SERVIR S-CAP

The History of S-CAP

Service Development Timeline

2021
Conceptual Framework and Theory of Change
While the SERVIR network has a number of services focused on land cover monitoring, and tracking tropical deforestation in particular, one element that has been missing is translating such changes into estimates of changes in carbon stock or even emissions of greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide. With USAID regional and bilateral missions contributing Sustainable Landscapes (SL) funding to SERVIR hubs, those USAID missions have a responsibility to track greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions as part of monitoring environmental dynamics in their respective regions. In addition to developing a scientific framework and accompanying ~global / pan-tropical service for monitoring carbon emissions, S-CAP has a significant capacity development component.
2021-2022
Initial Analysis
E. Cherrington et al. “One forest carbon model to rule them all? Utilizing ensembles of forest cover and biomass datasets to determine carbon budgets of the world’s forest ecosystems”. In BioGeosciences: (Submitted April 2024) (- A global analysis that demonstrates convergence and divergence in coverage and estimates related to forest cover, forest cover change, and above ground biomass stocks, which are the main inputs for estimating forest carbon stocks and greenhouse gas emissions from land cover change. & C. Evans et al. 2024 “Evaluating Global and National datasets in an Ensemble Approach to Estimating Carbon Emissions as part of SERVIR’s Carbon Pilot.” (In progress) This more nationally scaled focus on greenhouse gas emission estimation focuses on the added detail when including more locally tuned datasets when monitoring forest coverage change and biomass measurements.
2022
National Forest Reference Level Comparisons
Initial results from S-CAP were compared against each pilot country’s most recent submission to the UNFCCC effort to reduce emissions from deforestation and forest degradation in developing countries (REDD+) platform. This provided better understanding and alignment with country specific definitions of forest cover and deforestation. Values of biomass, activity data, and emission estimates were included in S-CAP reporting.
2023-2024
Partner Consultation | Capacity Building
SERVIR CA (Guatemala City, Guatemala) - Feb. 2023: Technical professionals from government, education and private institutions responsible for forest carbon accounting and deforestation monitoring. Focused on fundamental theory, applications, and code for forest change detection methods and carbon emission estimation with practical exercises applied in participants’ areas of interest.
SERVIR AMZ (Cali, Colombia) - March 2023: Brought GIS and technical specialists from Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru together to share the scientific and implementation progress of several ongoing services.
AmeriGEO (San José, Costa Rica) - Aug 2023: Professionals and students from the Group on Earth Observations (GEO) community in the Americas who apply geospatial information the address issues of food security and sustainable agriculture, biodiversity and ecosystems, disaster resilience, public health surveillance and water resource management.
SERVIR CA (Belmopan, Belize) - Oct 2023: Brought GIS and technical specialists from Belize, Guatemala, and El Salvador together to focus on fundamental theory, applications, and code for LandTrendr, CCDC-SMA, BULC-D, S-CAP with practical exercises applied in participants’ areas of interest
SERVIR CA (Belmopan, Belize) - March 2024: Follow-up training focused around mangrove mapping and restoration with the Belize Forest Department
SERVIR WA (Accra, Ghana) Nov. 2023: Worked with CERSGIS technical team to understand/gain proficiency in time series analysis methods for remotely sensed data, generate land cover/land-use change maps using CCDC, visualize land change and explore time-series information and understand Ghana-specific outputs from the SERVIR-CArbon Pilot (S-CAP) activity and how to use generate carbon estimates
SERVIR HKH (Kathmandu, Nepal) May 2024: Worked with The International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development in Nepal on the theoretical basis of S-CAP while exchanging ideas on how to collaborate on land use land cover change techniques and integration of S-CAP framework in to the Regional Land Cover Monitoring System and Nepal’s National Land Cover Monitoring System efforts
2023-2024
Website Application Development
A joint effort between the science team and GIT team at the SERVIR Science Coordination Office, the web app reflects priorities expressed by SERVIR hubs and their stakeholders to best suit the needs of the hubs and USAID missions. S-CAP is also poised to contribute to broader GHG monitoring initiatives, namely through its coordination with the U.S. Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Monitoring Center, which leverages IMPACT’s VEDA platform for its data and information system.
June 2024
Website Launch
Beta launch of S-CAP website. Data sets pre-loaded and immediately available for use consists of five global and seven regional/national land cover datasets along with twenty-two biomass datasets
Moving Forward
Annual Updates & Connection with existing SERVIR Global services
Updates to the datasets and coverage will be updated annually to ensure availability of the most up to date information in regards to land cover, land cover change, and aboveground biomass.

With S-CAP you can:

Monitor deforestation

Monitor progress towards net-zero deforestation

Estimate emissions

Pilot Countries

S-CAP is piloting its work in the following countries

Primary Data

The S-CAP methodology is based on those established by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and includes data layers describing the following:

Forest Cover & Forest Cover Loss

Forest Above Ground Biomass

Area of Interest

The History of S-CAP

Service Development Timeline

2021

2021-2022

2022

2023-2024

2023-2024

June 2024

Moving Forward

Meet The Team

S-CAP is an effort that involves over a dozen scientists and software developers, these are the leading team members in this effort.

Emil Cherrington

Christine Evans

Githika Tondapu

Alex Goberna

Contact Us

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