Location: Online
SDG Indicators: SDG6
Water is key to sustainable development, being critical for socio-economic development, energy and food production, and healthy ecosystems. Today water scarcity affects more than 40 percent of the world’s population and is projected to rise further, exacerbated by climate change. As the global population grows, there is an increasing need to balance the competing demands for water resources and have more efficient ways to manage water supply. The importance to ensure availability and sustainable management of water for all has been increasingly addressed in the global political agenda, as seen with the 6th Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the adoption of an International Decade 20018-2028 for Action on ‘Water for Sustainable Development’ by the UN General Assembly
Earth Observation is increasingly seen as an essential source of information which can complement national data and support countries to collect regular information on the use and changes to their water resources for more informed policy decisions.
Earth observations are data and information collected about our planet, whether atmospheric, oceanic or terrestrial. This includes space-based or remotely-sensed data, as well as ground-based or in situ data. Coordinated and open Earth observations enable decision makers around the world to better understand the issues they face, in order to shape more effective policies.
More
Presentations
| Speaker | Affiliation | Topic |
|---|---|---|
| Emily Smail | GEO Blue Planet | Introduction to Earth Observations for Water Monitoring |
| Samuel Gama | GEO GloWS | Flood forecasting – Malawi case responding to ID-5 |
| John Haynes | GEO Health Community of Practice | Earth observations and water-related pathogens |
| Dany Ghafari | UNEP | Eutrophication and debris monitoring |
| Stuart Crane | UNEP | SDG 6.6.1 Freshwater Ecosystems |
| Nima Pahlevan | NASA | STREAM: Satellite-based analysis tool for rapid evaluation of aquatic environment |
| Kerstin Stelzer | Brockmann Consult | CyanoAlert and Copernicus Inland Water |
Presentation Video
Partners
United Nations Environment Programme, Deltares, Group on Earth Observations (GEO) Secretariat, Secretariat of the Convention on Wetlands (RAMSAR), GEO AquaWatch, GEO BluePlanet, GEOGloWS