Job Description
ToR: Remote Sensing and Machine Learning Consultant – Infrastructure Monitoring Module, eEARTH 1. Background Crisis Group is developing an infrastructure monitoring module within the eEARTH interface , a broader platform focused on the analysis of climate, resource and conflict-related dynamics. The module aims to support the monitoring of critical infrastructure developments and changes over time using satellite imagery. The project will primarily rely on publicly available earth observation data, particularly Sentinel-1 (SAR) and Sentinel-2 (optical) imagery, to detect and analyze changes such as infrastructure damage, (re-)construction, and expansion (e.g., ports, roads, buildings). The module is intended to support frequent monitoring across selected geographies and should be designed with scalability, usability and analytical relevance in mind. 2. Objective of the Consultancy The objective of this consultancy is to provide technical backstopping and expert guidance to Crisis Group’s team during the development of the AI-based system for detecting infrastructure changes from satellite data. The consultant will advise on appropriate data selection and machine learning approaches for infrastructure change detection, review methodological choices, troubleshoot technical issues, and provide feedback on interim and final outputs. 3. Scope of Work The consultant will provide targeted, short-term technical support (estimated at 15-24 hours in total) across the following areas: 3.1 Methodological Guidance and Model Selection Advise on suitable AI/ML approaches for change detection using satellite imagery, including: Classical machine learning vs. deep learning approaches Supervised vs. unsupervised methods Time-series analysis techniques Practical trade-offs between model accuracy, interpretability, computational cost, and scalability Provide recommendations on handling multi-modal data (e.g., combining Sentinel-1 and Sentinel-2) Suggest best practices for preprocessing
