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SEPAL

Forest and Land Monitoring for Climate Action

Year of publication 2022

Place of publication Rome, Italy ;

Pages 2p.

Author FAO

Publisher FAO ;

Product type Brochure, flyer, fact-sheet

Synopsis (short abstract) System for Earth Observation, Data Access, Processing and Analysis for Land Monitoring (SEPAL) is an open-source project serving and empowering government agencies, research organizations, non-governmental organizations, companies and academia to gain a better understanding of land cover dynamics using the data, processing capacity and analytical tools offered by the SEPAL platform (sepal.io). Implemented by the Forestry Division of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and financed by an initial contribution from Norway’s International Climate and Forest Initiative (NICFI), this flyer presents SEPAL second phase – Forest and Land Monitoring for Climate Action – a four-year project that aims to improve climate change mitigation plans and create better informed land-use policies, as part of a larger goal to make significant contributions to the Paris Agreement and the Sustainable Development Goals.

Language English

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    SEPAL, a big-data platform for forest and land monitoring
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    Accurate information is critical for natural resources to be managed sustainably. Developed by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the System for Earth Observation Data Access, Processing, and Analysis for Land Monitoring (SEPAL) helps countries monitor and report on forests and land use. SEPAL offers users unparalleled access to satellite data, an easy-to-use interface, and powered by cloud-based supercomputers, paving the way for improved climate change mitigation plans and data-driven land-use policies.
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    Evaluation of the project "System for Earth Observation Data Access, Processing and Analysis for Land Monitoring" (SEPAL)
    Project code: GCP/GLO/537/NOR
    2022
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    The System for Earth Observation Data Access, Processing and Analysis for Land Monitoring (SEPAL) is a cloud-based computing platform for fast access and processing of remotely sensed data sources. It is designed to assist national forest monitoring and reporting for the Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation, Forest Conservation, Sustainable Management of Forests and Enhancement of Carbon Stocks in Developing Countries (REDD+) mechanism. The terminal evaluation of the project found SEPAL to have been largely successful and relevant in achieving its aims. The evaluation recommended certain improvements, notably a “plan B” option to mitigate SEPAL’s dependency on Google Earth Engine, and assurance of continued relevance in Phase II of SEPAL.
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