Earth Observation Data Integration Pilot 5 - Developing community and crowd sourced validation of living maps

Defra’ s Secretary of State has made better use of data and technology a key strand of the department’s new approach and has highlighted the use of satellite data and the EU Copernicus programme as important opportunities to modernise the way we do business.

The “Earth Observation Data Integration Pilot” (EODIP) initiative is the first demonstrator for new ways of integrating satellite and other data to enable more efficient data gathering and operations across a wide field of Defra’s interests, from crop mapping and CAP implementation, habitat condition and natural capital assessment to catchment management. The aim of the Earth Observation Data Integration Pilot (EODIP) project is to demonstrate the benefits of using new, free EO data to drive forward innovation and boost efficiency, to improve decisions and deliver an improved environment and thriving rural communities. The pilot will evaluate the economic benefits and cost savings through the application of new technology and provide a test-bed for an integrated ‘nature map’ of England.

The initiative consists of a suite of around 10 projects that together form a test-bed for an integrated ‘nature map’ of England and will be the first flagship initiative for the Defra Earth Observation Centre of Excellence – a formal deliverable from Defra’s ONE Monitoring Programme.

This is project SD0493, pilot 5 Developing community and crowd sourced validation of 'Living Maps', that will be produced using Earth observation(EO) information. These maps are produced largely using EO data and rely on field observations for informing the EO data processing and checking accuracy and validation, which can incur substantial costs. Finding ways to engage the local communities and volunteers could deliver cost savings and increase accuracy of the mapping both at a local level and with transferable information to enable EO based mapping of other areas.

The overall aim of this EODIP project is to explore what would help us to be ready to prepare, equip and mobilise large numbers of people to voluntarily contribute to validating EO derived outputs- by engageing their interest and explaining the benefit to them of the outputs so that they wish to contribute to ensuring the 'Living Maps' are accurate and relevant to them.

It is about enabling others to provide this kind of service effectively, enabling people who are willing and able to work alongside the public sector (or private sector) to engage and deliver validation information to help ensure accuracy of the 'Living Maps' generated through EO techniques. The test will be for volunteer validation assistance in the ‘Living Map’ of Norfolk (the test bed that has already produced a 'Living Map') so that a means is ready for application in other geographical areas covered by the EODIP initiative in future years.

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