Remote Sensing for Urban and Rural Development & Resilience (ReSiDeR)

The impact of climate change is being felt more and more in both rural and urban environments, which each rely on natural resources under pressure from multiple demands for food security, livelihoods and development. The water crisis in Cape Town got global attention. Adaptation is needed in several domains. Better data – especially spatial- are needed for local planners to map changes in natural resources and the urban climate. High resolution satellite imagery and GIS can contribute a lot to quantify and locate issues and possible solutions. This project will study trade-offs and win-win scenarios between rural and urban development and natural resources conservation under climate change. It will provide scientific support in the form of tools to develop sustainable development plans, taking into account the need to (1) map processes and features associated with climate change, (2) test and develop tools to assess resilience and trade-offs.