​​The Research Institute for Innovation and Sustainability (RIIS) has been appointed interim host for the pan-African Digital Earth Africa Programme Management Office. Digital Earth Africa is a platform that offers satellite imagery and products tailored to Africa. It’s also the largest open data cube (ODC) infrastructure operator globally.
Supported by The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust and the Australian Government, Digital Earth Africa aims to enhance the lives of Africans and assist decision-makers across the continent in addressing climate change impacts.
Utilising over thirty years of satellite imagery, Digital Earth Africa addresses crucial challenges in Africa. By providing Earth observation (EO) data in accessible and free datasets, governments, researchers, industries, and decision-makers can monitor changes across various areas, such as flooding, drought, agriculture, and more.
The platform is built upon the ODC infrastructure, an open-source solution backed by six institutional partners. Digital Earth Africa, initially modelled on Geoscience Australia’s platform, allows for the cataloguing and processing of data on a continental scale.
Alison Rose, Chief of the Space Division at Geoscience Australia, highlights the platform’s positive reception among African governments, academic institutions, and the private sector. She emphasises the importance of ensuring African ownership and leadership of the platform.
RIIS, Africa’s largest innovation-focused advisory firm, brings expertise in the space sector to support Digital Earth Africa. CEO Davis Cook emphasises the significance of space-based tools in addressing social and environmental challenges and fostering economic growth. He underscores Digital Earth Africa’s role in democratising access to EO data, enabling Africans to participate in the global space economy.
Davis Cook also mentions the Africa Earth Observation Challenge, a startup competition managed by RIIS, as an opportunity to promote Digital Earth Africa. He stresses the importance of developing Africa’s capabilities in utilising EO data for sustainable development.
