Remote Sensing of Land Indicators for Sustainable Development Goal 15

The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are a series of 17 goals set to end global poverty and protect the planet, with the aim of achieving successes by 2030. The SDGs cover topics from global health, climate change, economic inequality, sustainability, poverty, and more. This training will focus on addressing SDG 15, whose focus is to “protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss.”

In this webinar, participants will learn how to access and apply satellite data relevant to land indicators, such as estimating total forest area and forest change. The webinar will include an overview of the SDGs, as well as an introduction to image classification and change detection. 

Course Dates: Three, one-hour sessions (June 20, 21, and 22nd) at either 1:00-2:00 p.m. or 10:00-11:00 p.m. EDT (UTC-4). The session is broadcast twice per day to allow for international participation

Learning Objectives: 

By the end of this training, attendees will:

• Describe the UN Sustainable Development Goals, particularly Goal 15

• Acquire satellite observations of land cover used to assess SDG indicators 15.1.1 and 15.3.1

Course Format: 

• Three one-hour sessions
  • Sessions will be held Tuesday, June 20; Wednesday, June 21; and Thursday, June 22
  • Sessions will be offered at both 1:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m. EDT (UTC-4)

• Develop a basic understanding of image classification, change detection, and techniques for developing accuracy assessments