School and Satellites
Schools and Satellites (SaS) is a project that aims to better quantify and understand precipitation patterns in Ghana in West Africa. Understanding precipitation patterns is critical for water management anywhere. In West Africa, rain gauges (ground-based measurements) are few and far between. Imagery from satellites (remote sensing measurements) can be used to estimate precipitation and present a potential solution; however, current precipitation estimates from satellites for the region are very inaccurate.
The goal of SaS is to use machine learning to improve these precipitation estimates from satellites; ground-based precipitation measurements from Smartphones4Water will be utilized in training and verification of the machine-learning algorithm developed. Their classic soda bottle rain gauges will be distributed to schools in Ghana, which will record local precipitation data using smartphones.
The project will take in the 5 northern regions of Ghana: Upper West, Upper East, North East, Northern and Savannah regions, involving farmers and teachers with their students from Junior High Schools.
The project has started in August 2019 and will continue until we have been able to capture a whole rainy season with many measurement points. This was intended to happen in 2020, but due to the #CoronaCrisis, we will probably continue until the end of 2021.
How to participate
For farmers and schoolteachers in the northern regions of Ghana to participate in the SaS project, we have developed instruction materials:
- To make you own #SchoolsandSatellites rain gauge, we recommend watching this video and using the manual ‘How to make your own rain gauge’. This pdf also explains what to do.
- In the Rainfall Measurement Syllabus, we explain all the necessary steps to take rainfall measurements yourself or with your students.
- And for teachers, we have made a Teachers Manual that gives a lesson plan to teach their students about rainfall patterns, climate change and taking rainfall measurements.
- To understand how to make your own rainfall graphs, please us this instruction sheet.
We are still in the process of developing more small online video instruction material, that will be available as soon as possible. So start following the YouTube list Schools and Satellites and get an update when we have uploaded new material!