156 Now, through DIEM-Impact, analysts can provide initial impact assessments within 72 hours of a shock or hazard. This has been helpful 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 with ArcGIS StoryMaps®, 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 Cascading Impacts of Conflict The DIEM Information System has evolved over the few years it has been operating. 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,” 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— Working Where the Need Is Greatest Marsland and the DIEM team monitor 27 countries facing food crises and analyze the connections among climate change, conflict, migration, geopolitics, and economics. Analysts on the team use satellite imagery and GIS technology to create models that can detect livestock hardship and crop stress. Inputs from a network of in-country enumerators add perspective on agricultural production and the impact of storms or pests, helping the team determine what producers may need. When it’s too dangerous to go door-to-door, assessments are completed via computerassisted telephone interviews. “They’re telling us they need food, but also other things. They need seed to plant the next crop and vaccinations to keep their animals from dying. With GIS, we’re able to map and display this data very clearly. We can compare needs within a country, across time, and look at the needs of all countries.” — Neil Marsland, head of the Program Quality Team in the Emergency and Resilience Division at the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations The DIEM Hub analyzes, maps, and stores the 150 indicators collected during each survey in countries such as Afghanistan, Lebanon, Yemen, Burkina Faso, Mali, Sudan, and Colombia. The surveys of approximately 150,000 households each year—performed every two to six months—provide an accurate picture of food production trends and volatilities. Since the DIEM Information System was launched, the team has extended its network of partners, including national government agencies in the countries it monitors. Prior to 2020, the UN did not receive regular updates on how and where food-insecure regions were impacted by crises.
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