ROSSIHNI is the first research-driven attempt to link a new drought index product based on radar backscatter observations from ASCAT and Sentinel-1 to a suite of algorithms that predict drought impacts and measure social interest. Our study region is East Africa, a humanitarian hot spot region frequently hit by droughts and other natural extremes. The resulting prototype dashboard will use the radar-based drought index as visual evidence for socioeconomic and agricultural impacts, related fundraising needs, and to support the operational activities of two of the world’s largest aid organizations, namely the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement and the UN World Food Programme. Thereby, the project will support a number of UN Sustainable Development Goals, most notably the goals ‘Zero hunger’, ‘Climate action’ and ‘No poverty’. ROSSIHNI is a cooperation of TU Wien with three SMEs and the Austrian Red Cross supported by the UN World Food Programme, thereby spanning a bridge from fundamental and applied research to commercial applications of high importance to social and environmental policies.
