Resolution:
To respond quickly and help prevent crop and pasture damage, the FAO needed to be able to track these highly mobile swarms and predict where they were heading next. Working with our deployment partner, 51 Degrees Limited, we created a configuration of EarthRanger with custom reports and processes specifically designed for locust data collection, as well as real-time monitoring of ranger and aircraft response. Sightings of locusts are reported by community members and rangers in the field. Data is shared using FAO’s mobile apps eLocust3m and eLocust3g or through communicating with FAO’s command center. Those reports are all aggregated in EarthRanger, from where they provide FAO operators and analysts with all historical and current locations of locust swarms – a complete picture of the outbreak. All of the data feed into FAO’s global monitoring and early warning system greatly increasing the planning, situational awareness, and ultimately the impact of their operations.