High-Level Project Summary
"The Guardian of the Amazon" shows the analysis of how data travels from NASA's satellites to the Special Prosecutor for Environmental Matters of the Madre de Dios fiscal district and how the interventions of this entity manage to stop illegal mining in Peru .The report shows how the RAMI application would help the prosecution in the identification of points with illegal activities consequently to the preservation of the Peruvian jungle.Which is important because it reveals a new, recently developed tool that can be replicated in other regions of Peru and with exponential effects on the preservation of the environment.
Link to Project "Demo"
Link to Final Project
Detailed Project Description
The Amazon is considered the lung of the world, this is the most diverse ecosystem on the planet and it is the responsibility of Peru to protect a part of this territory; It is not an easy task, since it is necessary to use geospatial technology to cover its surface.
Unfortunately, Peru, as an emerging country, just in 2016 launched its own terrestrial observation satellite (PERUSAT1). However, this effort has not been enough to efficiently protect the Amazon rainforest area within its territory; fortunately, we have strategic allies such as the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) who support us in this task with the SERVIR AMAZONIA project; which is administered by the alliance of Bioversity International and the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT).
In a joint effort of these institutions, they managed to launch this year (2021), the "RADAR MINING MONITORING (RAMI)" tool that uses data from the LANDSAT 8 - OLI, COPERNICUS CENTINEL - 1A, CENTINEL 1B satellites and the SPACE SHUTTLE - SRTM; to obtain images, even when PERUSAT 1 cannot capture them due to the presence of dense clouds, which in this region span several months of the year; the new images obtained by RAMI will be used by the Peruvian authorities; as in the case of the Specialized Prosecutor for Environmental Matters (FEMA) who will be able to identify areas with illegal mining activity that are close to protected areas or indigenous areas; thus, they can carry out operations to stop them at any time of the year
Space Agency Data
MEASURING THE VALUE OF EARTH OBSERVATIONS CHALLENGE VIDEO:
By giving us guidance on the development of the project.
EUROPEAN SPACE AGENCY (ESA) CATALOG
ESA EO Catalog: ESA's Earth Observation information discovery platform: With the use of Copernicus Sentinel Data; as a member of the SERVIR AMAZONIA program, which was born from the NASA / USAID alliance for the protection of the AMAZONAS and thus be able to find the missing links of protection of the Amazon forests, reaching RAMI (mining radar monitoring tool)
USAID // NASA = SERVE AMAZONIA
Covering the development of RAMI with the satellites: LANDSAT 8-OLI, SENTINEL 1A, SENTINEL 1B, SRTM SPACE FERRY and allowing the use of an easy-to-use application for the population.
SENTINEL-1:
Accesss to Copernicus Sentinel data via dowload or cloud serevices
Synthetic Apertur Radar Land Applications Tutorial
SNAP:
The Sentinel Application Platform
NATIONAL COMMISSION FOR AEROSPACE RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT (CONIDA)
With the resource of the PERUSAT-1 satellite and its missions, initiating the investigation of other space technologies that work in different climates.
Hackathon Journey
How would you describe your Space Apps experience?
In a word, our experience has been “rewarding”. It has involved an enormous effort having to fight against the clock in order to achieve the requested goals, but we are all sane that every second of sacrifice was worth it. Because the payoff in the end is very great.
What did you learn?
Learn to trust the decisions of the team, and above all, how important and decisive the data collected by satellites can become.
What inspired your team to choose this challenge?
All the members of the team are aware of the strenuous efforts made by the Peruvian authorities to stop illegal mining in our country and we knew that the most effective way to explore the impenetrable Amazon rainforest was through satellites. For this reason, it has been quite an experience to discover how the joint efforts of many international institutions bear fruit in our country.
What was your approach to developing this project?
With our project we want to spread the use of easily accessible tools that gather geospatial data and have applicability in decision-making in any of the fields of our day to day and that can have a great impact on the conservation of the biodiversity of the forests of the Amazon.
How did your team resolve setbacks and challenges?
One of the ones that most impacted on the morale of the members has been the dream. It is difficult to work when you are tired. But in these cases, coffee has been our best ally.
Is there anyone you'd like to thank and why?
Yes, to the organizing committee, for opening the doors and universalizing the event
References
- Calvo, L.F. Minería Ilegal: 62 Megaoperaciones de Interdicción en el 2015 | El Comercio | Perú | El Comercio Perú. Available online: https://elcomercio.pe/peru/mineria-ilegal-62-megaoperaciones-interdiccion-2015- 165913 (accessed on 28 August 2018).
- Deforestation and Forest Degradation Due to Gold Mining in the Peruvian Amazon: A 34-Year Perspective
- Earth Observatory; 2021; https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/148439/finding-gold-mining-hotspots-in-peru
- earth online Catalogue; https://earth.esa.int/eogateway
- Finer, M.; Novoa, S. MAAP Synthesis # 1: Patterns and Drivers of Deforestation in the Peruvian Amazon; ACCA: Lima, Peru, 2015
- Finer, M.; Novoa, S.; Olexy, T. MAAP #61: Illegal Gold Mining Decreases in Tambopata National Reserve | MAAP. Available online: http://maaproject.org/2017/tambopata_decrease/ (accessed on 31 July 2018).
- Lanzamiento de RAMI: Herramienta de innovación para el monitoreo satelital de minería con Radar; Video Conferencia; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fK4PYUijSnk
- Marina de Guerra del Perú | Interdicciones Contra la Minería Ilegal en el río Malinowski | Noticias Navales. Available online: https://www.marina.mil.pe/es/noticia/interdicciones-contra-la-mineria-ilegal-en-elrio-malinowski-1/ (accessed on 28 August 2018).
- Martinez, G.; McCord, S.; Driscoll, C.; Todorova, S.; Wu, S.; Araújo, J.; Vega, C.; Fernandez, L. Mercury Contamination in Riverine Sediments and Fish Associated with Artisanal and Small-Scale Gold Mining in Madre de Dios, Peru. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2018, 15, 1584
- Measuring the Value of Earth Observations; NASA Space Apps Challenge; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D2I0aVty7rk&list=PL37Yhb2zout05pUjr7OoRFpTNroq_wd9f&index=6
- mongabay ; 2020; https://es.mongabay.com/2020/12/peru-imagenes-satelitales-operacion-mercurio/
- RAMI: Monitoreo de Minería Aurífera con Radar; Video Promocional; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ujWX0E89oo
- Reserva Nacional de Tambopata es Gravemente Afectada por la Minería Ilegal—America Noticias. Available online: https://www.americatv.com.pe/noticias/actualidad/reserva-nacional-tambopata-gravementeafectada-mineria-ilegal-n262381 (accessed on 28 August 2018).
- Román-Dañobeytia, F.; Huayllani, M.; Michi, A.; Ibarra, F.; Loayza-Muro, R.; Vázquez, T.; Rodríguez, L.; García, M. Reforestation with four native tree species after abandoned gold mining in the Peruvian Amazon. Ecol. Eng. 2015, 85, 39–46
- Seccatore, J.; Veiga, M.; Origliasso, C.; Marin, T.; De Tomi, G. An estimation of the artisanal small-scale production of gold in the world. Sci. Total Environ. 2014
Tags
#RAMI #Amazon #NASA #USAID #ServirAmazonia #FEMA #PeruSat1
Global Judging
This project has been submitted for consideration during the Judging process.