The project
In the framework of the ESA’s efforts to support the EO4AFRICA community by implementing initiatives that encourage the adoption of Earth Observation products following an African user-driven approach, the “EO AFRICA EXPLORERS – PRISMA 4 AFRICA” project aims to combine the products of hyperspectral (i.e. PRISMA, EnMAP) and thermal data (i.e. ECOSTRESS, Landsat) to detect vegetation anomalies and identify if the anomalous behavior could be possibly related to biotic or abiotic (e.g. water stress) stress factors.
The recent African Space Policy and Strategy recognises the need to make the best use of space assets for monitoring and implementing national-to-continental sustainable development policies in Africa. The African Union 2063 Agenda and the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) comprehensively define the information required for progress on sustainable development in Africa and globally: many of them can be monitored by Earth Observation. Specifically, the full potential of EO programs for Africa can be realized through the introduction of cloud computing, the utilization of open-source software, and the application of AI techniques.
In this context, the main objectives of the project are:
- Identification and characterization of products related to food security suitable to African Users needs.
- Development and validation of analysis techniques (developed as open-source code) exploiting satellite data as hyperspectral PRISMA and/or TIR ECOSTRESS data to support above mentioned products.
- Demonstration, assessment, and outreach among primarily the involved African User communities of the results of the project to improve their awareness of the use of satellite data in operational contexts.
