A SERVIR Central America Subject Matter Expert (SME) training on Informal Settlement Detection using Machine Learning Methods was held in San Salvador, El Salvador, February 7 – 9. This capacity building event is related to applying Earth observations including Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) and InSAR to identify hazards and inform risk management and urban planning (specifically flooding & earthquakes) in the greater San Salvador metropolitan area. The training will enhance risk informed decision making around urban planning, with trainees from government, industry and academia enabled to take this knowledge and apply it to automate data collection and analysis in their work. Jamon Van Den Hoek (Oregon State University) and Corey Scher (City University of New York,) were the Subject Matter Experts for this training. This training essentially builds on Dan Den Hoek’s “A.50 missing millions GEO project” and the DEVELOP Fall 2022 project on Guatemala and Panama urban development.
