The United States Army says it has mapped 90 percent of Malawi’s geography to provide data to the Malawian government, enabling informed decisions on various developments.
US Government Lead for the Army Geospatial Center High Resolution Three-Dimensional (HR3D) Program, Jason Steers, made this announcement at Kamuzu International Airport in Lilongwe. He showcased how the US’s King Air B350 Aircraft, currently operating in Malawi, is used to capture high-resolution color imagery of the country’s width and breadth.
Steers noted that the geo-mapping data is crucial for humanitarian assistance, disaster relief mission planning, training, and feature extraction.
He emphasized that it is high time Malawi started using relevant and precise data to address climate change, disaster management, and humanitarian aid nationwide.
The US Government extended this technology to Malawi following a request from the Department of Disaster Management Affairs (DoDMA).
Commissioner for DoDMA, Charles Kalemba, stated that the technology will help identify habitable and unsafe areas amid concerns about continued catastrophic weather events.
