UN launches new enhanced tool to use satellite data in fighting hunger, poverty
An improved tool to fight hunger and rural poverty by using satellite imagery, spatial databases and interactive maps to help developing countries isolate the causes of food shortages was launched today by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
An improved tool to fight hunger and rural poverty by using satellite imagery, spatial databases and interactive maps to help developing countries isolate the causes of food shortages was launched today by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
The new version of the FAO GeoNetwork, with access to satellite imagery, interactive maps and spatial databases from FAO, the UN World Food Programme (WFP), the 64-member Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) and others, marks the start of a new era for spatial data sharing among UN agencies.
“This new version of GeoNetwork is faster and more reliable than the previous one,” the Assistant Director-General of the FAO Sustainable Development Department, Alexander Müller, said. “In addition, several other UN agencies have joined the network, thus adding an impressive amount of valuable UN system-wide geospatial information.”
Satellite imagery and spatial databases assist countries to fight hunger and rural poverty. Users overlay maps from multiple servers housed at development institutions worldwide to create customized thematic maps on their own computers covering such variables as land cover, soil quality, vegetation, population density and marketing access.
“When an emergency occurs, the maps created by the different agencies in their respective fields of expertise can be combined to see the relationship between different factors affecting the populations and the environment,” FAO’s expert in remote sensing, Jeroen Ticheler, said.
The launch coincides with the release of a new version of the WFP GeoNetwork, which contributes substantially to the effective sharing and dissemination of geographical datasets with major emphasis on food security and vulnerability issues. The WFP network includes nodes at WFP headquarters, regional bureaus and country offices.
FAO GeoNetwork is a collaborative effort to provide a free and open source software based spatial data management system that is widely distributed and used. It adheres to international standards for geographic data sharing.