NASA Satellites Help Protect Developing Nations

NASA Satellites Help Protect Developing Nations

Satellite technology is the newest tool for helping¹ developing countries deal with climate change and natural disasters.

Satellites can measure conditions on the ground and share the data with communities. A partnership² between the National Aeronautics³ and Space Administration (NASA) and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) has developed such a system called SERVIR. 

SERVIR captures images and environmental data, like dangerous weather and changes in water resource use. Scientists feed that information into complex computer programs. The results of the analysis are shared with people living in the affected⁴ areas, as well as governments and organizations, to help them react and prepare.

Dan Irwin is the director of the NASA SERVIR Coordination⁵ Office. He told VOA Learning English that the SERVIR project shares important information with countries all over the world.

"So the main goal of SERVIR, really, is taking space-based information and making it available to people around the world so they can really address issues that they have in their countries, whether it be deforestation, air quality… and bringing it down to village and making it available to people for better decision-making...

We need to be able to convert that data … to address the cares and concerns that countries have around the world. And as NASA we can work with countries … but it's then, ‘How do we take it even further? How do we go from space to country, down to state or provincial⁶ level, down to the village level?'"

Jennifer Frankel-Reed is the Senior Climate Change Specialist for USAID. She explained how SERVIR has helped warn Bangladeshis of flooding, and prevented people in El Salvador from eating unsafe seafood⁷.

In Kenya, which depends heavily on tea farming, farmers have avoided losing crops to rising temperatures.   

"The idea is that through our local partnerships⁸ with hubs, we can bring that data, analyze⁹ it ways that people can use, translate it into easy to use formats¹⁰ and then help people with the decisions that those data inform."

Developed in 2004, SERVIR brought together the U.S. agencies with the World Bank and Central American Commission on Environment and Development. The first hub was established in Panama in 2005, but was closed in 2011. Other hubs were established in Kenya, Nepal and Thailand between 2008 and 2014.

Both Mr. Irwin and Ms. Frankel-Reed said the project’s goal was to empower people with information to help them grow.  

"We hope to continue to expand… but ultimately and absolutely the most important thing about SERVIR is… enabling amazing people around the world."

The project now operates in more than 30 countries.

Words in This Story

address – v. to deal with a matter, issue, or problem

deforestation – n. the act or result of cutting down or burning all the trees in an area

village – n. a small town in the country

data – n. facts or information used usually to calculate, analyze, or plan something

analysis – n. a careful study of something to learn about its parts, what they do, and how they are related to each other

convert – v. to change something into a different form

hub – n. the central and most active part or place

translate – v. to change words from one language into another language

enable – v. to make someone or something able to do or to be something

1 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

2 partnership   

n.合作关系，伙伴关系

参考例句：

• The company has gone into partnership with Swiss Bank Corporation.这家公司已经和瑞士银行公司建立合作关系。
• Martin has taken him into general partnership in his company.马丁已让他成为公司的普通合伙人。

3 aeronautics   

n.航空术，航空学

参考例句：

• National Aeronautics and Space undertakings have made great progress.国家的航空航天事业有了很大的发展。
• He devoted every spare moment to aeronautics.他把他所有多余的时间用在航空学上。

4 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

5 coordination   

n.协调，协作

参考例句：

• Gymnastics is a sport that requires a considerable level of coordination.体操是一项需要高协调性的运动。
• The perfect coordination of the dancers and singers added a rhythmic charm to the performance.舞蹈演员和歌手们配合得很好，使演出更具魅力。

6 provincial   

adj.省的，地方的；n．外省人，乡下人

参考例句：

• City dwellers think country folk have provincial attitudes.城里人以为乡下人思想迂腐。
• Two leading cadres came down from the provincial capital yesterday.昨天从省里下来了两位领导干部。

7 seafood   

n.海产食品，海味，海鲜

参考例句：

• There's an excellent seafood restaurant near here.离这儿不远有家非常不错的海鲜馆。
• Shrimps are a popular type of seafood.小虾是比较普遍的一种海味。

8 partnerships   

n.伙伴关系( partnership的名词复数 )；合伙人身份；合作关系

参考例句：

• Partnerships suffer another major disadvantage: decision-making is shared. 合伙企业的另一主要缺点是决定要由大家来作。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件
• It involved selling off limited partnerships. 它涉及到售出有限的合伙权。 来自辞典例句

9 analyze   

vt.分析，解析 (=analyse)

参考例句：

• We should analyze the cause and effect of this event.我们应该分析这场事变的因果。
• The teacher tried to analyze the cause of our failure.老师设法分析我们失败的原因。

10 formats   

n.（出版物的）版式( format的名词复数 )；[电视]电视节目的总安排（或计划）

参考例句：

• They are producing books in all kinds of different formats. 他们出版各种不同开本的书籍。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• A true GUI includes standard formats for representing text and graphics. 真正的图形用户界面包括表示文字和图形的标准格式。 来自互联网