Nabilah S
Monitoring land use through Earth observations and satellite imagery data will help governments in the Pacific Islands better manage their limited resources.
Now the Pacific Community (SPC) is supporting the development of the technical skills needed by governments to collect data from remote sensing and interpret it.
Tonga is hosting the first technical workshop on “Digital Earth Pacific Land Cover Assessment Skills Transfer (DEP LCAST), organized by the SPC, which commenced today, July 24, 2023, at the Tanoa Dateline Hotel in Nuku’alofa.
In his keynote address, Mr. Sachindra Singh, SPC Team Leader for the project, said: “SPC is honored to conduct its first Digital Earth Pacific national workshop in the Kingdom of Tonga and see Tonga and its leadership championing adoption of earth observation technologies and digital transformation in general across the region.”
Earth observation data is a unique source of reliable and measurable information that can help the Pacific people assess, mitigate and prevent negative outcomes (such as the impact of disasters, rising sea temperatures, and challenges around food and water security) as well as explore new opportunities for social and economic development through improved efficiencies,” Mr. Singh said.
He noted that Earth observation technologies that utilize the global satellite network have only recently become available for large-scale open use, and this expanding sector is producing significant financial benefits.
The workshop was organized to tackle specific objectives outlined in the Needs Assessment Report, as identified by the Tonga Government representatives during a meeting in Tongatapu on August 11, 2021.
One of the crucial needs pinpointed by the relevant stakeholders in Tonga was the requirement to monitor changes in land cover and land usage, deforestation, mineral resources, and other significant shifts that could potentially impact water security, food security, economic activities, and efforts for disaster risk reduction.
Mr. Solomone Fifita, Programme Manager Pacific Center for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (PCREEE), said, “Tonga is proud, and the only nation in the Pacific, to be a member of the Group of Earth Observations, which consists of membership across 114 countries across the globe.”
The training will help address the data and capacity shortages in remote sensing datasets for better resource management.
Lucy, The primary purpose of the coverage is to mark the opening of this workshop and promote the Pacific Community (SPC) and the Government of Tonga’s good efforts in the transfer of technical skills to enable intended participants to conduct land cover assessments and classifications using satellite imagery data into the future.
The make-up of the meeting is also to maximize country input through group discussions and a fieldwork data collection component for calibration and validation of the land cover assessment monitoring.
SPC views this as essential for longer-term planning and is also of considerable assistance to other agencies, regional NGOs, and donors interested in national as well as restricted land cover and land use change (LULC) issues
