CHALLENGE
The WomenCode team chose Challenge #1 - Quiet Planet, as we believe that with the data provided by NASA and its partners, we can monitor environmental changes during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. A concern of due to the isolation and reduction of inspection activities. We want to avoid that!
THE REASON
The figures show that deforestation and fires have increased recently, and this increase may be linked to the pandemic COVID-19.
In Brazil, the largest tropical forest in the world, the Amazon rainforest, deforestation increased by almost 64% in April this year, compared to the same month last year, according to data from the National Institute for Space Research (INPE). Last month alone, more than 405.6 square kilometers of rainforest was destroyed - more than twice the size of Washington, DC. The accumulated deforestation between January 1 and May 7, 2020 reached an area of
1,536 km2, which corresponds to the emission of 74.4 million tons of CO2, which affects the entire world. In Protected Areas (PAs), the area under deforestation alerts more than doubled between January and April: it was 105 km2 in 2020, compared to the 40 km2 recorded in 2019.
About 13% of Brazil is indigenous land, mainly in the Amazon. This land is officially reserved for the country's 900,000 indigenous peoples, the increased activity of invaders in the Amazon carries a greater risk that outsiders will carry contagious diseases to indigenous communities - including the corona virus. The indigenous peoples of the Amazon do not have antibodies to diseases that come from outside the rainforest, resulting in a greater number of contagions and deaths.
In China, a survey conducted in January 2020 shows that wood imports have grown significantly and represent about 50% of the country's total consumption. Illegal logging and deforestation are common in countries where China obtains its tropical timber, which in total account for 80% of China's imports of tropical timber, in addition to other major timber suppliers, such as Russia.
OUR SOLUTION
The project aims to improve the quality of life on planet Earth by monitoring and warning about areas of deforestation and forest fires, encouraging people to participate in this cause. For monitoring deforestation we will use the real-time forest monitoring system (JICA-JAXA). We will also use the fire monitoring system (FIRMS). We will incorporate NASA's studies on deforestation in Brazil and worldwide. In addition, we will use EOSDIS data to monitor changes in vegetation, soil and biodiversity and explain how this could be impacted by deforestation. The application has a monitoring screen for deforested and burned areas, where users can report these illegal activities, validate the reports of other users and have information about the laws.
It will be possible to connect with other people with the same interest as the application, thus being able to carry out actions, petitions, virtual meetings and discussions on the subject. Users will be encouraged to participate through the distribution of stamps and awards obtained from partnerships. There will be a search tool where consumers will be able to learn about brands and products that contribute to fighting deforestation and are aware of isolation, thus delivering products without physical contact and with the measures recommended by the UN. Users will also be able to benefit through a news feed related to deforestation, fires and information from the region that is based on and removed according to updates in the monitoring of EOSDIS, JICA-JAXA, FIRMS, EARTH OBSERVATORY and WorldWind NDVI Viewer. The application can be used by residents of affected areas or government systems to improve the gain in response time to an environmental disaster.
This project is an idea, solution and prototype, it is necessary the entire development of the application for implementation, this would be essential to become a complete tool and be useful not only for areas of deforestation and fires, but for any type of negative interference in environment.
WHY DO WE NEED TO PRESERVE FORESTS?
TOOLS
Prototype application design: Figma and Photoshop
Timeline and division of tasks: Trello
https://youtu.be/kL6uEY1ycM4
- Forest Early Warning System in the Tropics (JICA-JAXA) <https://www.eorc.jaxa.jp/jjfast/jj_mapmonitor_phase1.html>
- Fire information for resource management system (FIRMS) <https://firms.modaps.eosdis.nasa.gov/>
- World vegetation index (NEO) <https://neo.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/view.php?datasetId=MOD_NDVI_M>
- Deforestation in Argentina (EARTH OBSERVATORY) <https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/146731/deforestation-in-argentinas-gran-chaco?utm_source=card_15&utm_medium=direct&utm_campaign=home>
- Understanding the patterns of deforestation in the Amazon (EARTH OBSERVATORY) <https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/145888/making-sense-of-amazon-deforestation-patterns>
- UN News (UN) <https://news.un.org/en/story/2020/03/1059852>
-2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (UN)<https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/post2015/transformingourworld>
- Observe areas with possible deforestation in the world (WORLDWIND NDVI VIEWER) <https://files.worldwind.arc.nasa.gov/artifactory/apps/web/examples/NDVIViewer.html>
- Deforestation in the Amazon is accelerating despite the Coronavirus (CNN) <https://edition.cnn.com/2020/05/14/americas/coronavirus-amazon-brazil-destruction-intl/index.html>
- How deforestation is alast in the amazon during coronavirus pandemic climbing (EPOCA - GLOBO) < https://epoca.globo.com/sociedade/como-desmatamento-se-alastra-na-amazonia-durante-escalada-de-pandemia-de-coronavirus-24441196>
- Help save the world's critical forest climate for china (GLOBAL WITNESS) <https://www.globalwitness.org/en/blog/new-chinese-rules-on-illegal-timber-could-help-safeguard-the-worlds-climate-critical-forests/>