Using EO to Strengthen Climate, Health and Food Security in Timor-Leste
EO data is helping Timor-Leste better anticipate climate, health, and food security risks through improved spatial analysis and decision-making.
Description
The ESA GDA Health activity is supporting the World Bank to address growing climate related risks to health, agriculture, and livelihoods in Timor-Leste through the use of Earth Observation (EO) data. Sparse ground based monitoring and incomplete administrative data means national authorities and development partners lack consistant, spatial evidence needed to anticipate risks, plan effectively, and target interventions. To overcome this, the project integrates satellite imagery, climate reanalysis, and population analytics to provide consistent, spatially detailed insights. These EO products help reveal where vulnerabilities are concentrated, how they are evolving over time, and where targeted interventions can have the greatest impact.
The EO services deliver four analytical layers on land-use hotspots, population mapping, crop and drought signals, and climate-disease links such as dengue risk. Together, they support improved risk assessment, early warning, and resource allocation across sectors. By using open data and scalable methods, the project not only strengthens decision-making in Timor-Leste but also offers a transferable model for climate resilience, public health planning, and food security in other data-scarce regions.
You can read more about this case study here: Co-developing EO services with the World Bank for Timor-Leste’s climate–health resilience