104 Marsland said. “We provide a really good set of tools to analyze the impacts affecting marginalized individuals and communities that depend on growing crops and taking care of livestock.” Reports include analysis of satellite images, including radar images to see through clouds, and all the local knowledge the team collects about agricultural conditions and impacts. When Ukraine’s Kakhovka dam was breached, for instance, the immediate concern was that the nearby farms would be flooded. But then analysts began to look more closely at the effects of the emptying reservoir. “We realized the main problem was the irrigation channels,” said Andrea Amparore, data manager for DIEM. “There are three irrigation systems—among the biggest in the world—that were fed by the reservoir. The loss of water will have a huge impact on agricultural production in Ukraine and Russian-occupied territories until the dam can be rebuilt.” Knowing the food-related impacts on people helps the network of providers prioritize relief work and devise longerhelpful in understanding events such as the flooding in Libya, the destruction of the Kakhovka dam in Ukraine, tropical cyclone Mocha in Myanmar, and the fall armyworm infestation in Burkina Faso. These reports, often built using ArcGIS StoryMaps stories, present compelling and actionable details. Survey apps on mobile phones help streamline data collection. Automation and cloud computing enable rapid data processing. Digital workflows validate data and speed government approvals. And the DIEM Hub, an open data site, shares information and stories instantly. Analyzing the Cascading Impacts of Conflict The DIEM Information System has evolved since operation began in 2020. Analysis conducted in the Sahel region of West Africa helped transform the team’s mission when they were able to provide accurate data and quantify the complex factors leading to food insecurity across the region—extending beyond monitoring to show causes and effects. “We’ve been able to analyze ongoing conflict in the Sahel and the impact of seasonal flooding that has become more frequent and severe with climate change,” The DIEM team examined satellite images to understand flooding in Libya after the passage of storm Daniel in September 2023. ©FAO. The DIEM team trains enumerators in El Paraíso, Honduras, in November 2022. ©FAO/ Humberto Mejia
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