CONVEI Fellowship Program
Communities often face critical decisions: how to allocate resources after a devastating wildfire, where to build new roads and other infrastructure in a flood-prone region, or how to protect communities during a public health emergency. In each case, Earth science information including satellite imagery, climate data, and environmental monitoring—can mean the difference between reactive crisis management and proactive, informed decision-making.
Yet, while the scientific value of Earth science information is widely recognized, its full societal value—economic, social, cultural, and environmental—often goes unmeasured. Without clear evidence of the benefits of incorporating Earth science information into decision-making, opportunities to secure funding, influence policy, and improve community outcomes may be missed.
The Collaborative Network for Valuing Earth Information (CONVEI) works to change that. We have launched our inaugural Fellowship Program to expand the science and practice of putting a value onto Earth science information and Earth observations. We bring together seasoned experts, emerging professionals, and real-world decision-makers in a year-long effort to show the true impact of Earth science information in action.
About the Fellowship Program
CONVEI's Fellowship Program and program partnerships bring together valuation experts, early-career researchers, and decision-makers to demonstrate how Earth science information creates diverse societal value. Each mentor–fellow team is paired with an organization that uses Earth observations in active decision-making contexts—from wildfire response to transboundary water management. They then assess the social, economic, cultural, and environmental benefits that follow. The seven case studies below represent the breadth of the reach of incorporating Earth science information: spanning continents, sectors, and communities. Together they collectively advance a richer, more complete picture of what it means for Earth science to matter in people's lives.
CIESIN
Mentor: Melissa Kenney
Fellow: Apoorva Joshi
The Center for Integrated Earth Science Information supports Geo-Referenced Infrastructure and Demographic Data for Development (GRID3). It equips governments and international organizations with high-resolution population and infrastructure data for operational planning. Building on foundational population datasets such as the Gridded Population of the World (GPW) and Earth observation data from NASA and NOAA, GRID3 supports decision-making across sectors including public health, disaster response, and urban planning by enabling users to allocate resources more effectively and improve service delivery.
Rather than focusing on a single application, Dr. Melissa Kenney and Dr. Apoorva Joshi will examine the use of GRID3 across sectors, contexts, and user communities to understand the breadth of its influence. Drawing from evaluation, value-of-information, and social impacts frameworks, they are developing an assessment protocol that provides a holistic overview of the impacts of using Earth science information across decision-making, institutional connectivity, capacity building, changes in perceptions, and more.
ParkServe, Trust for Public Land
Mentor: Michelle Stuhlmacher
Fellows: Miguel Angel Vazquez III, Mia Killion
ParkServe is a national geospatial platform developed by the Trust for Public Land that maps access to public parks across the United States, identifying whether residents live within a 10-minute walk of a park. The platform also integrates satellite-derived land surface temperature data from Landsat to identify areas with high urban heat exposure. These areas are often associated with lack of green spaces. Together, this information helps city planners and municipal governments prioritize park investments where they are needed most.
This case study evaluates whether ParkServe and the annual ParkScore index influence municipal planning and accelerate new park creation. Using spatial analysis, Dr. Michelle Stuhlmacher, Mia Killion, and Miguel Angel Vazquez consider cities included in the ParkScore index with similar cities to assess whether inclusion is associated with the creation of more parks. Interviews with planners and practitioners further examine how ParkServe’s Evaluate tool and heat data shape funding decisions, site selection, and planning strategies. In addition to assessing changes in park placement, the team will also consider broader benefits including recreation, improved coordination, and health.
Forest Foresight
Mentor: Unai Pascual, Hannah Wauchope
Fellow: Iris Berger
Forest Foresight, a project led by WWF-Netherlands, is an open-source platform that integrates artificial intelligence with Earth observation data from multiple sources including NASA, NOAA, and USGS to predict areas at high risk of deforestation up to six months in advance. Unlike reactive alert systems that detect forest loss after it occurs, Forest Foresight enables earlier and more targeted management actions.
This CONVEI case study, led by Dr. Iris Berger, Dr. Unai Pascual, and Dr. Hannah Wauchope, evaluates whether integrating predictive intelligence into forest management reduces deforestation in pilot sites in the African country of Gabon. Using a rigorous counterfactual synthetic control method, Dr. Berger estimates whether forest loss declined relative to comparable areas that did not adopt the tool. The study also examines how the use of this tool influences decision-making, coordination, and trust among forest managers and government agencies, and explores perceptions of the tool’s role in stewardship and management practices among different local actors.
Mekong Dam Watch
Mentor: Richelle Gould
Fellow: Maura Muldoon
The Mekong River is the longest river in Southeast Asia and one of its most important waterways, flowing through six countries and supporting tens of millions of people. Despite being a critical shared resource, coordination and management are a challenge due to lack of transparent and timely water management information. As a result, communities downstream are often caught off guard by sudden dam releases that trigger flooding or by withheld water that contributes to drought.
Drawing on U.S. data sources from NASA, NOAA, and the Department of Defense, the Mekong Dam Watch addresses these issues by providing near-real-time information on water levels and dam activity. Through an online dashboard, weekly updates, and real-time alerts, the platform shares satellite imagery, processed data, and maps, helping people who live downstream understand how upstream decisions may impact their lives and manage accordingly.
Using social media engagement analytics and semi-structured interviews, Maura Muldoon and Dr. Rachelle Gould examine how the Mekong Dam Watch shapes transboundary natural resource management and how it influences people's perceptions of identity and connection.
Science for Nature and People Partnership
Mentor: Jiaying Zhao
Fellow: Mabel Baez Schon
Nature is critical for America’s prosperity, safety, and resilience. The Science for Nature and People Partnership working group will assess and value a suite of ecosystem services across the United States, using best-in-class datasets, rigorous spatial-socioeconomic analyses, and innovative knowledge-to-action approaches. By quantifying how ecosystems support America’s prosperity and safeguard communities the project will bridge science and practice to deliver lasting impact. These assessments draw on multiple Earth observation data sources, integrating land cover, hydrology, air quality, and other spatial datasets to model nature’s contributions at national and local scales.
This case study, Dr. Jiaying Zhao and Dr. Mabel Baez Schon examine whether framing nature’s value in economic, relational, or intrinsic terms shifts how people perceive nature and whether these messages motivate pro environmental behavior. They will also investigate whether presenting the benefits of ecosystem services at the local versus national scale shifts people’ s decisions and preferences.
Earth Fire Alliance
Mentor: Renato Molina
Fellow: Rosemary Juarez
Wildfires are among the most destructive and costly natural hazards, driving rising suppression expenses, property damage, health impacts from smoke exposure, and infrastructure losses. The Earth Fire Alliance, supported by the FireSat satellite constellation, is developing a space-based system that uses advanced thermal sensing and artificial intelligence to detect fires earlier and deliver near-real-time data for incident management agencies.
Dr. Renato Molina and Rosemary Juarez will evaluate how improved wildfire information changes critical decisions along the response chain—from earlier dispatch and more effective resource allocation to evacuation timing. Using a Value of Information framework, the team will identify where wildfire observation information enters operational workflows and estimate how those improvements translate into avoided losses, reduced suppression costs, and improved public safety. Beyond estimating benefits, this study provides a structured basis for estimating how improved information alters decisions, outcomes, and welfare in response to natural disasters.
Amazon Mining Watch
Mentor: Marius von Essen
Fellow: Livia Machado Costa
Illegal gold mining is a major transboundary threat in the Amazon Basin, degrading rivers, spreading mercury pollution, and undermining food security and public health. Amazon Mining Watch is a partnership between Amazon Conservation Association, Earth Genome, and The Pulitzer Center’s Rainforest Investigations Network. Its open platform uses satellite imagery and artificial intelligence (AI) to detect and track illegal mining activity across borders in near real time.
In this case study, Lívia Machado Costa and Dr. Marius von Essen evaluate how AI-enabled Earth observations help reduce information gaps and increases knowledge dissemination in remote regions where monitoring is costly, risky, and requires transboundary coordination. Specifically, this socioeconomic assessment examines how satellite-based evidence circulates through investigative journalism and civil society organizations, expanding access to credible information and strengthening coordination among stakeholders.