Fulbright scholar and Geography-Geographic Information Science graduate student Patrick Ken Kalonde is part of a winning team in the Copernicus Master’s University Challenge.
Kalonde’s team was named one of three winners in the competition for their project “Carbon Monitoring Using Earth Observation Satellites”, which uses Sentinel-2 data to monitor, measure and verify carbon storage in forests at a low cost.
Kalonde, together with Regeza Kamunga, Alick Chisale Austin, Treaser Mandevu, Fred Sajiwa, Tadala Makuluni and Dr. Suresh Muthurishnan from Nayasa Aerial Data Solution, are the first all-African team to win the contest.
Their monitoring system quantifies above-ground biomass and estimates carbon sequestration using drones and field-gathered data. The team is developing partnerships with local communities and non-profits across Malawi to incorporate into their data collection processes in order to allow local community members to participate in the global carbon trade.
The Copernicus Master’s University Challenge seeks to bridge the gap between Earth observation research and entrepreneurship by giving researchers a platform to develop cutting-edge ideas using Earth observation data and increase their exposure at the global level.
Read an interview Patrick Ken Kalonde did about the contest with Space in Africa: “The Space sector is Developing and this Means We can Contribute to its Development”
