Spire Global selected by GIST Research for moisture detection in Ethiopia

Spire Global (SPIR) was selected by GIST Research, an independent research and advisory consultancy specializing in fragile and climate-affected contexts, to provide its Soil Moisture Insights for a study mapping climate-driven pastoralist movement in Ethiopia’s Somali Region. The data will feed into the International Organization for Migration’s Transhumance Tracking Tool, a system designed by the UN Agency to observe herder movements and mitigate conflict risks. Supported by IOM, with funding from the Central Emergency Response Fund, the pilot aims to strengthen early warning systems that monitor environmental and livelihood stress in one of Africa’s most climate-exposed regions. GIST and IOM are developing an interactive early-warning dashboard, powered by live Soil Moisture Insights from Spire, to map pastoral routes and ecological risks in real time, providing communities and organizations with a new tool to prepare for drought. Spire’s Soil Moisture Insights deliver near-real-time readings of how wet or dry the ground is across every corner of the globe.