Recent news
May 2011
NASA and USAID pledge to address global development through science and technology
May 10, 2011 -- NASA and the US Agency for International Development (USAID) recently agreed to expand their joint efforts to address international development issues such as food security, climate change, and energy and environmental management. NASA Administrator Charles Bolden and USAID Administrator Dr. Rajiv Shah have signed a five-year memorandum of understanding that formalizes ongoing collaborations that use Earth science data to address global development challenges. The agreement also encourages NASA and USAID to apply geospatial technologies to solve development challenges affecting the United States as well as developing countries.
Since 2003, NASA and USAID have worked on the SERVIR program. The program allows people in developing regions to use Earth observations for addressing issues related to health, agriculture, biodiversity conservation, climate change, disaster response, weather forecasting, and energy issues. The agencies also collaborate on the LAUNCH program, which supports science and technology innovators in the non-profit and private sectors. The program aims to improve innovations to achieve greater impact on sustainability issues.
"Through our partnership with NASA, we can apply the latest, cutting-edge technology to deliver meaningful results for people in developing countries in areas like health, food security and water," Shah said. "It's a prime example of our efforts to use the power of science and technology to tackle today's pressing development challenges." See the link below for more information.
