverse heritage that is woven into the fabric of Africa. As a continent we are very closely linked to our heritage - it plays an active role in our lives. But preservation of this rich heritage is not only in our lived experience; it is also in managing and protecting the sites of our heritage. Intriguing research undertaken by Jokotola Taiwo-Omidiji (Ph.D), through the Geography Department at the University of Lagos Akoka, has used Digital Earth Africa's tools to answer the question about the relationship between biological communities and the deterioration of cultural heritage in temperate and tropical countries. Read more about her research here: https://ow.ly/uT0O50Tua2F #conservation #eodata #heritagesites #UNESCO #ndvi #africa #heritageday

We are hiring! As the interim host of the Digital Earth Africa PMO, RIIS - Research Institute for Innovation and Sustainability is seeking to appoint a dynamic and creative Communications Officer to support its communications effort and will play a key role in executing communication strategies that enhance the visibility and impact of DE Africa's work across the continent. The communications officer will be a strong all-rounder who possesses excellent long- and short-form writing skills, and strong design capabilities with experience in producing a variety of multimedia products, including video. The communications officer will have a sound understanding of - and experience in - digital and traditional communications principles and tactics. The communications officer should be highly detail oriented, with the ability to work independently and able to quickly digest complex information to formulate high-quality communications outputs. Location: Johannesburg-based or Remote Reports to: Communications Lead Job Type: 18 months Full-time Contract Contract Terms: 01 October 2024 to 31 March 2026, subject to performance evaluations every quarter. Working Conditions : Hybrid working with the main office in Rosebank, South Africa. Occasional travel may be required within and outside South Africa. Application Process Should you be interested in this post and meet the above requirements, please send your detailed CV and cover letter to hiring@riis.africa with the subject line Application: DE Africa Communications Officer