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Designing AfriCultuReS services to support food security in Africa
Author(s) -
Alexandridis T. K.,
Ovakoglou G.,
Cherif I.,
Gómez Giménez M.,
Laneve G.,
Kasampalis D.,
Moshou D.,
Kartsios S.,
Karypidou M. C.,
Katragkou E.,
Herrera García S.,
Kganyago M.,
Mashiyi N.,
Pattnayak K.,
Challinor A.,
Pritchard R.,
Brockington D.,
Kagoyire C.,
Suarez Beltran J.
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
transactions in gis
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.721
H-Index - 63
eISSN - 1467-9671
pISSN - 1361-1682
DOI - 10.1111/tgis.12684
Subject(s) - food security , warning system , environmental resource management , agriculture , early warning system , vegetation (pathology) , land cover , ecosystem services , geography , environmental science , business , environmental planning , land use , computer science , engineering , ecology , medicine , civil engineering , archaeology , pathology , ecosystem , biology , telecommunications
Earth observation (EO) data are increasingly being used to monitor vegetation and detect plant growth anomalies due to water stress, drought, or pests, as well as to monitor water availability, weather conditions, disaster risks, land use/land cover changes and to evaluate soil degradation. Satellite data are provided regularly by worldwide organizations, covering a wide variety of spatial, temporal and spectral characteristics. In addition, weather, climate and crop growth models provide early estimates of the expected weather and climatic patterns and yield, which can be improved by fusion with EO data. The AfriCultuReS project is capitalizing on the above to contribute towards an integrated agricultural monitoring and early warning system for Africa, supporting decision‐making in the field of food security. The aim of this article is to present the design of EO services within the project, and how they will support food security in Africa. The services designed cover the users’ requirements related to climate, drought, land, livestock, crops, water, and weather. For each category of services, results from one case study are presented. The services will be distributed to the stakeholders and are expected to provide a continuous monitoring framework for early and accurate assessment of factors affecting food security in Africa.