About Okavango Water
Who we are
This platform was built by researchers and ecologists with a simple goal: to make environmental intelligence more accessible. Data that is typically confined to research workflows and specialist systems is translated here into a clear, usable, and user-friendly format.
Whether you live in the delta, manage a camp, study the flood pulse, or simply care about this landscape, these tools are designed for you — not only for specialists with institutional access.
What the data shows
Water extent is derived from satellite imagery, processed in fixed 5-day calendar blocks at approximately 50 m resolution. Fire hotspots are sourced from NASA FIRMS (VIIRS and ). Geofence alerts notify you when new water or fire is detected within a boundary you draw on your profile page.
Water detection uses the Automated Water Extraction Index (), a spectral index that highlights open water by comparing how different wavelengths reflect off water, vegetation, and bare ground. This is combined with to help distinguish open channels from papyrus and flooded grassland.
Due to the complexity of the Okavango Delta and the scale of the landscape, discrepancies are expected. It can be difficult to differentiate between flooded vegetation and non-flooded vegetation, and at 50 m resolution, smaller channels may not be detected.
These differences may be visible in both the water extent layers and the water change layers. Greater accuracy is achieved in the water permanence products, where multi-image aggregation over longer periods helps reduce misclassification and “smooth out” anomalies or missed detections.
Need help?
For more information and guidance on how to use the platform, please refer to the , which can guide you through setup, navigation, and any questions you may have.
If you would like to learn more about the team behind this project, contact details are provided below.
Contact
Questions, feedback, or partnership enquiries — we would love to hear from you:
Email: contact@okavangowater.com
This platform provides environmental intelligence, not emergency services. For urgent fire or flood response, please contact your local authorities.
Access & pricing
Start with a free 30-day trial for full platform access to the live map, full archive, and geofence alerts. Paid subscription coming soon.