Morning — Spatial Analysis & Use Cases¶
Day 3 · 09:00–12:30 · Module 4
Session 6 — EO for Project Monitoring, Completion & Evaluation (09:00–10:30)¶
Slide deck: Day 3 Deck 1 — IsDB Project Cycle Exercises
Recap: web-based vs desktop GIS¶
A key point Dr Sajid emphasised on Day 3: this course uses web-based tools exclusively — no desktop GIS installation required. This is a deliberate choice for a diverse group of operations staff.
"We are not trying to do traditional GIS training. What we are trying to do, and it is complex, is to make everything work in web-based tools to make it easy." — Dr Sajid Pareeth
However, the limit is real: very heavy raster analysis (large national datasets, complex statistics) runs faster in desktop GIS. QGIS — free, open-source — is the recommended next step for anyone who wants to go further. See the Video Tutorials section.
EO for PIASR — Project Supervision¶
- Remote monitoring between missions — detect vegetation change, surface water change, and construction progress from satellite imagery without a field visit
- Contractor verification — satellite check on claimed physical outputs before disbursement
- Anomaly alerts — flag when conditions deviate from expected trajectory
- Remote dashboards — ETa, surface water extent, and LULC change viewed at any time
EO for PCR — Project Completion¶
- Objective before/after comparison — use the same boundary and same EO indicators from the PAD baseline; compute change in ETa, irrigated area, surface water, LULC
- Spatial output documentation — map the extent of works delivered
EO for PPER — Post-completion Evaluation¶
- Long-term monitoring — track vegetation, land cover, and water trends 3–5 years after completion at near-zero cost
- Sustainability verification — confirm infrastructure and landscape changes have persisted
- Counterfactual analysis — the PCN/PAD baseline becomes the reference point for before/after comparison in independent evaluation
A real IsDB project in satellite imagery¶
In Session 7 (transcript), a group examined an IsDB school project built 2013–2016 using GeoLibre and satellite imagery:
- Building construction was visible in satellite images during 2013–2016
- 10 years after completion, the school is intact — visible in current imagery
- Analysis: 1 km buffer drawn around the school; explored flood risk, land use, and population within the buffer
Think about this
If you have this kind of satellite analysis for a school or road project — which part of the project cycle does it contribute to? And what specific map or figure would you put in that project document?
Answers from participants: PCN/PAD for siting decisions; PIASR for progress verification; PCR/PPER for outcome verification and sustainability.
Key spatial analysis operations¶
| Operation | What it does | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Overlay | Combine two or more map layers | Project sites overlaid on a flood-risk layer |
| Buffer | Zone of set distance around a feature | 1 km buffer around a road or school |
| Zonal statistics | Summarise values within a zone | Average ETa within a project boundary |
| Site suitability | Combine factors to find best locations | Slope + land use + soil for an irrigation scheme |
Session 7 — Use Cases & Minimum Project Data Submission Form (11:00–12:30)¶
Use-Case Selection Form¶
Participants identified specific EO applications relevant to their own projects and sectors. The form captures:
- Which project phase the EO application relates to
- Which indicator is needed (ETa, RZSM, LULC, population, flood risk…)
- Which project document will use the output
- Which tool can generate it (eToolkit, WaPOR, GeoLibre, EarthMap)
This input feeds into the development of the GEIDA platform — informing which automated outputs and dashboards to build next.
Minimum Project Data Submission Form¶
The GEIDA programme requires a minimum spatial dataset for every project onboarded into the platform. The Minimum Project Data Submission Form collects:
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Project name & code | As in IsDB project database |
| Administrative area | Country + region + district |
| Sector / team | Determines which EO indicators are relevant |
| Project stage | Ideally Identification or Preparation — the earlier, the better |
| Boundary / corridor / point | KML, GeoJSON, or coordinate pair |
| Area of influence | Broader geographic zone affected by the project |
| Baseline year | The year the baseline should reference |
| Relevant indicators | ETa, RZSM, LULC, water, climate, population… |
Start at PCN — keep the thread
The key insight: from PCN to PPER there can be a gap of 10+ years. If you don't register the project boundary and baseline in a spatial database at the start, the connection between identification and evaluation is lost forever. The Minimum Project Data Submission Form starts that process.
Continue to Afternoon — GeoLibre & Exercise 3