Earth Observation has applications in many areas of international development assistance. Benoit Bosquet, Regional Director for East Asia and Pacific at the World Bank, sets out here his expert perspective on the potential of this technology.

‍

"Earth Observation and remote sensing of all kinds are very important to many areas of current focus.

For example, it is key to grappling with recurring problems in coastal management and vulnerability, such as erosion, flooding and subsidence. There is a need for additional tools and improved coordination of teams in areas such as West Africa, the Mekong Delta, in India and the Caribbean. By setting up a community of practice, we can build capacity internally and in country to better utilise Earth Observation technology to help address these challenges.

There is also more we can do to maximise use of remote sensing to address deforestation. Even though we now have tools such as Global Forest Watch, they are not used systematically enough and we are struggling to halt deforestation. There is a ‘disconnect’ between the availability of the data and the use of it, with too much reliance on older forms of reporting.

Earth Observation data has an important role in supporting REDD+ and in tying payment to performance. We now have good evidence of the reliability of the data, underpinned by robust validation methods, and we need to shift towards greater action to make use of it and raise awareness of its value amongst decision makers and negotiators.

Earth Observation data, even when it is not perfect, is the ‘best available’ evidence to help put pressure and urgency of funding in the right places. Just as a doctor does not wait for the perfect medicine to be developed to continue saving lives, similarly we must continue to make use of this technology even while it further improves.  

And EO is also crucial in the design of sustainable cities. We need the data to help us understand the effects of infrastructure, to inform the design of green spaces, to develop models to help optimise space in and around a city, and to help determine which methods can be applied to cities in the global South.

The form that cities take has a very important impact on many areas, including urbanisation trends and major drivers of emissions. We need the right mix of EO, ground-based and data science tools to help inform these complex challenges in a simple and accessible way. And by adopting ‘standards’, underpinned by a growing evidence base, we can inform and guide local teams on the use of these tools."