Fiji | 15 February 2026 - Over the past decades, satellite data over the Pacific has become more detailed, more frequent, and more available. The question for Pacific governments is no longer whether this information exists but how best to access and use it.
At the 6th Digital Earth Pacific Steering Committee meeting in Nadi, representatives from across the region spent three days focusing on how Digital Earth Pacific’s (DE Pacific) growing body of Earth observation data can be more accessible and fully integrated into national planning, disaster risk management, food security, and environmental decision-making.
The meeting brought together representatives from 20 Pacific countries and territories: Australia, Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, French Polynesia, Guam, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Republic of the Marshall Islands, New Caledonia, Niue, Northern Mariana Islands, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tokelau, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu.
The delegations participated alongside regional and international partners- the Pacific GIS and Remote Sensing Council (PGRSC), Geoscience Australia, the Group on Earth Observations, Digital Earth Africa, Pacific Geospatial and Surveying Council (PGSC) and SPC’s Digital Earth Pacific team.
Implemented by the Pacific Community (SPC), Digital Earth Pacific is a regional Earth observation service that processes openly accessible satellite data into decision-ready products that governments can apply to coastal planning, disaster risk management, climate adaptation, land-use planning, and environmental monitoring. These include analyses of changing coastlines, flood patterns, mangroves, seagrass, vegetation height, and near-shore water depth.
Across the three days, members reviewed progress from 2025 through the programme’s Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Framework, which showed that nine regional Digital Earth Pacific products are now deployed or scaled, more than 220 people were reached through training, and cloud computing support has been secured to sustain operations at scale.
Yet the most substantive conversations did not centre on technology. Instead, they focused on institutions, coordination, and uptake. Country representatives described how geospatial responsibilities are often distributed across the ministries of land, environment, disaster, fisheries, and infrastructure, creating practical barriers to data sharing and consistent use. Strengthening national geospatial ecosystems and clarifying the role of PGRSC National Focal Points as in-country connectors emerged as a consistent priority.
SPC’s technical specialists demonstrated tools such as the Coastline Change Dashboard, satellite-derived bathymetry, intertidal mapping, and Water Observations from Space. Rather than debating technical capability, delegates focused on how these products could be maintained, validated, and embedded into existing government workflows to close the data gap.
Mr Paula N.B Cirikiyasawa, Permanent Secretary for Fiji’s Ministry of Lands and Mineral Resources, said the discussions highlighted that technology alone would not deliver impact without stronger national systems.
“Digital Earth Pacific now has credible tools, but their value will ultimately depend on whether they are embedded in the everyday planning, monitoring and reporting processes of Pacific governments.”
The meeting brought Steering Committee members together with PGRSC National Focal Points to work directly with Digital Earth Pacific datasets and test them against national priorities such as coastal erosion, flood risk, and ecosystem management. Discussions focussed on practical questions of who within government would use these tools, how they would use them, and how information flows between agencies.
Representatives from Digital Earth Australia, Digital Earth Africa, and the Group on Earth Observations shared lessons from their own programmes, reinforcing that Earth observation delivers the greatest value when it is co-designed with users, clearly documented, and embedded in routine government practice.
Mr Bradley Eichelberger, Chair of the Pacific GIS and Remote Sensing Council Board, said the partnership between PGRSC and Digital Earth Pacific would be critical for national uptake.
“PGRSC National Focal Points are the bridge between regional products and national users, and this partnership is key to ensuring Digital Earth Pacific responds directly to country needs.”
Members reviewed and prioritised the 2026 Digital Earth Pacific workplan and shaped a joint plan with PGRSC that aligned more closely with country priorities. Three areas consistently emerged as central to the next phase: operational delivery of products, stronger national uptake, and clearer governance pathways.
Ms Andiswa Mlisa, Programme Manager of Digital Earth Pacific at SPC, said the programme aims to demonstrate the power of Pacific-led Earth observation when guided by country needs and decision-making processes.
“Digital Earth Pacific aims to show what is possible when regional collaboration, technical capability, and country priorities come together, turning satellite data into practical, operational tools that support better decisions for Pacific people and the Blue Pacific Continent.”
As the meeting concluded, members agreed that Digital Earth Pacific’s next phase should be driven by country priorities, stronger national geospatial coordination, and deeper collaboration through the PGRSC Focal Points network, ensuring that Pacific data continues to support Pacific decision-making.
For more information
- Andiswa Mlisa, Digital Earth Pacific Programme Manager, Pacific Community (SPC) andiswam
spc.int (andiswam[at]spc[dot]int)