AGU is an international, nonprofit scientific association whose mission is to promote discovery in Earth and space science for the benefit of humanity. Every year, AGU Fall Meeting unites over 25,000 attendees from 100+ countries in the Earth and space sciences community to discuss findings, connect scientists from around the world, advance their profession and connect over the passion for the impact of science. This year, members of Space Enabled will be presenting several papers and participating in panels and talks.

Monday, December 13:

Danielle Wood

Title: Environment-Vulnerability-Decision-Technology (EVDT): A Framework for Integrated Environmental & Socioeconomic Analysis using Biodiversity Knowledge to Inform Policy Decisions
Time: 8:20-8:25 CST
Session Number: B11A-04

Abstract: The Environment-Vulnerability-Decision-Technology (EVDT) Integrated Analysis Framework is designed by the Space Enabled Research Group at MIT to explore relationships between environmental and socioeconomic trends. The EVDT Integrated Analysis Framework creates a platform to answer questions about biodiversity that have implications for public services such as forest management, integrated water resource management, managing invasive species, protecting coastal vegetation, and conserving wetlands. Specifically, the EVDT Integrated Analysis Framework asks four questions: 1) What is the state of a variable of interest in the environment? 2) How are changes in the environmental state impacting socioeconomic wellbeing of people? 3) What policy options are decision makers considering? And 4) Is available Earth Observation data adequate to answer questions 1 to 3, or are new technologies for data collection needed? The output of applying the EVDT Integrated Analysis Framework can be used to set up a Decision Support System that helps policy makers understand the consequences of a policy action. The authors are currently pursuing projects in collaboration with decision makers in Benin, Ghana, Brazil and Indonesia using EVDT. The work in Ghana maps regions with transition of vegetation to gold mining. The work further explores the impact of gold mining on water quality in Ghana. The work in Benin is maturing a Decision Support System to inform management of an invasive water hyacinth plant in Lake Nokoue. The work in Brazil and Indonesia seeks to improve coastal resilience and manage mangrove forests. For several of the projects, multiple data sources are applied for Earth Observation from field work, unattended sensors, aerial vehicles and satellites. The team is exploring ways to combine insights from these diverse data streams. The long term vision for EVDT is to create a library of related codes that can be applied to estimate the state of environmental or socioeconomic variables. EVDT is proposed as a tool to support the analysis and application of biodiversity data, especially in coastal cities where humans, plants and animals often co-exist in small ecosystems with economic importance. The presentation shows examples of performing analysis with EVDT in Benin, Ghana, Brazil and Indonesia. The Environment-Vulnerability-Decision-Technology (EVDT) Integrated Analysis Framework is designed by the Space Enabled Research Group at MIT to explore relationships between environmental and socioeconomic trends in a geographic location. The EVDT Integrated Analysis Framework creates a platform to answer questions about biodiversity that have implications for public services such as forest management, integrated water resource management, managing invasive species, protecting coastal vegetation, and conserving wetlands. Specifically, the EVDT Integrated Analysis Framework asks four questions: 1) What is the state of a variable of interest in the environment? 2) How are changes in the environmental state impacting socioeconomic wellbeing of people? 3) What policy options are decision makers considering to improve the environmental and socioeconomic outcomes? And 4) Is available Earth Observation data adequate to answer questions 1 to 3, or are new technologies for data collection needed? The output of applying the EVDT Integrated Analysis Framework can be used to set up a Decision Support System that helps policy makers understand the consequences of a policy action. Before implementing the EVDT analysis, the authors collect qualitative data using a Systems Architecture Framework to identify the Context, Stakeholders, Stakeholder Needs, Objectives, Functions (activities) and Forms (methods for activities) for a biodiversity-related policy question. The authors are currently pursuing projects in collaboration with decision makers in Benin, Ghana, Brazil and Indonesia using the Systems Architecture Framework and EVDT. The work in Ghana maps regions with transition of vegetation to gold mining. The work further explores the impact of gold mining on water quality in Ghana. The work in Benin is maturing a Decision Support System to inform management of an invasive water hyacinth plant in Lake Nokoue. The work in Brazil and Indonesia seeks to improve coastal resilience and manage mangrove forests. For several of the projects, multiple data sources are applied for Earth Observation from field work, unattended sensors, aerial vehicles and satellites. The team is exploring ways to combine insights from these diverse data streams. The EVDT and Systems Architecture Frameworks can be used together to help designs a Decision Support System. The long term vision for EVDT is to create a library of related codes that can be applied to estimate the state of one or more environmental or socioeconomic variables. EVDT is proposed as a tool to support the analysis and application of biodiversity data, especially in coastal cities where humans, plants and animals often co-exist in small ecosystems with economic importance. The presentation shows examples of performing analysis with EVDT in Benin, Ghana, Brazil and Indonesia. In each example, the biodiversity data about the state of the coastal vegetation near a major city drives the information management.

Jack Reid

Title: International Collaboration Aimed at Identifying Relevant Social, Policy, and Environmental Factors in the Progression of SARS-CoV2/COVID-19 in Six Metropolitan Areas
Presentation Type: Poster Session
Session Time: 14:30 - 15:45 CST
Session Number and Title: GH017: GH14A - SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19: Earth Observations/Modeling for Assessing Environmental, Climatic, Geographic, and Social/Policy Drivers of SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19 and Its Impact on Social, Economic, and Ecological Structures I Oral

Abstract: This study presents results from an international collaboration examining the progression of SARS-CoV2/COVID-19 in five major metropolitan areas across four continents from March 2021 to the present and identifying various observable factors that either lead or lag changes in the virus progression, including public health policies, policy adherence, telecoms-based mobility indices, nightlights, weather, and air quality. This collaboration involves multidisciplinary teams of academics, government officials (including public health, economics, environmental, and demographic data collection officials),  and others from six states: Angola, Brazil, Chile, Indonesia, Mexico, and the United States and has centered on the development of the Vida Decision Support System (Vida), an application of the Environment-Vulnerability- Decision-Technology (EVDT) integrated modeling framework specifically aimed at COVID-19 impact and response analysis. These collaborators have been involved with, among other contributions, the surfacing and creation of relevant data products, the identification of potential causal connections of concern related to COVID-19, and the development of data visualization prototypes. The modeling efforts currently include data from both earth observation instruments (Landsat, VIIRs, Planet Lab’s PlanetScope, NASA’s Socioeconomic Data and Applications Center, etc.) and in-situ data sources (such as. COVID-19 case data, local demographic data, policy histories, and mobile device-based mobility indices) in six large metropolitan areas around the world: Luanda, Angola; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Región Metropolitana de Santiago, Chile; Java, Indonesia; Santiago de Querétaro, México; and Boston, US. We will present our current understanding of connections between COVID-19 progression and other factors, the current state of the Vida prototypes, and potential avenues for future work, including other possible connections and design improvements to the Vida tool.

Katlyn Turner

Title: Invisible Variables: the impact of social distancing policies and norms on vulnerable populations during the COVID-19 pandemic
Presentation Type: Poster Session
Session Time: 16:00 - 18:00 CST
Session Number and Title: GC15I: SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19 and UN SDGs: Earth Observations for Assessing and Predicting the Impacts of SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19 on the UN Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs) I Poster

Abstract: The rapid spread of COVID-19 has required decision-makers to act quickly to reduce the risk of disease spread. The adverse impacts of government-mandated social distancing measures on individuals are generally unknown. Vulnerable populations, such as low-income individuals, face unique challenges managing their safety, means, and autonomy in response to the policies implemented on local levels to curb the spread of COVID-19. This endeavor aims to understand the invisible variables that contribute to vulnerable individual’s personal security during the hardships imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic and institutional response. The Space Enabled Research Group has pioneered this framework to conceptualize overall wellbeing during the pandemic, of Personal Security. Personal Security is conceptualized as the interplay between an individual’s perceived Safety—e.g. their ability to live without risk of harm, their Resources—e.g. financial resources, and Autonomy—e.g. their ability to optimize their life to meet the needs of themselves and their dependents. This endeavor examines the impact of social distancing policies on individual’s personal security in six sectors of life: housing, income and finances, employment, wellness, family and dependents, and healthcare—by interviewing individuals living in Greater Boston during the pandemic about their experiences. Preliminary results indicate meta-themes around the impact of decision-making length, willingness to act decisively when much is unknown, the role if misinformation, and transportation—to be impacting individuals in Greater Boston adversely during the pandemic. The role of organizational decision-making and an organization’s willingness to act decisively is a key metric impacting the lives of individuals during the pandemic. Findings from this study indicate that organizational decisiveness is a key metric that local policy-makers and organization leads should optimize for in order to reduce burden on vulnerable individuals during the COVID-19 pandemic. These results are important in the scope of the pandemic as well as in the scope of ongoing climate-related infrastructural disasters.

Danielle Wood (Session Co-Convener)

Session Title: SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19 and UN SDGs: Earth Observations for Assessing and Predicting the Impacts of SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19 on the UN Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs)
Session Time: 16:00-18:00 CST
Session Number and Title: GC15I

Session Overview: SARS-CoV2/COVID-19 propagated rapidly from local to global scales with multi-trillion $ impact and over 123M cases, 2.72M deaths (March 2021). The pandemic has prevailed over the annual seasonal cycles of both hemispheres. Key questions remain regarding environmental determinants and co-factors associated with its infectiousness, aerosol transmission/propagation rates, and mortality. Infection rates/severity and impact appear to vary substantially between countries across regions. Ongoing robust vaccination efforts to build herd immunity will take time, especially when considering virus variants. This session invites papers that demonstrate integration of data from Earth Observing satellites, in-situ and ground- based networks, and social/demographic and policy information to assess and predict COVID-19’s impact on implementing SDG 2 (food production/security), SDG 3 (health/well-being), SDG 6 (Fresh water/sanitation), SDG 7 (energy access/resilience), SDG 11 (sustainable cities/communities), SDG 13 (climate change), and SDG 15 (life on land).

Tuesday, December 14:

Ufuoma Ovienmhada

Title: A Geospatial Assessment of Environmental Toxicity and Exposure to Extreme Weather Events in Carceral Geographies
Presentation Type: eLightning Session
Session Time: 08:00 - 09:15 CST
Session Number and Title: GH21A: Environmental Injustice in GeoHealth I eLightning

Abstract:  According to a 2016 spatial analysis by Paige Williams, at least 732 federal and state prisons are located within three miles of a Superfund site, which are among the most polluted locations in the U.S. These environments have health risks for incarcerated populations including cancers, respiratory diseases, gastrointestinal problems and skin diseases. This reality points to an intersection between mass incarceration, environmental issues, and the resulting environmental injustice produced by exposure to adverse environmental conditions - an emerging field known as prison ecology. While there have been efforts to elevate the narratives of incarcerated people who have been affected by toxic exposures, there has been little work to document the health of these landscapes in ecological terms or at scale. This presentation will document the ecology of carceral geographies across the United States in order to understand the scale of the environmental injustices brought on through the existence of prisons. Earth observation (EO) data is used to document and forecast environmental conditions in these landscapes such as air pollution, extreme heat, quality of water supply, proximity to waste and flood risk. These conditions are contrasted to the conditions of non-carceral landscapes to assess the extent to which incarcerated people are disproportionately exposed to environmental harm. We also examine the socioeconomic demographics of who is impacted by this issue. This research will be the first known study of prison ecology using measurements from satellites and will elevate an issue that has been relatively invisible in broader environmentalism movements. This work has implications for how we think about incarceration and justice. The findings can be used by community organizers, policy makers, and anyone seeking to advocate for environmental justice for a population of people that tend to sit at the margins of fights for human rights. 

Ufuoma Ovienmhada

Title: The Environment-Vulnerability-Decision-Technology Modeling Framework Applied to Environmental Justice Activism in Carceral Landscapes
Final Paper Number: GC25G-0723
Presentation Type: Poster Session
Online Only Session: No
Session Time: 16:00 - 18:00 CST
Session Number and Title: GC25G: Environmental Justice/Equity and Global Change: Methodologies, Frameworks, and Results II Poster

Abstract: In recent years, investigative reports by human rights organizations have highlighted numerous cases of U.S. incarcerated populations being exposed to life-threatening environmental harms in the form of air pollution, toxic water quality, or extreme weather like heat and flooding. The options for attaining justice in carceral landscapes in particular can be challenging to perceive because of the relative social and legal marginalization of these populations in American society; incarcerated populations are often left out of disaster response plans and broader environmental health efforts. The Space Enabled Research Group of the MIT Media Lab has developed the Environment-Vulnerability-Decision-Technology (EVDT) modeling framework which considers the interaction between the environment, societal impact, decision-making, and technology design to support decision making for environmental health. In this presentation, the EVDT framework is applied to study exposure to extreme weather events in carceral landscapes to (1) understand how environmental injustices are brought on through the existence of prisons and (2) understand opportunities for earth observation (EO) to support environmental justice campaigns for incarcerated people. The Environment Model uses EO datasets to document environmental conditions in these landscapes such as extreme heat or flood risk. The Vulnerability Model captures the health impact of environmental conditions; the Decision Model captures different modes of activism to respond to vulnerability; and the Technology Model describes what data is currently used in advocacy efforts and how EO can support those efforts. The application of the EVDT framework provides an organized way to bring together diverse datasets that can simultaneously assess and combat injustice. This study will demonstrate the viability of EVDT as an Environmental Justice framework while pushing forward technology intervention options for this specific domain of environmental justice for incarcerated populations. 

Wednesday, December 15:

Ann-Marsha Alexis

Title: Changing Coastal Flooding for At-Risk Communities in the Developing World
Presentation Type: Oral Session
Session Number and Title: NH32A: Defending Coastal Infrastructures Against Sea-Level Rise and Tropical Storms I Oral
Session Time: Wednesday, 15 December 2021; 09:45 - 11:00 CST
If Hybrid Session, Location: Convention Center Room 293

Katlyn Turner 

Title: Antiracism & Technology Design: Considering Dual/Multi-Use Technology Sectors and Fostering Epistemic and Institutional Equity
Presentation Type: Poster Session
Session Number and Title: U35A: Unlearning Racism in Geoscience: Poster Session
Session Time: 16:00 - 18:00 CST
If Hybrid, Location: Convention Center, Poster Hall, D-F

Abstract: Technology often further entrenches or sustains hierarchies in our society such as sexism, classism, racism, ableism and so forth. Authors Wood & Turner have created a framework employed here to analyze how technology across different scales can foster antiracist outcomes. When considering technology across scale: (1) as Epistemology - the creation processes and norms that become canon in fields like the sciences; (2) technology as Artifacts such as cellular phones; (3) technology as Complex Product Systems such as a nuclear reactor or a rocket; (4) technology as Sociotechnical Systems such as a power plant; and (5) technology as Industries—assimilationist and exclusive ideas about issues like class and race are enshrined during their development, design, and distribution within society. In order for technology at any scale to create and sustain equity—we consider a systems architecture analysis of design processes with the goal of producing equitable outcomes in society. How can creators, policymakers, and consumers use principles of antiracism and intersectionality to advance justice in technologies across scale? We use the aerospace sector and the nuclear enterprise as examples. These sectors are two Industries which have historical overlap, and lessons may be learned from the other to create more equitable outcomes within each. Developed in the mid-20th century, both Industries have dual-use civilian and military applications; due to which their development played a pivotal role in diplomacy during the Cold War. In early stages of their development, cooperation to create international treaties and norms attempted to set standards for civilian access and use of both aerospace and nuclear technologies. Both Industries have technological prestige and are regarded today as emblematic of modernity and national pride. All of this makes mastery of the embedded technologies desirable for states in the context of diplomacy and national industrial development. Both Industries face challenges today related to access, equity, and policy around issues like climate justice and techno-colonialism. We consider these two sectors within the context of systems architecture, antiracism, and intersectionality in order to propose a more just, liberatory, and equitable future for each sector and its role in society.

Caroline Jaffe (Space Enabled Collaborator and Co-Author from Media Lab Responsive Environments Group_

Title: Valuation and Mapping of Environmental and Economic Factors to Support Climate-Friendly Land Use Decisions in the Massachusetts Cranberry Industry
Presentation Type: Poster Session
Session Time: 16:00 - 18:00 CST
Session Number and Title: GC35J: The Future of Agriculture: AgMIP, Climate Impacts, Combined Mitigation and Adaptation, and Related Research II Poster

Abstract: Land-use decisions, particularly in an agricultural setting, lie at the nexus of the colliding challenges of climate change and food insecurity. Understanding and guiding these decisions at the regional scale is a key strategy in the development of natural climate solutions and sustainable food production systems. These issues come together in a particularly high-stakes context in the Massachusetts cranberry industry, which occupies a position of significant economic and sociocultural importance in the region, but faces a number of challenges in the form of heightened competition, unstable prices, an aging farmer population, and changing ecological conditions. Many farmers are looking either for ways to become profitable, or to exit the industry in a financially sustainable way. One option is to sell their land to developers; another option, which is exciting to scientists and environmental advocates, is undergoing an active habitat rehabilitation to restore the beneficial ecosystem services of a functioning wetland environment. Integrating satellite data and in-situ sensor data collected over the past decade, we aim to conduct a systems analysis that unites the viewpoints of cranberry industry stakeholders and clarifies the trade-offs between environmental, economic, and social factors in the region. We propose to address this aim via three core research efforts: a contextual analysis of the industry; a valuation and mapping of key ecological, economic, and social factors; and an integrated modeling approach that models interactions and trade-offs between these factors. In particular, this presentation will focus on the progress we have made valuing and mapping key environmental and economic factors using publicly available satellite imagery and census data. This work demonstrates how these factors align with existing features of the natural and built environment, supports conservation organizations and municipalities in their restoration and conservation advocacy, and provides a foundation for future scenario mapping that will analyze trade-offs in different land use cases.

Amanda Payton (Space Enabled Collaborator and Co-Author from East Carolina University)

Title: Recent Trends in Land Cover and Climate Across Ghana

Presentation Type:  Virtual Poster

Session Time: 16:00 - 18:00 CST

Session Number and Title: B35D Characterizing Land-Cover Change and Associated Ecosystem/Climate Responses using Remote Sensing Data

Abstract: As part of the adoption of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) in 2015, Ghana committed to combating environmental degradation and climate change. Land cover change is a prominent method of measuring environmental change, as landscape changes often impact ecosystem integrity and biodiversity. Land cover is also interwoven with climate trends, as it can impact climate at local and global scales through changes in carbon storage and be affected in return by changes in climate which control species survival. This research analyzes recent trends in land cover and climate to better understand the challenges Ghana faces to meet its SDG goals. We created 30-m resolution land cover maps of Ghana for the years 2010, 2015, and 2020 to compare land cover conversion in the 5-year period before and after the adoption of the SDGs. Using a combination of Landsat imagery, PALSAR data, and the random forest classifier we produced both land cover and classification confidence maps for the entire country in Google Earth Engine. This study also uses approximately 30 years of spatial temperature and precipitation data to analyze recent climate patterns across time and space. We assess annual trends in climate as well as seasonal changes, using a combination of the Theil-Sen estimator, Kendall rank correlation coefficient, and Fourier analysis in TerrSet’s Earth Trends Modeler. By combining land cover change with regional climate patterns, we can better understand the pressures affecting Ghana’s ecosystems and inform strategies to meet SDG goals.

Thursday, December 16:

Ufuoma Ovienmhada

Panel Title: Surviving Global Change: GeoHealth, Marginalised Communities and Environmental Justice in the Anthropocene
Time: 11:15 - 12:15 in the Convention Center
Room: Room 393-394.

Seamus Lombardo

Title: Development of Decision Support Systems Utilizing Earth Observation and the Environment-Vulnerability-Decision-Technology modeling framework Towards Natural Resource Management for the Yurok Tribe
Presentation Type: Oral Session
Session Number and Title: GC44A: Advances in the Use of Earth Observations for Mitigating Major Environmental Challenges in North, Central, and South America and the Caribbean Islands I Oral
Session Time: 14:30 - 15:45 CST
If Hybrid Session, Location: Convention Center Room 203-205

Abstract: The Yurok tribe from northern California have a culture tied to their land and its natural resources. These forest and water resources face environmental threats such as river contamination, salmon (a key Yurok food source) depletion , unsustainable logging practices, forest fires, and droughts. Efforts by the Yurok to conserve their resources include conservation-based forest management and restoration of the Klamath river through the removal of hydroelectric dams upstream. Yurok leaders are faced with complex decisions including where to allocate limited resources to river restoration post-dam removal, or how to balance revenue, resilience, and cultural values in forest management practices - all while considering the needs of multiple stakeholders. The authors are employing Earth Observation (EO) analyses and the Environment-Vulnerability-Decision-Technology (EVDT) integrated modeling framework to develop decision support systems (DSS) to support Yurok natural resource management. The EVDT framework considers the interactions between the environment, socioeconomic impacts, human decision-making, and technology design to develop accessible DSS that incorporate EO analyses. These DSS will allow decision-makers to examine analyses of historical EO data related to environmental and socioeconomic domains and explore the relationships between these factors under different simulated conditions to evaluate potential policies or investments. This work describes stakeholder engagement in the development of these EO analyses and DSS through the use of interviews, system architecture, and methods drawing on the SERVIR Service Planning Toolkit. Additionally, the work highlights preliminary efforts to develop specific EO analyses (including analyzing tree height and fires in Yurok forests, or surface water extent in the Klamath river) as well as the incorporation of these analyses into the prototype DSS software tool.

Katlyn Turner

Panel Title: Education  Student and Early Career Panel Event

Time: December 16 from 630pm to 8pm 

Room: Convention Center 238-239 and online everywhere through the app

Friday, December 17:

Danielle Wood

Panel Title: Complex Human-Natural Systems on Earth and in Space
Presentation Type: Online eLightning
Time: 14:30-15:45 CST
Panel Title: Complex Human-Natural Systems on Earth and in Space
Presentation Type: Online eLightning
Session Time: 16:00-17:15 CST