Land Cover and GIS Expert

Organizational Context

The FAO Sub-Regional Office for West Africa (SFW) leads efforts to develop and implement strategies addressing food security, nutrition, agriculture, and rural development across West Africa. It provides technical support to 15 ECOWAS and 17 CILSS member countries, focusing on poverty reduction, food security, and resilience building. This position contributes to the TCP/SFW/4008 project, "Enhancing Regional Technical Capacities for Sustainable Land Monitoring and Development," which aims to strengthen regional land monitoring capabilities and knowledge through a unified framework.

Job Purpose

The purpose of this role is to provide specialized technical expertise in Land Cover, Geographic Information Systems (GIS), and Remote Sensing for the FAO Sub-Regional Office for West Africa, focusing on activities in Senegal. The expert will contribute to the TCP/SFW/4008 project, "Enhancing Regional Technical Capacities for Sustainable Land Monitoring and Development." This involves supporting the coordination and implementation of regional land monitoring activities, facilitating knowledge and expertise sharing, and assisting in the development of standardized land cover datasets and legends for West Africa. The role is crucial for strengthening regional capacities in sustainable land monitoring and ensuring data availability for informed decision-making in food security and rural development.

Responsibilities

The Land Cover and GIS Expert will assist in the regional coordination of land cover and land use activities under the TCP/SFW/4008 project in Senegal. Key responsibilities include providing technical support for sharing knowledge and expertise in GIS and Remote Sensing, and organizing regional project activities such as expert meetings, workshops, and field data collection. The expert will ensure proper documentation and archiving of all technical and project-related information for reporting and evaluation. This role involves supporting needs and gap assessments on land cover and land use by collecting existing datasets and engaging national partners. The expert will also facilitate regular meetings to enhance technical networks, raise awareness among decision-makers on land monitoring for sustainable development, and organize training sessions on the West African land cover reference system. Further duties include providing technical assistance for national land cover legend development, supporting the design of training programs, contributing to technical guidance documents, and assisting in the design and execution of field data collection campaigns in Senegal. The expert will also support satellite imagery classification, land cover data preparation, and the development of land cover datasets for Senegal using geospatial tools, while populating the FAO Land Cover Legend Registry.

Work Experience

A minimum of five years of relevant experience is required in spatial data handling and analysis, satellite data processing and management, and the application of GIS and remote sensing technologies. Candidates must also possess a working knowledge of French (level C) and limited knowledge of English (level B).

Skills

Required skills include Results Focus, Teamwork, Communication, Building Effective Relationships, and Knowledge Sharing and Continuous Improvement. Desirable technical skills encompass experience in programming languages like R and Python for GIS/Remote Sensing, satellite image analysis, geospatial data management, and processing. Proficiency with cloud-computing platforms such as SEPAL and Google Earth Engine, along with batch-scripting for data processing and geo-statistical packages for automatic classifications, is highly valued. Experience in capacity development and knowledge transfer on GIS/RS, familiarity with FAO’s Land Cover Classification System (LCCS) standard, and the ability to report results to diverse audiences are also important. A Master's degree is considered an asset.

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