The fifth SERVIR Annual Global Exchange (SAGE) brought together over 100 team members from across the SERVIR network to SiemReap, Cambodia from February 3 to 7, 2020. This year's SAGE was held under the theme: 'Building on the Strengths of Our Network' Participants were drawn from SERVIR hubs covering the Eastern and Southern Africa, West Africa, Mekong and the Hindu Kush-Himalaya regions; the SERVIR Science Coordination Office; NASA and USAID Headquarters; USAID Missions; SERVIR Support Team; and SERVIR Applied Sciences Team members from institutions across the United States along with partner organizations.
This year’s the theme, focused on creating sustainability and scalability across the global hub network. Eastern and Southern Africa presented posters highlighting work in four service areas. Our presentation on the EF5 model by Calvince Wara the Thematic Lead - Water and Hydro-Climatic Disasters was awarded for excellence. Grace Koech received the Individual Excellence Award to recognize the exceptional contributions she made to the hub in the year 2019.
Several colleagues among them the SERVIR-E&SA Project Manager Dr. Robinson Mugo, Science and Data Lead Anastasia Wahome, Thematic Leads for Land Use Land Cover and Ecosystems Edward Ouko and Phoebe Oduor, received accolades for remarkable contributions for development of the Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) handbook (https://servirglobal.net/Global/Articles/Article/2674/sar-handbook-comprehensive-methodologies-for-forest-monitoring-and-biomass-estimation).
The SAGE events unite all SERVIR Hubs (Eastern and Southern East Africa, West Africa, Himalaya, Mekong, Amazonia) for a week of team building, knowledge sharing and establishment of collaborations across the regional Hubs to reach the ultimate goal of finding the best ways to use satellite data and remote sensing imagery to help countries tackle some of their most challenging environmental issues.
During SAGE 2020, SERVIR celebrated 15 years of the SERVIR Global Program. During the exchange, participants shared and discussed lessons learned and strategies for better integrating and implementing service planning across all SERVIR Global activities, while ensuring long-term impact and sustainability.
