[Geo4All] R: Africa Agriculture, Cartography /Remote Sensing & Optimal Production

Sun Nov 26 05:59:27 PST 2017

Folks,

This discussion is a great example of the untapped potential we have in our
network. As I proposed in my recent webinar: *Can we identify 2-4 TANGIBLE
GeoForAll research or education projects where at least 2 GeoForAll labs
are trying to work together on a tangible project? Dan's needs for Uganda
might be an "application project" that multiple labs (and their students)
could collaboratively work on. *

@Dan: Do you have an OSGeo wiki account [1]? I think it would be helpful if
we tried to create a GeoForAll "project page" that would outline your
GeoForAll lab needs or requirements re Uganda agriculture as was suggested
in another email. Then, after that we can identify one or more GeoForAll
labs that are willing to contribute to this project.  After that, we can
try and figure out the collaborative infrastructure needed to move the
collaboration forward. I'd push to see if we can find good students at
multiple labs, who might want to work on the collaborative project as an
independent study, as part of their educational program. We can use Zoom
conferencing or something like that for team meetings, and collaborative
infrastructure (wikis, SLACK?, Open Science Framework [http://osi.io]),
Github, Google Drive, for file management).

@Maxi: I'd be interested in talking to you some time about what you are
doing and investigating whether there are opportunities to connect related
to the air sensor [1] and water sensor projects I mentioned earlier.
Perhaps your GeoForAll lab and ours in Amherst, Massachusetts might begin
collaborating in the geospatial IOT/environmental sensor area.

Cheers,

Charlie

[1]
http://www.masslive.com/news/index.ssf/2017/08/umass_professor_works_to_reduce_air_inequality_across_globe.html

On Sun, Nov 26, 2017 at 3:48 AM, Massimiliano Cannata <
massimiliano.cannata at supsi.ch> wrote:

> Thanks Maria,
> I would suggest to take a look at Open Monitoring System Working group of
> the Open Geoscience Committee (https://wiki.osgeo.org/wiki/
> Open_Monitoring_Systems_Working_Group), the project 4ONSE (
> http://www.4onse.ch) and the software istSOS (http://www.istsos.org) to
> see what we're doing with open hardware and open source...
>
> Best
> Maxi
>
> Il 26 nov 2017 09:29, "Maria Antonia Brovelli" <maria.brovelli at polimi.it>
> ha scritto:
>
>> Massimiliano has a long experience with IoT. They have been developing
>> ISTSOS and working on many projects related to sensors.
>> Best
>> Maria
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> Inviato dal mio dispositivo Samsung
>>
>>
>> -------- Messaggio originale --------
>> Da: Charlie Schweik <cschweik at pubpol.umass.edu>
>> Data: 25/11/17 23:02 (GMT+01:00)
>> A: "Hogan, Patrick (ARC-PX)" <patrick.hogan at nasa.gov>
>> Cc: GeoForAll <GeoForAll at lists.osgeo.org>, Dan Bwanika <
>> bulemezi at gmail.com>
>> Oggetto: Re: [Geo4All] Africa Agriculture, Cartography /Remote Sensing &
>> Optimal Production
>>
>> Probably right, Patrick.
>>
>> Although I have two "existence proof" projects where students are
>> building relatively low-cost open source hardware for air pollution and
>> water pollution sensing. In the former, the students have a device that is
>> under $100 and collects better data than a $1000 proprietary device in a
>> controlled environment. In the latter, there is a device invented by some
>> engineering students in Bogota Colombia who are now sharing their device
>> build instructions and students at UMass are implementing their device and
>> testing it. These still are cost prohibitive -- as you are suggesting.
>>
>> My only point is as we move toward the Internet of Things and lower and
>> lower cost sensors and things like Ardunios there is the prospect of
>> GeoForAll labs to begin to work on geospatially-explicit environmental
>> sensor collaborations in the same way we might be doing in software or
>> educational products. If we, as a community, want to move toward smart
>> cities with environmental sensors collecting data and mapping that data, we
>> need to find applications within our network to try and start building
>> collaborations.
>>
>> But your suggestion on weather information is probably a very good first
>> step and great to see your GitHub project work, Patrick!
>>
>> Charlie
>>
>>
>>
>> On Sat, Nov 25, 2017 at 4:48 PM, Hogan, Patrick (ARC-PX) <
>> patrick.hogan at nasa.gov> wrote:
>>
>>> Meant to include Suchith!
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> *From:* GeoForAll [mailto:geoforall-bounces at lists.osgeo.org] *On Behalf
>>> Of *Hogan, Patrick (ARC-PX)
>>> *Sent:* Saturday, November 25, 2017 1:11 PM
>>> *To:* Charlie Schweik; Charlie Martial NGOUNOU
>>> *Cc:* GeoForAll; Dan Bwanika
>>> *Subject:* Re: [Geo4All] Africa Agriculture, Cartography /Remote
>>> Sensing & Optimal Production
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Dan and Charlie(s) Suchith and All,
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> The hardware in for tracking cows, is not a cheap passive implant but a
>>> powered collar affair, and given the cost, seems more a proposal for the
>>> Gates Foundation.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Meanwhile, getting weather and other agricultural support to these
>>> communities would seem a worthy enterprise.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> The thing we are weakest on is assuring each farmer has the best weather
>>> information, short range and medium range (www.ecmwf.int), and highly
>>> localized.
>>>
>>> https://github.com/NASAWorldWindResearch/AgroSphere/wiki
>>>
>>> https://github.com/NASAWorldWindResearch/WorldWeather/wiki
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Ideally this would guidance on respective crops given the soil type and
>>> expected weather pattern. The two top winners of the Europa Challenge this
>>> past year, both NASA Intern teams, have basic apps that are relevant to
>>> serving the local farmer. I am glad to mentor any student or teams that
>>> might wish to do more serving these priorities, the same priorities of
>>> www.GODAN.info.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> -Patrick
>>>
>>> (650) 604-5656 (o)
>>>
>>> (650) 269-2788 (c)
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> *From:* GeoForAll [mailto:geoforall-bounces at lists.osgeo.org
>>> <geoforall-bounces at lists.osgeo.org>] *On Behalf Of *Charlie Schweik
>>> *Sent:* Saturday, November 25, 2017 12:22 PM
>>> *To:* Charlie Martial NGOUNOU
>>> *Cc:* GeoForAll; Dan Bwanika
>>> *Subject:* Re: [Geo4All] Africa Agriculture, Cartography /Remote
>>> Sensing & Optimal Production
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Hello everyone,
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> So this seems like a problem area where the GeoForAll lab network could
>>> establish a cross-university team of students to develop a low-cost open
>>> source hardware/mapping application, perhaps under a coordinated
>>> independent study?
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Are there any labs interested in trying to do this? I *might (no
>>> promises yet!)* be able to find a student willing to try on my campus at
>>> the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, to try and collaborate with
>>> Daniel over the Internet between January-May. Anyone else?
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Charlie
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> On Sat, Nov 25, 2017 at 4:00 AM, Charlie Martial NGOUNOU <
>>> cmngounou at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>
>>> Hi Daniel
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> I like what you say here.
>>>
>>> Problems you observe in Uganda are similar to what we have in Central
>>> Africa.
>>>
>>> We need to leverage Geo tools to cartography everything in our
>>> countries, because it is very difficult to locate anything here.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Thank you !
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Best Regards
>>>
>>> ---------------------------------------------------------
>>> *Charlie Martial NGOUNOU, Founder*
>>>
>>> *AfroLeadership, Promoting Data Revolution in Africa*
>>>
>>> *Tel. 00237 69999 7093, Yaoundé - Cameroon*
>>>
>>> *Click about Charlie M. NGOUNOU ?
>>> <http://www.linkedin.com/in/charliemartialngounou/>*
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> On Sat, Nov 25, 2017 at 8:39 AM, Dan Bwanika <bulemezi at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>
>>> Dear Forum
>>>
>>> Recently, I was in the northern central part of Uganda where cattle
>>> keepers have farms in the region of 300 -600 acres. It took me three
>>> hours to locate where the cows had grazed that day.
>>>
>>> Then I thought to myself, maybe if each cattle had a GPS/GSM tag, I
>>> would locate the cows in a few minutes instead of walking in an
>>> endless bush. Even then do these people need such huge land for cattle
>>> keeping if they had good aerial data on vegetation, water etc.,?
>>>
>>> Uganda key socioeconomic activity is still agriculture and it will
>>> remain the same for some time to come. Uganda if you look closely at
>>> the map is endowed with huge water resources.
>>>
>>> For the above reason, this country will need huge cartographical data
>>> on soil profiles, vegetation, crops, water sources, animal husbandry
>>> etc.
>>>
>>> That is how technology is converging on Africa in a massive way.
>>>
>>> Can we work together on this – get in touch.
>>>
>>> Best
>>>
>>> Daniel Bwanika
>>>
>>> --
>>> _____________________________
>>> Bwanika Nakyesawa Luwero
>>>
>>> Daniel Bwanika
>>> Box 12413 Kampala
>>> Uganda
>>>
>>> t: +256-752-972-960
>>> f: facebook.com/uidc.uganda
>>> www.uidc-ea.org
>>> e: uidcug at gmail.com
>>> t: @uidc_ug
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> GeoForAll mailing list
>>> GeoForAll at lists.osgeo.org
>>> https://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/geoforall
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> GeoForAll mailing list
>>> GeoForAll at lists.osgeo.org
>>> https://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/geoforall
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> --
>>>
>>> Charlie Schweik
>>>
>>> Professor
>>>
>>> Department of Environmental Conservation &
>>>
>>> School of Public Policy
>>>
>>> University of Massachusetts, Amherst
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> "Make positive change in your sphere of influence." -- CMS
>>>
>>
>>
>>
>> --
>> Charlie Schweik
>>
>> Professor
>> Department of Environmental Conservation &
>> School of Public Policy
>> University of Massachusetts, Amherst
>>
>> "Make positive change in your sphere of influence." -- CMS
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> GeoForAll mailing list
>> GeoForAll at lists.osgeo.org
>> https://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/geoforall
>>
>>

-- 
Charlie Schweik

Professor
Department of Environmental Conservation &
School of Public Policy
University of Massachusetts, Amherst

"Make positive change in your sphere of influence." -- CMS
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