Skip to main content
Community Contribution

The SERVIR Service Planning Toolkit: CLA to Use Geospatial Technology for Improved Environmental Decision-Making

Published
Authors
Sophie Alvarez, Simone Staiger, Utsav Maden, Ekapol Sirichaovanichkarn, Dorah Nesoba, Katherine Casey
Description

SERVIR, a 15-year young global initiative of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and USAID, faced a challenge: how to deliver impactful, sustainable geospatial technology solutions that enable decision-makers in 40+ countries to inform their response to climate change? Given the global scope of the initiative, the many actors involved, and the relative independence of each of the current five regional SERVIR Hubs, it proved necessary to introduce frameworks, tools and methods to address challenges related to enhancing collaboration, learning and adaptation (CLA). In this context, SERVIR launched the Service Planning toolkit (https://www.climatelinks.org/resources/servir-service-planning-toolkit) in 2017, a compilation of CLA approaches to support the design, implementation and reporting of geospatial services. The toolkit focuses on four service planning processes: consultation and needs assessments, stakeholder mapping, theories of change and technical evidence base. Today, NASA, USAID missions around the globe, and SERVIR’s five hubs use the toolkit systematically as a reference and working document. The toolkit is successful because it is adapted to the needs of the initiative with secured commitment from leadership, and because all actors and their diversity of views are continuously mobilized to contribute to this living tool. Recently, the toolkit was used to face organizational challenges posed by COVID-19, when Hubs revisited their Theories of Change and adjusted their work plans. Furthermore, SERVIR took advantage of the pandemic to generate new guidance on how to best include gender aspects in service planning through a broad, virtual consultation process.

Page last updated