SAUDI Arabia’s Bedouin nomads are using data from satellite sensing
technology to help them graze their flocks sustainably. In this high-tech twist
to an ancient way of life, the Environmental Support of the Nomads project, run
by the country’s Meteorology and Environmental Protection Administration (MEPA),
passes on data to the nomads from two satellite-based sensors and an airborne
video system.

The Bedouin sometimes graze their livestock on land with poor soils and
sparse vegetation. This degrades the land and ultimately deprives the Bedouin of
their income. According to Abdulbar Al-Gain, the president of MEPA, the data
from the project will allow them “to increase their incomes while at the same
time lowering pressure on fragile soils, thus minimising the risk of land
degradation and desertification”.

First, the Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer looks at the land in the
radio spectrum and provides daily information on vegetation covering large
areas. The resolution is rather coarse, but data collected on different days can
be used to monitor gradual changes.

The Landsat Thematic Mapper system provides a closer look at vegetation by
monitoring the land at six frequency bands in the visible spectrum, which give a
resolution of 30 metres. It also uses one infrared band, which gives a
resolution of 120 metres.

Even higher resolution is provided by a video system carried on board an
aircraft. Designed at the University of Arizona in Tucson, the system consists
of a normal colour video, synchronised with a camera recording at multiple
frequencies.

A team then integrates data from the three independent systems to pinpoint
areas most suitable for grazing. The results are printed in newspapers, and
broadcast on radio and TV. The UN’s International Fund for Agricultural
Development, based in Rome, is planning a project to enable Saudi Arabia to
share the approach with other countries.