SERVIR-Mekong: a needs assessment of geospatial data and technologies in the lower Mekong region

This assessment aims to inform the SERVIR-Mekong program’s strategic focus as well as provide a resource for other stakeholders seeking to improve the effective application of geospatial data and technologies in the Lower Mekong Region (LMR).

This report identifies geospatial data and technology needs in the following thematic areas:- Key themes about which geospatial information is considered important for decision making (for example, land governance and management, water governance and management, climate change adaptation, disaster risk assessment); Geospatial data (for example, LandSat remote sensing products, land cover maps, flood forecast maps); Data sharing (for example, the sharing of data from public agencies with the public, sharing of data between agencies, standards for metadata and data quality to facilitate sharing); Capacity building (for example, basic GIS skills, managing complex server structures); and Tools and applications (for example, decision support tools, online information portals, custom desktop applications).

To enhance and build capacity in the use of geospatial data and analysis in the region, USAID's Regional Development Mission for Asia (RDMA) awarded a five year Cooperative Agreement to establish SERVIR-Mekong, the latest regional hub of the global SERVIR program, which is an initiative of USAID and NASA. SERVIR Mekong is hosted by the Asian Disaster Preparedness Center (ADPC) and supported initially by technical partners Spatial Informatics Group (SIG), Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI), and Deltares.