Smogathon Thailand 2020 at Chiangmai&Co

February 10

Smogathon Thailand 2020 at Chiangmai&Co. Youth Innovation to Address Air Quality Monitoring in Northern Thailand The U.S. government partnered with Thailand’s Pollution Control Department to organize “Smogathon Thailand 2020” in Chiang Mai from February 8-10, 2020, at Chiangmai&Co. This “hackathon” (a “hack+marathon”) brought together innovative minds to address air pollution challenges in northern Thailand. In 2019, U.S. Embassy Bangkok and U.S. Consulate Chiang Mai worked with U.S. exchange program alumni from the Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative (YSEALI) program to host the first ever Smogathon, which resulted in creative ideas such as smokeless furnaces and a website for farmers to inform the public when open burning will happen. This year’s Smogathon built upon last year’s event by convening creative minds and will result in even more innovative collaborations. The event was to challenge participants to use a satellite-based air quality monitoring and forecasting tool, created by USAID-NASA’s SERVIR-Mekong project and Thailand’s Pollution Control Department, to help Thailand identify solutions that help solve the air pollution problems in the Northern provinces. “Smogathon Thailand 2020” will enhance public awareness of how satellite and information technology can play a role in understanding air pollution problems, open a forum for recommendations on policy improvements to address the issue of air quality using new technologies, and create a platform for youth and young professionals to turn innovative ideas into usable products. Over three days, participants worked in teams to develop solutions and turn them facebook.com/ChiangMai.USConsulate twitter.com/USConsChiangMai into prototypes for a judging panel. The winning team will have the opportunity to further develop their project with support and mentorship from USAID’s SERVIR-Mekong project. Speakers included representatives from the U.S. government, including officials from the Embassy Bangkok, Consulate Chiang Mai, and NASA; Thailand’s Pollution Control Department and GeoInformatics and Space Technology Development Agency (GISTDA); and Rajamangala University of Technology. SERVIR-Mekong is a joint initiative of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), implemented by the Geospatial Information Department of the Asian Disaster Preparedness Center (ADPC). SERVIR-Mekong makes use of publicly available satellite imagery and technologies to address challenges related to water resources, disasters, climate resilience, agriculture and ecosystems in the Lower Mekong. Thailand’s Pollution Control Department was established on April 4, 1992 under the Royal Decree on the Organizational Division of Pollution Control Department, Ministry of Science, Technology and Environment B.E. 2535 (1992), as a result of the Enhancement and Conservation of the National Environmental Quality Act B.E. 2535 (1992).