Geospatial Impact Evaluation: A Novel Approach to Assessing Development Interventions

Geospatial impact evaluation (GIE) is a transformative approach that combines geospatial technologies, including geographic information systems, remote sensing, and spatial analysis, with impact evaluation (IE). This method dramatically expands the analysis and measurement of development program outcomes, enabling international organizations to optimize their investments for greater cost-effectiveness and broader impact. We illustrate the power of GIE owing to the integration of remotely sensed data into IE through three diverse use cases in contexts affected by both conflict and climate change. Two of these cases are set in Afghanistan, where long-term ground-based data collection has been challenging, and remote sensing can thus offer a powerful complement. Afghanistan's historical conflict has left extensive landmine contamination. Although substantial progress has been made in clearance efforts, evaluating their impact on socioeconomic development remains intricate. Our findings reveal that landmine clearance in Afghanistan has improved economic development in cleared areas. In a second use case, we show how GIE can be used to assess the impact of investments in irrigation infrastructure in Afghanistan. We illustrate how the use of remote sensing in this setting allowed a robust assessment of these investments' impacts on crop productivity. Finally, we also show how such approaches can be used in distinct contexts by describing a GIE of irrigation projects in northern Mali to examine the extent to which irrigation enhances climate resilience of farming communities. These use cases emphasize GIE's potential in addressing intricate issues in diverse and challenging environments, offering insights for decision-makers, development organizations, and researchers. As our world faces increasingly intricate socio-ecological and environmental challenges, GIE emerges as a transformative approach to address these issues effectively and efficiently.

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