Aim of Discovery Phase Project<\/h2>\n\nTo demonstrate the feasibility of using Earth Observation (EO) techniques as the basis of a\u00a0<\/span><\/span>sand and aggregate management system in Kenya
\nand the usability and acceptance of such a service.<\/span><\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\nThe Discovery Phase focused on establishing an understanding of the current baseline of sand management, gathering user <\/span>requirements,<\/span> and exploring a prototype resource management solution using Earth Observation (EO) satellite data.\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\nOften thought of as plentiful, sand is not recognised as a strategic resource by many countries, including Kenya, and\u00a0getting accurate information on sand is challenging.\u00a0 However, it <\/span>is\u00a0<\/span>a vital resource and is <\/span>the world\u2019s second most-used raw material after water<\/span>. Globally, s<\/span>and\u00a0<\/span>extraction<\/span> accounts for<\/span>\u00a0f<\/span>or 85% of all mineral extraction activities<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Sand is currently being used much faster than it is being created<\/span>,<\/span> and should be considered a finite resource. D<\/span>emand for sand is forecast to grow in the coming years through increasing population and urbanisation<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\nThere is currently a lack of a global monitoring system for sand and aggregate extraction, and the project aimed to determine whether EO data could, alongside other information, provide insights to help the management and monitoring of sand extraction activities.For this project, we focused on sand, but the longer-term aim is to understand wider global aggregate sustainability.<\/span><\/p>\nWhy Kenya?<\/h2>\n
Kenya was chosen for this work as Nairobi is a major hub for construction with sand mining concentrated from within the adjacent counties of Makueni, Machakos<\/b>, Kitui<\/b>\u00a0and Kajiado<\/b>, which helped focus the project’s activities to specific areas. There were reported <\/span>social and environmental issues impacting <\/span>on the <\/span>fragile local riverine and coastal ecosystems, and potential issues caused by enhanced erosion of riverbanks, destruction of farmland, lowering of water tables and an increase in waterway turbidity that in turn exacerbates the impact of droughts. <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nKenya’s construction sector’s consumption of sand and aggregates is rapidly increasing due to a major infrastructure programme of road and rail building and rapid urbanisation, and like in many parts of the world sand e<\/span>xtraction in the country was not fully understood with varying regulatory systems across the different counties.\u00a0 When an internal ban on sand exporting was in force in 2018, sand prices rose by 30% within a few weeks in Nairobi,<\/span>\u00a0construction works were put on hold risking developers turning to unmanaged extraction sites to meet their demand.<\/span><\/p>\nProviding Kenya with a resource management and monitoring tool will ensures the long-term sustainability and efficient use of its sand supply.<\/span>\u00a0 \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nWhy a Solution Based on Satellite Technology<\/h2>\n
Satellite EO data offers an opportunity to review and monitor vast areas each time the satellites pass overhead.\u00a0 The project used free-to-access data from the <\/span>Copernicus Sentinel -1 (Synthetic Aperture Radar) and -2 (optical) twin\u00a0<\/span><\/b>satellites constellations, which capture new images of Kenya every few days.\u00a0 This <\/span>data would be very difficult to acquire by a traditional land-based survey<\/span><\/b> because of the scale and distribution of activities, and hence the significant time required.\u00a0 Although free-to-access data offers a strong starting point for a long sustainable system we recognise that commercial data may be required alongside this to improve either the spatial resolution or the frequency of images.<\/span><\/p>\n
\nEO4SAS Solution<\/h1>\nOverview<\/h2>\n
The EO4SAS solution takes advantage of EO data to\u00a0<\/span><\/span>provide a unique insight into the sand and aggregate resources and process and activities of extraction allow governing organisations to plan, monitor, conserve and utilise <\/span><\/span>their<\/span><\/span> sand resources. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\nThe image<\/span><\/span> below shows how the data provided by EO4SAS integrates into the wider Kenya resource management governance processes and systems.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/eo4sas.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/EO4SAS-Overview-300x219.png\")
<\/span><\/a><\/p>\nEO4SAS processes satellite data (e.g., free-to-user Copernicus data) and data from other sources through a variety of bespoke products\u00a0 to present users with sand resource management insights presented through a variety of user interfaces.<\/p>\n
EO4SAS Target Users<\/h2>\n
We see two direct target user groups<\/span>, with different specific needs:<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\n- G<\/span><\/b>overnment as\u00a0<\/span><\/b>a\u00a0<\/span><\/b>policymaker, planner and regulator<\/span><\/b> to support governance through policies, a planning and regulatory regime and mitigation strategies associated with long-term supply.\u00a0<\/span>Within counties<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>there will be<\/span>\u00a0similar requirements at local levels.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
- I<\/span><\/b>nvestors<\/span><\/b>,<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/b>extraction industry and<\/span><\/b>\u00a0construction industry<\/span><\/b>\u00a0by ensuring a sustainable supply chain<\/span>, including potentially sustainable sourcing certification,<\/span>\u00a0to support construction projects and growth<\/span>\u00a0that<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>will\u00a0<\/span>attract foreign\u00a0<\/span>and supports internal<\/span>\u00a0investment<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
EO4SAS Benefits<\/h2>\n
We provide information and governance tools to create knowledge on sustainable sand mining to ensure the needs of the present are\u00a0<\/span><\/span>met without compromising<\/span><\/span>\u00a0future\u00a0<\/span><\/span>generations\u00a0<\/span><\/span>ability\u00a0<\/span><\/span>to live and meet their own need.\u00a0 The major benefits of EO4SAS<\/span><\/span> are:<\/span><\/p>\n\n- Coverage area is vast – far greater than could easily be covered by land-based means;<\/li>\n
- Imagery and insights are updated regularly and frequently (2-5 days);<\/li>\n
- A vast amount of historic data is available – allows in-depth trend analysis starting many years ago<\/li>\n
- Observation is unobtrusive \/ non-invasive<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
<\/p>\n
\nYou can read in more detail by following these links:<\/p>\n
Short Project Presentation<\/a> describing the work and how satellite data might be able to support the project.<\/p>\nProject Partners<\/a> involved in the project.<\/p>\n
To demonstrate the feasibility of using Earth Observation (EO) techniques as the basis of a\u00a0<\/span><\/span>sand and aggregate management system in Kenya The Discovery Phase focused on establishing an understanding of the current baseline of sand management, gathering user <\/span>requirements,<\/span> and exploring a prototype resource management solution using Earth Observation (EO) satellite data.\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n Often thought of as plentiful, sand is not recognised as a strategic resource by many countries, including Kenya, and\u00a0getting accurate information on sand is challenging.\u00a0 However, it <\/span>is\u00a0<\/span>a vital resource and is <\/span>the world\u2019s second most-used raw material after water<\/span>. Globally, s<\/span>and\u00a0<\/span>extraction<\/span> accounts for<\/span>\u00a0f<\/span>or 85% of all mineral extraction activities<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Sand is currently being used much faster than it is being created<\/span>,<\/span> and should be considered a finite resource. D<\/span>emand for sand is forecast to grow in the coming years through increasing population and urbanisation<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n There is currently a lack of a global monitoring system for sand and aggregate extraction, and the project aimed to determine whether EO data could, alongside other information, provide insights to help the management and monitoring of sand extraction activities.For this project, we focused on sand, but the longer-term aim is to understand wider global aggregate sustainability.<\/span><\/p>\n Kenya was chosen for this work as Nairobi is a major hub for construction with sand mining concentrated from within the adjacent counties of Makueni, Machakos<\/b>, Kitui<\/b>\u00a0and Kajiado<\/b>, which helped focus the project’s activities to specific areas. There were reported <\/span>social and environmental issues impacting <\/span>on the <\/span>fragile local riverine and coastal ecosystems, and potential issues caused by enhanced erosion of riverbanks, destruction of farmland, lowering of water tables and an increase in waterway turbidity that in turn exacerbates the impact of droughts. <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Kenya’s construction sector’s consumption of sand and aggregates is rapidly increasing due to a major infrastructure programme of road and rail building and rapid urbanisation, and like in many parts of the world sand e<\/span>xtraction in the country was not fully understood with varying regulatory systems across the different counties.\u00a0 When an internal ban on sand exporting was in force in 2018, sand prices rose by 30% within a few weeks in Nairobi,<\/span>\u00a0construction works were put on hold risking developers turning to unmanaged extraction sites to meet their demand.<\/span><\/p>\n Providing Kenya with a resource management and monitoring tool will ensures the long-term sustainability and efficient use of its sand supply.<\/span>\u00a0 \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Satellite EO data offers an opportunity to review and monitor vast areas each time the satellites pass overhead.\u00a0 The project used free-to-access data from the <\/span>Copernicus Sentinel -1 (Synthetic Aperture Radar) and -2 (optical) twin\u00a0<\/span><\/b>satellites constellations, which capture new images of Kenya every few days.\u00a0 This <\/span>data would be very difficult to acquire by a traditional land-based survey<\/span><\/b> because of the scale and distribution of activities, and hence the significant time required.\u00a0 Although free-to-access data offers a strong starting point for a long sustainable system we recognise that commercial data may be required alongside this to improve either the spatial resolution or the frequency of images.<\/span><\/p>\n The EO4SAS solution takes advantage of EO data to\u00a0<\/span><\/span>provide a unique insight into the sand and aggregate resources and process and activities of extraction allow governing organisations to plan, monitor, conserve and utilise <\/span><\/span>their<\/span><\/span> sand resources. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n The image<\/span><\/span> below shows how the data provided by EO4SAS integrates into the wider Kenya resource management governance processes and systems.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n EO4SAS processes satellite data (e.g., free-to-user Copernicus data) and data from other sources through a variety of bespoke products\u00a0 to present users with sand resource management insights presented through a variety of user interfaces.<\/p>\n We see two direct target user groups<\/span>, with different specific needs:<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n We provide information and governance tools to create knowledge on sustainable sand mining to ensure the needs of the present are\u00a0<\/span><\/span>met without compromising<\/span><\/span>\u00a0future\u00a0<\/span><\/span>generations\u00a0<\/span><\/span>ability\u00a0<\/span><\/span>to live and meet their own need.\u00a0 The major benefits of EO4SAS<\/span><\/span> are:<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n You can read in more detail by following these links:<\/p>\n Short Project Presentation<\/a> describing the work and how satellite data might be able to support the project.<\/p>\n Project Partners<\/a> involved in the project.<\/p>\n
\nand the usability and acceptance of such a service.<\/span><\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\nWhy Kenya?<\/h2>\n
Why a Solution Based on Satellite Technology<\/h2>\n
\nEO4SAS Solution<\/h1>\n
Overview<\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/eo4sas.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/EO4SAS-Overview.png\")
<\/span><\/a><\/p>\nEO4SAS Target Users<\/h2>\n
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EO4SAS Benefits<\/h2>\n
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