SEPAL

SEPAL (System for Earth Observation Data Access, Processing, and Analysis for Land Monitoring) is a valuable tool developed by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). It helps countries monitor and report on forests and land use. SEPAL is an open-source platform that enables efficient access to Earth observation data without the need for coding knowledge. This cloud-based platform combines various open-source software and cloud computing resources, allowing users to query, access, and process satellite data swiftly for advanced analyses. With an easy-to-use interface and access to powerful cloud-based supercomputers, SEPAL supports improved climate change mitigation strategies and data-driven land-use policies. In the context of Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN), SEPAL includes a dedicated module for monitoring and reporting land degradation in accordance with UNCCD's good practice guidance version 2 (GPG v2).

• Keywords: SDG 15.3.1, Forest monitoring
• Characteristics:

  Decision Making Scale: Local, National, Regional (Sub-national)

  Decision Making Direction: Bottom-up, Top-down

  Stakeholder Involvement: Expert knowledge needed, Training Required

  Tool Type: Indicator assessment, Multi-criteria analysis, Process-oriented tool