[Geo4All] Geo Data, Urbanisation, Climate Changes and Tropical Africa

Wed Dec 13 08:11:40 PST 2017

Dear Daniel, all,

This is a big and important topic, indeed. Before looking into the possibly required new data gathering and knowledge sharing efforts it might be worth to examine how much related activities already exist with which data could be mobilized and integrated. From colleagues I heard at least about GBIF's Biodiversity Information for Development (BID) and the JRS African Biodiversity Challenge. These initiatives - and the like - may provide solutions for new data gatherings, and most likely for the data management and long-term access for newly gathered inputs, too. Given that e.g. GBIF is currently more of an option for continued data access, i.e. less suitable for near-real time information, some sort of combined system architecture might be thinkable. The organized analysis of the existing landscape, and the development of a governance approach for local data collections and their processing chains is a huge task, but certainly worth considering.

At the recent UN Environment Assembly, it was announced that an African Citizen Science Association is in the making. Maybe you already know about some details - I am still looking forward to learn about this. Anyway, I could very well imagine that this new association could provide a very valuable umbrella in order to address some of these issues and to partner with the required organizations in order to improve the current situation on large geographic coverage.

Best, Sven

________________________________
From: GeoForAll [geoforall-bounces at lists.osgeo.org] on behalf of Ronald Fortunato [ron at trilliumlearning.com]
Sent: 13 December 2017 14:40
To: Patrick Hogan
Cc: BISA-IPEG; ACUMEN; GeoForAll; Urban Geography Discussion and Announcement Forum; Dan Bwanika
Subject: Re: [Geo4All] Geo Data, Urbanisation, Climate Changes and Tropical Africa

Daniel,

We might be able to modify the The UN application we’re building is for onsite data acquisition - the field person identifies various stages of presence, life cycle, level of infestation, etc. The data set is then sent to the UN where they determine the level and schedule for treatment. And as Patrick requested, are pests tracked now, and how? We could possibly create a new app which performs similar functions for your livestock farmers, given the functional specifications you need. The current development acquires data which is designed for preventative action.

Hope this helps,

Ron

Ron Fortunato
President, Trillium Learning
Mobile: (862) 222-2233
Office (973) 907-2332
Trillium Learning - Real-world Process-Based Learning
A World Bridge® www.aworldbridge.com<http://www.aworldbridge.com>

On Dec 13, 2017, at 8:28 AM, Hogan, Patrick (ARC-PX) <patrick.hogan at nasa.gov<mailto:patrick.hogan at nasa.gov>> wrote:

Daniel,
How is this pest (tick) being tracked now? And what is being done with that information?
-Patrick

On Dec 12, 2017, at 10:53 PM, Dan Bwanika <bulemezi at gmail.com<mailto:bulemezi at gmail.com>> wrote:

Pat

Africa was slow, very slow in the past to handle such tragedies.  Now
there is the urgency. Once again Africa has to be grateful for grate
innovator and innovationns that makes it possible to highlight these
and other similar issues in such public forums for action.

One more important issue here is that Africa's forests are not only
beautiful but enormous resources for rare medicinal drugs and other
compounds that can save humanity from cancers, Alzheimer and such
diseases. For evolutionists , the research possibilities are enormous.

It will be huge hard work to catalogue all this data but for those
with passion it is all rewarding and a destination to a Noble Prize
worthy pursuing.

Hopefully; researchers, inventors and innovators, students and their
professors, tree lovers, environmental enthusiasts and professors will
find room to do more for the betterment of humanity.

Uganda welcomes all. (Ron cattle keepers in Uganda are in battle with
ticks can you help?!)

Best Wishes

Daniel Bwanika

On 12/12/17, Hogan, Patrick (ARC-PX) <patrick.hogan at nasa.gov<mailto:patrick.hogan at nasa.gov>> wrote:
Daniel and the Africa Contingent,

Our heart goes out to so much of humanity having to deal with a diminishing
world due to over consumption by others.

In light of this sadness, if I may, still some good news!
First of all, the GeoForAll Lab www.AWorldBridge.com<http://www.aworldbridge.com/> is successfully
delivering a UN/FAO product specifically to serve the urgent needs of North
Africa, in addressing the recent infestation of the Fall Armyworm (moth/
caterpillar), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fall_armyworm. Ron Fortunato is
getting kudos from FAO for the monitoring system his New York Fei Tian
University students built for FAO. I will let Ron share the details if
anyone is interested.

This is in addition to the Locust Intervention tracking system AWorldBridge
is also building for FAO for North Africa. And of course there is also the
OpenCitySmart work his GeoForAll labs are continuing to work on.

The other good news is that there has just been a new release of ESA-NASA
WebWorldWind! v0.9.0 (we are conservative!).
The European Space Agency (ESA) has standardized on this platform and is
working with NASA to accelerate its development.
https://github.com/NASAWorldWind/WebWorldWind/releases/tag/v0.9.0

Forum post:
https://forum.worldwindcentral.com/forum/web-world-wind/web-world-wind-help/158071-web-worldwind-v0-9-0-now-available

WebWorldWind is already the backbone for the ESA Sentinel apps (pretty cool
stuff):
Sentinel App for iOS:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/esa-sentinel/id1036738151
Sentinel App for Android:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=esa.sentinel

Given the UN OpenGIS group has recently selected WebWorldWind for their web
apps, this new version will give them a powerful start.
https://worldwind.arc.nasa.gov/

-Patrick.Hogan at nasa.gov<mailto:Patrick.Hogan at nasa.gov>
(650) 269-2788 (c)

-----Original Message-----
From: GeoForAll [mailto:geoforall-bounces at lists.osgeo.org] On Behalf Of Dan
Bwanika
Sent: Tuesday, December 12, 2017 6:44 AM
To: GeoForAll
Cc: BISA-IPEG; ACUMEN; Urban Geography Discussion and Announcement Forum
Subject: [Geo4All] Geo Data, Urbanisation, Climate Changes and Tropical
Africa

Forum

Africa in its efforts to develop, what were once Dense Tropical forests are
now turning into human settlements. This is where geo data science comes in
handy.

Most African countries do not have animal, insect and plant genetic data
banks or museums.

It’s a double tragedy now that climate change too is impacting this region
negatively. The dense Tropical forests have helped Africans to survive in
many different ways with medicinal plants and different types of forests
foods that unfortunately are undocumented.

This knowledge is crucial for sustainable development and can be lost if Geo
Data Science does not establish its footprint here. Typical forest people
with base knowledge is also rapidly disappearing.

Best Wishes
Daniel Bwanika.
_____________________________
Bwanika Nakyesawa Luwero

Daniel Bwanika
Box 12413 Kampala
Uganda

t: +256-752-972-960
f: facebook.com/uidc.uganda<http://facebook.com/uidc.uganda>
www.uidc-ea.org<http://www.uidc-ea.org/>
e: uidcug at gmail.com<mailto:uidcug at gmail.com>
t: @uidc_ug

--
_____________________________
Bwanika Nakyesawa Luwero

Daniel Bwanika
Box 12413 Kampala
Uganda

t: +256-752-972-960
f: facebook.com/uidc.uganda<http://facebook.com/uidc.uganda>
www.uidc-ea.org<http://www.uidc-ea.org/>
e: uidcug at gmail.com<mailto:uidcug at gmail.com>
t: @uidc_ug
<greenroads0.jpg>

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