Land Cover and GIS Expert

Organizational Context

The FAO Sub-Regional office for West Africa (SFW) supports 15 ECOWAS member countries and 17 CILSS member countries in addressing food security, nutrition, agriculture, and rural development. The office comprises multidisciplinary experts providing technical support to combat poverty and promote food and nutritional security. The TCP/SFW/4008 project aims to enhance regional capacity and knowledge for sustainable land monitoring using a common framework across West Africa.

Job Purpose

This role focuses on Land Cover and Geographic Information Systems (GIS), with a strong emphasis on Remote Sensing applications. The expert will contribute to the project "Enhancing Regional Technical Capacities for Sustainable Land Monitoring and Development" by providing technical expertise in these areas. The position involves supporting regional coordination, knowledge sharing, and the implementation of project activities related to land monitoring and development, ensuring effective data management and reporting.

Responsibilities

Assist in the regional coordination of land cover and land use activities for the TCP/SFW/4008 project in Ghana. Provide technical support in GIS and Remote Sensing, aiding in the organization and implementation of regional project activities, including meetings and workshops. Ensure proper documentation and archiving of all technical and project-related information for reporting and evaluation. Support needs and gap assessments by collecting datasets and organizing stakeholder meetings. Facilitate regular meetings with stakeholders to enhance technical networks on land cover. Raise awareness among decision-makers on land monitoring for sustainable development. Support the organization of training and workshops on the West African land cover reference system. Provide technical assistance for national land cover legend development and contribute to training program design. Develop technical guidance documents on land monitoring and support field data collection and satellite imagery classification. Assist the project technical working group in data preparation and develop land cover datasets for Ghana using available tools. Populate the FAO Land Cover Legend Registry (LCLR) and assist with other project tasks.

Work Experience

Requires at least 5 years of relevant experience in spatial data handling and analysis, satellite data processing and management, and GIS and remote sensing applications. Experience in international organizations and projects supporting developing countries is preferred. Familiarity with cloud-computing platforms like SEPAL and Google Earth Engine, and programming languages such as R and Python for GIS/RS, is beneficial.

Skills

Key skills include results focus, teamwork, communication, building effective relationships, and knowledge sharing. Proficiency in programming languages like R and Python for GIS/RS, experience with satellite image analysis, geospatial data management, and cloud-computing platforms (SEPAL, Google Earth Engine) are important. Experience in capacity development and knowledge transfer in GIS/RS, familiarity with FAO’s Land Cover Classification System (LCCS), and the ability to report results to diverse audiences are also valued. Basic knowledge of French is advantageous.

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