148 of the ocean drops off deeply around the islands, the shores aren’t susceptible to huge waves. But the islands have experienced cyclones, which erode shorelines and destroy homes. With the digital twin, Tuvalu can assess the dimensions of these ongoing challenges. The first step is to collect location-specific data and regularly update it so changes can be measured. In September 2023, on the sides of the United Nations General Assembly meetings in New York, and with the support of the Sustainable Pacific Community (SPC) Digital Earth Pacific (DEP) program, the nonprofit PLACE signed an agreement with the prime minister of Tuvalu to collect detailed data for the total land area of 26 square kilometers. “The Digital Earth Pacific program enables decisionmaking for the Pacific Peoples using earth observations. PLACE data enhances the program by providing highly detailed and accurate images that support Pacific nations in Machine learning tools in ArcGIS Pro identify changes to landscape and infrastructure on the atoll of Funafuti, from 2019 to 2024. Analysis reveals considerable changes in coastline at the southern tip of the island. A spherical camera mounted on a truck captured street-level images of the entire island of Funafuti.
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