Spatial Evidence for Climate Action: Generating Insights through Geospatial Analysis

Описание: At our recent E4CA session on geospatial analysis, IEG experts, Estelle Raimondo, PhD, Head, Evaluation Methods, and Data Scientist, Virginia Ziulu, shared about the critical importance of #geospatial tools in generating hashtag#climate and #biodiversity evidence and lessons on how to incorporate these tools in effective ways in evaluations.

✅ How geospatial tools help:
Geospatial analysis can help improve accountability and precision by helping:
▪️ Pinpoint climate hotspots—deforestation, floods, heat waves—so actions can be more targeted.
▪️ Link adaptation and mitigation strategies to local realities.
▪️ Monitor change over time, revealing trends in land use, carbon stocks, and ecosystem health.

📊 Geospatial analysis can be used for:
▪️ Measurement: Visualizing spatial-temporal patterns.
▪️ Relevance: Aligning projects with community needs.
▪️ Effectiveness: Testing if interventions deliver intended outcomes.

🌱Cases of IEG use of geospatial analysis:
✅ Global Biodiversity Evaluation: AI-powered land-cover data revealed tree cover changes across 526 protected areas. 🔗 Read the evaluation: https://lnkd.in/ewpW3_-f
✅ Flood Resilience in Tanzania: Combined digital elevation models and surface imperviousness data to assess flood risk along Dar es Salaam’s Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system. 🔗 Read the evaluation: https://lnkd.in/eQRqzvV5
✅ Blue Economy in Belize: Mapped mangrove cover change (2010–2020) using radar-derived datasets and change detection algorithms; identified areas of loss and gain to inform coastal protection strategies. 🔗 Read the evaluation: https://lnkd.in/dtRxB2FE

📖 Key Lessons
▪️ Publicly available data is powerful: All examples relied on free datasets, such as imagery from ESA/NASA, Google Earth Engine repositories, and emerging AI-generated datasets.
▪️ Validation is a critical step: Where feasible, plan field validation; when not, implement layered validation via high-resolution imagery, local expert review, and literature triangulation.

🔍 Looking ahead, integrating geospatial analysis in evaluation methodologies require:
▪️ Institutionalizing geospatial analysis in evaluations using standardized and clear protocols for handling the data (including AI-generated datasets).
▪️ Strengthening attribution using mixed-data and counterfactual methods.
▪️ Building capacity and partnerships through initiatives like MapMe.
▪️ Communicating findings through decision-ready visuals towards informing COP dialogues and country engagements.

💬 How are you leveraging geospatial tools to generate climate and biodiversity evidence?

📢 Share your insights using hashtag#E4CA.