A team of experts from NASA-ARSET (Applied Remote Sensing Training) and SERVIR were in the country to provide a fascinating glimpse into how Bhutan is leveraging space technology for resource management and food security. This initiative is particularly interesting because it aims to help advance Bhutan’s progress towards its national strategic goal of rice self-sufficiency through the use of satellite technology.
Druk Holding and Investments (DHI), in collaboration with NASA-ARSET conducted in-person training for officials from GovTech Agency, National Land Commission Secretariat, Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport, College of Science of Technology, Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources, and DHI on using satellite data for natural resource management.
The training covered acquisition and analysis of satellite and modeled data; methodologies on how to generate land, water, and disaster-related products from satellite data; and how to utilize relevant existing products for assessing land use change, natural resource management, and climate change impacts. The training was tailored to case studies in Bhutan with the goal of improving capacity to use remote sensing data to better manage natural resources, improve land use planning, and monitor disasters experienced in Bhutan.
Participants were taught on how to use Google Earth Engine to obtain freely available data through LANDSAT, Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), Sentinel satellites.
Additionally, NASA-SERVIR and DHI also conducted training on Bhutan Rice Monitoring service. This service is part of a co-development initiative between NASA-SERVIR, the U.S. State Department, and key partner organizations from the Kingdom of Bhutan including the Department of Agriculture, National Statistics Bureau (NSB), Bhutan Ecological Society (BES), DHI, and the Bhutan Foundation.
A team member from NASA-SERVIR, Dr Aparna (PhD) said that the team has been collaborating with implementing and knowledge partners through technology co-development consultations since 2020 on several efforts led by the NASA STEM activities project. The new Phase II service is an improvement over last year’s (Phase I) service on rice monitoring with additional developments on accurate and reliable rice area and yield products.
“The service aims to help advance Bhutan’s progress towards its national strategic goal of rice self-sufficiency by enhancing access to consistent, timely, and accurate information and technology on cropland extent and rice area and production,” she said.
“The project will help in planning policies and monitoring any type of landuse through remote sensing, delivering consistent and reliable data.”
Specifically, this work provides replicable, semi-automated tools and data products by integrating large-scale NASA Earth Observation (EO) time-series data with advanced machine learning and agro-ecological understandings. Service outcomes include two decades (2002-2023) of field-scale crop/non-crop, rice, and maize area extent maps, as well as consistent rice yield estimations at national, district, and sub-district levels.
The project manager at SERVIR, scientist Tony Kim said that this service uses satellite data to aid national agricultural planning and food security efforts. “The Training of Trainers (ToT) event offered in-depth explanations of scientific methods and technical skills used to develop the Bhutan Rice Monitoring Service, as well as provide hands-on assistance with the technical transfer process. The aim of this session is to ensure that end-user organizations can sustainably adopt the service and confidently modify the algorithms to meet individual needs,” he said.
The SERVIR program, initiated in Bhutan as a five-year project, has invested USD 1.5 million across various sectors to create collaborative, inclusive, and locally-led initiatives.
Since its launch in 2020, SERVIR has been working with multiple agencies to co-develop a geospatial application focused primarily on rice area monitoring. However, due to the absence of a bilateral relationship between Bhutan and the United States, this collaboration is set to conclude in 2024 unless the Bhutanese government proposes its continuation.
SERVIR is a joint initiative between the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and NASA. The training sessions conducted under this program are part of a co-development effort involving NASA-SERVIR, the US State Department, and partner agencies in Bhutan.
Meanwhile, the InnoTech Department of DHI plays a pivotal role in research and development of technology and innovation in Bhutan, by fostering “ideas to impact”. These ideas are brought to life through applied and fundamental collaborative research initiatives with partners such as NASA-ARSET and SERVIR, leading to technology ventures. DHI InnoTech’s policy and roadmaps assist DHI Group of Companies in their technology and digital transformation journey to move Bhutan towards technology-based economy.
By Tashi Namgyal, Thimphu
