Earth Observation for Anticipatory Action (EO4AA)

During the recent Global Dialog Platform session on “Leveraging Earth Observation for Anticipatory Action”, attendees from Red Cross National Societies, the World Bank, academia, and NASA identified a number of additional needs for EO in anticipatory action, including the ability of satellite data to bridge gaps in data from poor or failing weather stations, the need for open access to codes and methodologies in order to improve validation and reduce uncertainty, and the ability to improve connections between EO and environmental security concerns, including pandemics and migration and displacement. 

In response to these identified needs, the Anticipation Hub’s Working Group on Earth Observations for Anticipatory Action brings together diverse partners and practitioners to share their approaches to early action, to identify new opportunities for exploring Earth observations in the context of early action, and to create opportunities to pilot these activities. One of the first tasks of the Working Group will be to conduct a gap analysis to better understand the EO capabilities available for supporting early action to myriad disaster impacts. This includes identifying additional partners and programmes that can share lessons learned or good practices for the use of EO in anticipatory action. It is a goal of the working group that all activities are anchored to developing solutions for real-world challenges.

The activities of this Working Group are ambitious and require partners, ideas, and energy from across multiple sectors - not just Earth observations and humanitarian action - but also those who are interested in shifting focus from disaster response to anticipatory action and reducing the detrimental impacts on lives and livelihoods. 

This working group aims to collate knowledge on the benefits and opportunities Earth Observation data can provide for early action and identify opportunities for pilot projects.

The group is still in the early stages of development and welcomes contributions from other organisations working with earth observation for early action. This working group developed as a result of a broader initiative called Earth Observation for Humanitarian Action (EO4HA).

Co-leads:

• NASA Disasters programme
• Australian Red Cross