Strengthening Transport and Climate Resilience in Guinea-Bissau with Satellite Data
ESA GDA Transport & Infrastruture are using satellite data to support infrastructure planning in Guinea-Bissau, mapping road, port, and flood risks to guide climate-resilient investment.
Description
The ESA GDA Transport & Infrastructure (T&I) activity is supporting the World Bank’s Enhancing Connectivity in Northern Guinea-Bissau Project by leveraging satellite Earth Observation (EO) to fill critical data gaps in the country’s underdeveloped transport system.
Guinea-Bissau faces limited paved roads, poor maintenance, and a lack of infrastructure inventories, compounded by climate vulnerabilities such as seasonal flooding, sea-level rise, and salinisation.
To address these challenges, the GDA T&I consortium, led by SpaceKnow with contributions from DLR and IABG, is using EO to monitor road and port activity, traffic congestion, and exposure to climate hazards. Sentinel-1 SAR data has been applied to detect vehicles and containers, while flood hazard and flash-flood models help identify vulnerable transport routes.
The EO-derived products are expected to inform strategic discussions under the World Bank’s Enhancing Connectivity in Northern Guinea-Bissau Project, and could support future technical assistance or investment planning.
You can read more about this Case Study here: Monitoring Transport Vulnerabilities in Guinea-Bissau