SERVIR Stories

A mosque in Peshghor Village, Afghanistan, is covered by debris brought by the flood.

Learning from a disaster event: Investigating the 2018 Panjshir flood in Afghanistan

In a case illustrative of effective inter-agency collaboration and resource sharing, the flash flood in Panjshir Valley, north-central Afghanistan, on 12 July 2018 – which led to 10 people losing their lives – was investigated using satellite imagery and backed by on-site field appraisal.

Kabul University inaugurates new GIS/hydrology lab

Kabul University, the largest and oldest tertiary education institution in Afghanistan, inaugurated a new geographic information systems (GIS) and hydrology lab at its geosciences faculty premises on 11 March 2019.

Forest fire detection and monitoring in Nepal

Forest fires have adverse ecological and economic effects and are a major concern in many countries, including Nepal. During the long, dry summers, Nepal experiences many forest fires. In 2016, a record number of fires were reported killing 15 people and consuming an area of 13,000 square kilometers (1.3 hectares) in the span of just two weeks.

Partnering with universities for sustainable capacity building on Earth observation applications in Afghanistan

Afghanistan, a landlocked country characterized by rugged mountainous landscapes and scattered human settlements, is highly dependent on natural resources.

Capacity building on Earth observation leads to Afghanistan’s first glacier inventory

Understanding past and present glacier behavior and analyzing possible changes help us understand the impacts of climate change on water resources.

Unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), open source software and piloting in REDD site

Forest biomass is the sum of the above ground living organic material contained in trees, which is expressed as dry weight per unit area. Forest carbon trading has gained attention in recent years, for which practical methods for estimating forest biomass as well as carbon stocks are vital...

Using SERVIR science to identify water storage options in Bangladesh

Under ICIMOD’s SERVIR-Himalaya Small Grants Programme, the Centre for Environmental and Geographic Information Services (CEGIS) in Dhaka, Bangladesh, has developed a geospatial database and information system to identify potential water harvesting...

SERVIR’s new science in forest fire management gets wider acceptance

Across the Hindu Kush Himalayas, forest fires are devastating to local communities and ecosystems, and are a huge challenge for forest managers. The first challenge to stopping forest fires is getting accurate and timely information, including...

Participatory GIS for building community resilience

Over the years, the approach to natural disasters has changed from response and relief to risk reduction, with policy focusing more and more on building resilience and increasing preparedness among communities living in hazard prone areas...

Landslide early warning system for Chittagong Metropolitan area, Bangladesh

The landslide early warning system developed by the BUET-JIDPUS will help authorities to reach out to these communities on time to alert and relocate them.

Interactive web and mobile app for disasters

Disaster reporting in Nepal is still paper based, which is time consuming and information is often outdated before it can be disseminated. A digital system is needed to make planning easier for those working in disaster management.

Improved methods to measure forest above-ground biomass in the HKH region

The study of forest above-ground biomass (AGB) for estimating the carbon stock in each tree is important, as it is well established that the emission of carbon is the largest factor affecting today’s climate.

Implementation of JASON-2 flood forecasting system

Bangladesh is one of the world's most vulnerable regions to floods, which kill and displace a huge number of people each year. Floods also destroy homes and damage agricultural land...

Helping flood information reach communities

The Institute of Water Modeling (IWM) in Bangladesh has developed a cost-effective information system that provides 8-day flood forecasting. The system provides near real-time information through web GIS with local-level flood forecast maps for flood events...

Earth Observation and Geospatial Data Key to Humanitarian Assistance

The integration of earth observation and geospatial information for timely and reliable data has become critical for monitoring food security and vulnerabilities associated with disasters and climate change...

Community-based forest fire information system

The community-based forest fire information system complements the efforts of ICIMOD to provide timely information about forest fire incidents in Nepal to relevant officials in the forestry sector. ICIMOD’s current forest fire Information system uses data collected...

Expanding Commercial banana production in Nepal

The results of the project were discussed with stakeholders from Nepal’s Ministry of Agricultural Development and Ministry of Forests and Soil Conservation, research institutes, non-governmental organizations, and farmers’ representatives...

Crowd sourcing for agriculture, food security and brick kiln data

The project ‘Engaging Local Citizens to Map Environmental, Agriculture and Food Security Data’ explores the use of free and open infrastructure of OpenStreetMap (OSM) to map data related to environment, agriculture, and food security...

Enhancing community preparedness in forest fire management in Nepal

Forest fires are a major challenge in Nepal, where large patches of forest are lost each year as a result of fire incidents. In recent years, the number of forest fire incidents has risen, further contributing to the destruction and degradation...

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