FAO at the 2022 Living Planet Symposium: Digital for Impact

Data-driven digital public goods and earth observation tools are becoming increasingly important enablers for sustainable agricultural transformation. Thanks to new developments in earth observation technology, we can more accurately monitor and manage the many variables required to ensure food security while minimizing environmental impacts.

FAO’s Digitalization and Informatics Division is increasing efforts to break data silos to increase the Organization’s capacity to leverage digital for impact. Presentations at the 2022 Living Planet Symposium from 23–27 May 2022 in Bonn, Germany showcased the importance of data-driven technologies and use of earth observation tools for timely evidence-based anticipatory action and decision-making for food and agriculture. 

Highlights from the Symposium include presentations on FAO flagship digital tools and innovative partnerships that are transforming how data is being used for an improved sustainable and resilient food and agriculture sector.

FAO experts across multiple technical domains presented how data-driven digital public goods are being used to break traditional data silos and increase the Organization’s impact, from sustainable natural resource monitoring to early warning systems to prevent disease outbreaks.

Water Management and Scarcity: Improving water productivity in agriculture, from satellites to fields

The “Water Management and Scarcity” session, chaired by FAO Senior Land and Water Officer, Jippe Hoogeveen focused on water productivity in agriculture to improve crop production and sustainable resource management while ensuring food and water security for all.

FAO Land Water Officer, Livia Peiser presented the Open-access of Remotely sensed derived data (WaPOR) in the context of improving water productivity in agriculture, from satellites to fields. The intervention presented how WaPOR uses remotely-sensed data to monitor and improve water productivity using a country-specific analysis done on water productivity of sugar crops in Egypt. 

It provides open access to the water productivity database and its thousands of underlying map layers. It allows for direct data queries, time series analyses, area statistics and data download of key variables associated with water and land productivity assessments.

The portal’s services are directly accessible through dedicated FAO WaPOR APIs, which are being gradually published and documented through the FAO API site.

Earth observation data in vector-borne diseases: Real-time monitoring and forecasting of Rift Valley fever in Africa to drive preparedness and anticipatory actions 

FAO’s Disease Ecology and Risk Modelling expert, Dr Claudia Pittiglio presented the web-based Rift Valley Fever (RVF) Early Warning Decision Support Tool (RVF DST). RVF is a severe zoonotic, viral,
vector-borne disease representing a threat to human health, animal health and livestock production, particularly in East Africa. The epidemic is worsened by climate anomalies in the region, such as heavy rainfall and flooding. The RVF DST integrates near real-time risk maps with geospatial data, historical and current RVF disease events and expert knowledge in eco-epidemiology, enhancing One Health coordination by facilitating real-time data sharing, consultation among experts and ground truthing for risk interpretation.

Monitoring, detecting and forecasting climate anomalies using near real-time satellite-based climate and vegetation data constitute useful solutions to control RVF and other emerging infectious diseases. Given this context, FAO is harnessing the potential of these new approaches, and technologies to improve the early warning and forecasting of disease threats. The RVF DST generates real-time RVF risk maps using historical and current disease events from the Emergency Prevention System (EMPRES) Global Animal Disease Information System (EMPRES-i).This enables rapid risk assessment and decision support for improved preparedness and early response through the One Health approach. While the aim is to make data available in order to strengthen anticipatory action and preparedness, the tool is password protected in order to ensure the responsible use of sensitive data.

The RVF DST, developed as part of the early warning component of Emergency Prevention System for Animal Health (EMPRES-AH), is being implemented by FAO’s Emergency Centre for Transboundary Animal Diseases (ECTAD) in Eastern Africa to strengthen RVF preparedness, response and contingency plans, and it is designed to be easily scaled up to other regions and diseases. It was created through the input of a pool of international, regional and national experts, as well as epidemiologists from national veterinary services.

The tool is used to build capacity for early warning and forecasting at country level, and demonstrates how near real-time modelling, risk forecasting and advanced data platforms can enhance preparedness and anticipatory action. Ultimately, it has enhanced the Organization’s capacity to identify high-risk areas and issue alerts and early warning messages for prevention and control in countries at risk of RVF occurrence. 

The integration of the RVF DST and EMPRES-i data into the Hand-in-Hand (HiH) Geospatial Platform has increased the Organization’s capacity to provide rapid decision support, One Health coordination and improved preparedness and response.

Hand-in-Hand (HiH) Geospatial Platform: Breaking Data Silos

Launched in 2020, the HiH Geospatial Platform is a digital public good that integrates over 2 million data layers to provide a suite of geospatial data from FAO and other agencies for use by all countries and partners, promoting transparency and collaboration. The platform has significantly increased the interoperability of FAO geospatial data and the cost-effective maintenance and sustainability of different FAO geospatial applications.

The data platform is just one of the many ways FAO is using data and technology to strengthen support to countries and farmers. In 2020, the Digitalization and Informatics Division teamed up with the Land and Water Division to integrate WaPOR and the Animal Production and Health Division to integrate data from the RVF DST too. Increased collaboration focused on integrating public geospatial data into one platform, which has significantly increased the interoperability of FAO geospatial data and the cost-effective maintenance and sustainability of different FAO geospatial applications. The HiH Geospatial Platform has facilitated the integration of One Health Intelligence for early warning and decision support for food security and livelihoods.

The platform is developed and scaled up by the FAO AgroInformatics team in the Digitalization and Informatics Division.

Access the HiH Geospatial Platform here.

More information on RVF DST here / RVF Action Framework here / EMPRES-AH here / EMPRES-i here.

More information on WaPoR here.

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The European Space Agency’s 2022 Living Planet Symposium from 23–27 May 2022 in Bonn, Germany focuses on how Earth observation contributes to science and society, and how disruptive technologies and actors are changing the traditional Earth observation landscape, which is also creating new opportunities for public and private sector interactions.