Evaluation of earth observation solutions for Namibia's SDG monitoring system

Abstract

In recent years, with more open data platforms and tools available to store and process satellite imagery, Earth Observation data have become widely accessible and usable especially for countries previously not in the possession of tasking rights to satellites and the needed processing capacity. Due to its ideal scanning and acquisition conditions for low cloud coverage imagery, Namibia aims to make use of this new development and integrate Earth Observation data into its national monitoring system of sustainable development goals (SDG). The purpose of this study is to assess the potential of open source tools and global datasets to estimate the national SDG indicators on Change of water-related ecosystems (6.6.1), Rural population with access to roads (9.1.1), Forest coverage (15.1.1) and Land degradation (15.3.1). The results are set into perspective of existing information in each particular sector. The study shows that, in the absence of in-situ measurements or data collected through surveys, the Earth Observation-based results represent a high potential to supplement the national statistics for Namibia or to serve as primary data sources once validated through ground-truthing. Furthermore, examples are given for the limitations of the assessed Earth Observation solutions in the context of Namibia. Hence, the study also serves as valuable input for discussions on a consensus on national definitions and standards by all stakeholders responsible for releasing official statistics.