SERVIR team members from around the globe attend hub exchange, set up cloud-based flood mapping architecture
SERVIR-Himalaya hosted the first 2015 SERVIR Hub Exchange, 10-13 March 2015, in Kathmandu, Nepal, bringing together SERVIR team members from around the globe. Representatives from SERVIR-Eastern and Southern Africa, SERVIR-Himalaya, and SERVIR-Mekong attended.
The event was held at the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), the SERVIR-Himalaya partner organization in the Hindu Kush-Himalaya region. The main objectives were for participants to (1) set up and learn to use a cloud-based system (developed in collaboration with Goddard Space Flight Center) for automated satellite image acquisition, analysis, and distribution for flood mapping, and (2) exchange lessons learned and experiences regarding extreme event response activities in their countries.
“It was an opportunity for us to learn so much about cloud instances and to generate flood maps and information through the cloud using various satellite datasets,” says Kiran Shakya, SERVIR-Himalaya Remote Sensing Database Specialist. “Starting from cloud setup all the way to becoming a cloud instance publisher for the flood application within a week’s time was a great achievement for us. We had a wonderful exchange with ADPC and RCMRD, and it will be useful for us in our upcoming activities.”
Africa Flores, NASA-SERVIR Point of Contact for the Eastern and Southern Africa region, notes: “Now both hubs have their cloud instances configured for this Open Source Architecture and have the capability to publish products or actionable information for end-users. The participants ran scripts using data sources such as EO-1, MODIS, and Radarsat to extract water extents. They learned how to create databases for their particular region, generate Height Above Nearest Drainage, and transition/change databases, and even started working on how to publish this information.”
SERVIR hub team members and key stakeholders -- through participation in these SERVIR exchange programs with other hub team members, collaborators, key partners, and institutions -- gain knowledge, build capacity, and share state-of-the-art technology.
One of the best things about these events, according to Flores, is that they also prepare participants to train others in the skills acquired.
Note:
All the materials (presentations, scripts, code, reference documents) related to the Cloud-based architecture can be found on GitHub: https://github.com/vightel/FloodMapsWorkshop.