Monitoring Severe Winter Conditions in Mongolia with EO
The GDA Disaster Resilience consortium and the Asian Development Bank leveraged Earth observation (EO) data to tackle dzuds in Mongolia.
Description
The GDA Disaster Resilience consortium, in collaboration with the Asian Development Bank, leveraged advanced Earth Observation (EO) data and AI-driven analytics to strengthen resilience against extreme winter events, known as dzuds, that threaten Mongolia’s pastoral livelihoods. By developing a unique multi-decadal dataset spanning over 70 years, the initiative combined satellite-derived indicators such as land surface temperature, snow cover, and frozen ground conditions to map hazard patterns, assess risk exposure, and support early warning systems.
Integrating EO data from Sentinel-2 with in situ observations from the Mongolian Information and Research Institute of Meteorology, Hydrology and Environment enables large-scale estimation of pasture biomass and monitoring of forage availability. Through multi-hazard analysis and targeted datasets, the approach provided actionable insights for early response, improved land and livestock management, and reduced vulnerability. The project demonstrates a reliable, data-driven model for climate risk management and resilience building in other hazard-prone regions.
Read more about this Case Study here: Fighting winter disasters from space: how EO data is protecting herders in Mongolia