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Afternoon — Mainstreaming EO & Exercise 1

Day 1 · 13:30–16:00 · Module 1 · Session 3 + Exercise 1

Session 3 — Mainstreaming EO in IsDB Operations (13:30–15:00)

Slide decks:

The IsDB project cycle and where EO fits

The six stages of the IsDB project cycle each have a concrete EO contribution:

Stage Document EO contribution
Identification PCN Site screening · feasibility mapping · preliminary baseline · investment risk scoring
Preparation PPRR Appraisal context · benchmark conditions
Design PAD / RRM Environmental baseline · hazard assessment · land-use conflict mapping · spatial annexes
Supervision PIASR Remote monitoring · vegetation/water change · contractor verification
Completion PCR Baseline vs end-line comparison using consistent indicators
Post-evaluation PPER Long-term outcome monitoring · sustainability assessment

EO-derived indicators provide one evidential input at each stage. They complement, and do not substitute for, field missions, engineering assessments, environmental safeguards reports, and stakeholder consultation.

What is the eToolkit?

The eToolkit is IsDB's browser-based geospatial platform — a web GIS environment that integrates EO data, analytical processing, and interactive mapping. No GIS software installation is required.

Draw a boundary → select indicators → generate a standardised EO analysis report.

The platform serves three roles:

  • A web GIS — interactive maps, spatial layers, drawing tools
  • A knowledge hub — EO case studies from IsDB projects
  • A resource centre — datasets, training materials, and standard operating procedures

An automated analysis report contains:

  • Land Use / Land Cover (LULC)
  • Precipitation trends
  • Actual evapotranspiration (ETa) trends
  • Future climate projections (temperature and rainfall)
  • AI-generated sector-specific recommendations

Interpreting AI-generated recommendations

The quantitative values in the report — temperature change, land cover percentages, precipitation trend — are derived from satellite and climate model data processing. The AI component generates recommendation text based on those values in the context of the selected sector and project phase. Review AI recommendations against the underlying indicator values and the specific project context before including them in project documents.

Exercise 1 — Report Generation in eToolkit (15:00–16:00)

Slide deck: Day 1 Deck 5 — Exercise: Boundary & eToolkit

Objective: Capture a boundary for an area you know, bring it into the eToolkit, and generate your first automated EO analysis report.

Checkpoint: By the end of this exercise, you have a downloaded PDF report and can state one finding in one sentence.

Exercise 1A — Define your area in Google Earth Web (15:00–15:25)

Aim: Draw a polygon boundary around your chosen area and export it as a KML file.

  1. Go to earth.google.com/web in your browser.
  2. Search for your chosen location (district scale, approximately 100–2,000 km² — avoid open water or featureless terrain).
  3. Click New Project → Create KML file → give it a name (e.g. Exercise1_AOI).
  4. Click Add to project → Draw line or shape → click around your area's perimeter → double-click to close.
  5. Hover the project in the left panel → click ⋮ → Export as KML file → save as Exercise1_AOI.kml.

Choosing a good area

Aim for district or watershed scale. Choose somewhere with visible variety — farmland, a river, mixed land use. Avoid large water bodies or uniform bare desert. If you work on specific IsDB projects, a real project area is preferable.

Alternative for administrative boundaries: download directly from geoboundaries.org/simplifiedDownloads.html — select country + administrative level (ADM1 = province, ADM2 = district) → download GeoJSON.

Exercise 1B — Generate an EO analysis in the eToolkit (15:25–16:00)

Aim: Load your boundary, run the analysis, and export the PDF report.

Training environment credentials

Log in with the shared training account. Credentials are provided by the facilitator at the start of the session. Do not change the password or account settings.

  1. Log in — take the guided platform tour when prompted.
  2. Set filters — select your Theme (sector), Phase (Identification), and Country.
  3. Load your area — import your Exercise1_AOI.kml (or GeoJSON from GeoBoundaries), or draw directly on the map.
  4. Generate analysis — click Generate analysis and wait (a few minutes for processing).
  5. Quality check — before reading outputs, confirm: (a) the boundary shown on the map matches your intended area; (b) the coordinate reference system is correct; (c) the time range shown is as expected; (d) there are no obvious gaps or missing data panels in the results.
  6. Explore results — review LULC, vegetation trend, precipitation, climate projections, and AI recommendations.
  7. Export PDF — download the full report.

For each section of your report, consider:

  • What does this tell me about my area?
  • What surprised me?
  • Which finding would be most useful in a PAD or PCR for a project here?

Troubleshooting

  • Area too large / slow → reduce the polygon and re-run. Aim for district scale.
  • Blank or near-empty results → your area may be mostly water or have persistent cloud cover. Try a different location.
  • Login issues → contact the facilitator.
  • KML not accepted → draw directly on the map instead.

Group share (last 5 min)

Two or three volunteers share their area on screen and name one thing the report revealed. No preparation needed.

Continue to Day 2 — Spatialising Projects & WaPOR