Saadaasha roob-da’a Deryta 2016 (Oktoobar ilaa Nofeembar) waxay tilmaamaysa mid ah xaalad roobab caadi-u dhaw iyo caadi- ka hooseeya gudaha dooxooyinkaWebi Juba iyo Shabeelle. Hase ahaate, waxaa laga yaabaa in weli ay fatahaad ka dhacdo jiidda labada webi, gaar ahaan meelaha leh gebiyo webi oo furan/gebiyo webi oo tag daran, marka ay dhacdo qulqul webi oo kordhay. SWALIM waxay casryeysay xaaladda jajabka-gebiyada webiga iyadoo khariidadeysay oo isticmaashay Masawir dayax-gacmeed aad iyo aad u bayaansan iyo Muuqal joog tirsiyeed (Digital Elevation Model (DEM)); iyo sidoo kale indha-indheyn goobta gegida meeshii ay suurtogal ah. Saddex nooc oo jajab ayaa la aqoonsaday, oo lagu kala magacaabay: furan, suurogal, iyo xiran. Jajabka furan waa kuwa weli furan inta lagu guda jiro bisha Sabteemabar 2016. Jajabka suurogal waxay ka dhigan tahay meelo gebiyada webigu taag daran yihiin ama la kulmeen jajab waqti dhaw oo la soo dhaafay iyo meel wax yar ama hawlqabad aan laga samaynin. Tan waxaa ka mid ah jajab la xirxiray iyadoo la isticmaalayo kiishash camuud ah. Jajabyada la xirxiray waa kuwo markii hore furnaa balse ka dib la xirxiray iyadoo la isticmaalayo qalab makiinado culus ah, taasoo ka hortagtay fatahaad kale oo muddo gaaban iyo mid dheer. Khariidadaha ku lifaaqan waxay muujinayaan jajabyada furan iyo suurogal ee jiidda labada webi. Marka la soo kobo, toddobo (7) meel oo ka furan jiidda Shabeelle iyo 63 jiidda Juba ayaa la aqoonsaday.Waxaa kale oo la aqoonsaday dhawr meelo kale oo in ay jajabaan suurogal tahay oo u baahan in la xoojiyo. Hase ahaatee, waxaa mudan in la eego in habraacu uu si culus ugu tiirsan yahay masawirro dayax-gacmeed oo ay xadadan tahay ka soo xaqiijinta goobta dhulka. Mararka qaar gebi-jajabyada furan meesha waa laga saari karaa haddii masawirrada dayax-gacmeedku aysan bayaansanayn (tusaale, ded daruur culus) amase aan sinaba loo heli karin. Kkariidadaha xaaladda gebi-jajabyada webiga oo macluumaad faahfaahsan leh, ayaa la soosaaray oo heer ballaaaran ah iyo nuqullo waraaqadag oo laga heli karaa xaafiisyada SWALIM. Macluumaadkaan waa sidoo kale laga heli karaa Habka macluumaadka SWALIM ee Halista Fatahaadda iyo Maareynta Jawaabta (http://systems.faoso.net/frrims/rivers/riverbreakages).

Prosopis juliflora is a drought-tolerant fast-growing tree species originating from South and Central America with a high invasion potential in arid and semi-arid areas in Africa. It was introduced in Somaliland in the 1980s and is reported to have spread vigorously since. Despite being recognized as a serious issue in the country, the actual scale of the problem is unknown. In this study, we mapped the species in a study area that includes the capital, Hargeisa, using Landsat 8 satellite imagery. During a field campaign in 2015, we collected canopy-level spectral signatures of P. juliflora and native trees to analyse the potential use of spectral data in discriminating the invasive species. P. Juliflora was found to be generally distinguishable because of its greater vigour during the dry season. We tested the accuracy of the random forest classifier and different classification set-ups, varying the spatial resolution (original 30m vs pan-sharpened 15m) and image acquisition dates (during the wet season, the dry season and a combination of the two). Best overall accuracy (84%) was achieved by using pan-sharpened data from the two seasons. About 30 years since its introduction, the invasive species was detected in 9% of the total investigated area with highest occurrence in the proximity of human settlements and along seasonal watercourses. © 2016 The Authors. Land Degradation and Development published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Prosopis spp is a fast and aggressive invader threatening many arid and semi-arid areas globally. The species is native to the American dry zones and was introduced in Somaliland for dune stabilization and fuel wood production in the 1970’s and 1980’s. Its deep rooting system is capable of tapping into the ground water table thereby reducing its reliance on infrequent rainfalls and near-surface water. The competitive advantage of Prosopis is further fuelled by the hybridization of the many introduced sub species that made the plant capable of adapting to the new environment and replacing endemic species. This study aimed to test the mapping accuracy achievable with Landsat 8 data acquired during the wet and the dry seasons within a Random Forest (RF) classifier, using both pixel- and object-based approaches. Maps are produced for the Hargeisa area (Somaliland), where reference data was collected during the dry season of 2015. Results were assessed through a 10-fold cross-validation procedure. In our study, the highest overall accuracy (74%) was achieved when applying a pixel-based classification using a combination of the wet and dry season Earth observation data. Object-based mapping were less reliable due to the limitations in spatial resolution of the Landsat data (15–30 m) and problems in finding an appropriate segmentation scale.

We are pleased to share Issue 11 of our newsletter “SWALIM Update” for the period January 2016 – April 2016.

The Gu 2016 season started off well in advance in some parts of the country during the third dekad of March and continued to spread spatially in the first and second dekads of April. Other parts especially in Puntland and southern regions had a late start of the season which also ended early. The distribution of the rains were normal to below normal with an exception of north western regions which saw above average rains compared to the long termmean for the period under review. Some places that recorded depressed rains include Sanaag, Bari, north of Sool, south of Mudug, Galgaduud, Bakool, Hiraan, Middle Juba, Lower Juba and Lower Shabekke. The poor rains which also had an early cessation raises a concern especially in Puntland where drought conditions have been present for a long time. With no more rainfall expected in the coming months, most of Puntland regions and the coastal areas of Mudug and Galgaduud regions remain under drought conditions. The north west parts of Somaliland recorded above average rains. Other areas that received good rains include south of Togdheer and Sool regions. Some parts of the south and central regions within Bay and Bakool regions also received good rains. The rains were well received by the communities especially in the northern parts which had a prolonged dry period. This came as a relief for many people who experienced drought conditions in parts of the country. The Ethiopian highlands experienced heavy rains that led to increased river flow inside Somalia leading to floods in some sections of Juba and Shabelle Rivers. In general the rains led to improved soil moisture conditions that were favourable for both crops and pasture growth. Enhanced rains also led to replenishment of water reservoirs. However, negative impacts were also felt such as floods that caused destruction of properties, infrastructure and loss of livestock. The floods affected about 100,000 people with 72,000 of them being displaced.

This dataset was digitized directly from Sentinel-2 imagery of 25th May 2016 to show the areal extent of Belet Weyne flooding. Sentinel-2 image resolution of 10m was downloaded free of charge from European Space Agency (ESA)

This dataset was digitized directly from Landsat-8 imagery of 12th May 2016 to show the areal extent of Jowhar flooding. Please note that the flooded area might not be exact due to the cloud cover hindering the interpretation. Landsat-8 image resolution of 15m was downloaded free of charge from USGS Earth Explorer

Xog ururin taan si toos ah ayaa looqoray iyadoo digital ah oo laga soo tafsiiray sawirka Landsat -8 iyo 12-kii May 2016 si loo muujiyo xadka bedka fatahaadda ay ka gaartey Jowhar. Fadlan la soco in laga yaabaa in aagga daadadku uusan sax ahayn sababta oo ah fasiraadda waxaa caqabadeeyey dedka daruurta.

Xilligii Gu'ga 2016 wuxuu si fiican uga bilawday goor hore qaybo ka mid ah dalka, gaar ahaan Soomaaliland, intii lagu jirey tobankii maalmood ee saddexaad ee bisha Maarso oo sii socday isagoo bed ahaan faafay intii lagu jirey tobanaadkii koowaad iyo labaad ee bisha Abriil. Qaybaha kale gaar ahaan gudaha Puntland iyo gobollada koonfureed wuxuu xilligu ka bilawday goor danbe kaas oo hadana dhamaaday goor hore.

The town of Belet Weyne and its environs experienced one of the biggest floods in recent history. The floods, which lasted over 10 days were caused by overbank spillage from Shabelle River following heavy rains experienced in the Ethiopian highlands over the past one month. The floods covered about 60% (591 ha) of the entire town, resulting to mass displacement. This map depicts the peak of the flood extent, as observed from 10 meters resolution Sentinel-2 satellite image of 25th May 2016