Consultant on establishing agricultural drought early warning and monitoring system

Result of ServiceThe outputs of this consultancy will be used as basis for building customized drought information System and cloud-based crop monitoring system in the three project countries. Under the direct supervision of the Project Manager and general supervision of the Chief, Space Applications Section, the Technical Consultant will carry out the following duties: Duties and Responsibilities 1. Produce spatial and temporal assessments of agri-climate environment of the three target countries in the form of a geospatial database and report. 2. Produce assessments in the form of a compilation of geospatial data, information and a report of drought's characteristics and agronomic conditions and drought in targeted countries in various scales. 3. Assess and prepare a report on the impacts of climate change (drought and flood) on major wheatcrop production and future projection of drought. 4. Calibrate and validate cloud-based crop monitoring system (potentially CropWatch Cloud) for monitoring wheat cropsgrowing areas in the target countries. 5. Validation of soil moisture in wheat growing areas mapped with model simulation and EO microwave data facilitated by cloud-based crop monitoring system (potentially CropWatch Cloud) in the target countries in coordination with national project teams. 6. Report with supporting data from the geospatial database, on “hotspots” where wheat production is at drought risk in spatial and temporal, and future projectionmonitoring of human interventions and adaptation strategies to safeguard wheat production. 7. Methodology and plan for building a drought information system (potentially DroughtWatch). Work Locationremote Expected duration04/04 - 31/10/2025 Duties and ResponsibilitiesESCAP has initiated a project to enhance the capacity of Central Asian countries to use Earth Observation and geospatial tools with statistical data for drought and crop monitoring. Leveraging the Regional Drought Mechanism, this project aims to help Central Asian countries utilize recent advances in space technology and geospatial data for drought management, and to facilitate timely access to space-derived data, regional expertise, and resources. The project, supported by the Russian Federation, will focus on Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. It will leverage regional expertise and partner with local institutions to develop an operational drought monitoring system and a cloud-based crop monitoring system in the context of the Asia-Pacific Plan of Action on Space Applications for Sustainable Development (2018-2030). The project will support the three countries in addressing the barriers to effectively using EO and geospatial tools, including limited technical expertise, infrastructure constraints, and restricted access to advanced data-sharing platforms. In Kyrgyzstan, the project will build on the activities and achievements of the Central Asia Drought Information System (CADIS) pilot project implemented by the Kyrgyz Ministry of Emergency Situations. Qualifications/special skillsAdvanced degree in agricultural sciences or equivalent. : Experience in conducting field assessments and work experience in remote sensing and/or geospatial information processing. Advanced competency and knowledge of drought monitoring and early warning system development for agriculture is required. Ability to incorporate emerging regional and subregional needs and trends in geospatial information applications and drought data/information platforms is required. Scientific research, drought monitoring and assessment. LanguagesFluent in English in both speaking and writing. Additional InformationNot available. No FeeTHE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.