Wrapping up an internship experience with ICARDA in Jordan
By: Anaswara Somadas (India)
Master's student: Geo-information Science and Earth Observation
Over the past few months, I've had the privilege of contributing to ICARDA's Badia Watershed Restoration Project, focusing on soil moisture monitoring and data visualisation to support the understanding of how micro-water harvesting techniques are performing in dryland restoration.
From Field Visits to Presentations and Brainstorming Sessions
One of the most meaningful aspects of this internship was the opportunity to connect with and learn from researchers across ICARDA, the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas, Jordan, and the National Agricultural Research Center – NARC. From field visits to presentations and brainstorming sessions, these interactions gave me valuable insight into both the scientific and practical sides of land restoration.
Visualise Soil Moisture and Rainfall
My main task was to develop an interactive dashboard that transforms raw field data into something users can explore and interact with. The tool allows researchers to visualise soil moisture and rainfall across different treatments and depths, filter by date or sensor, and observe patterns like infiltration and evaporation, all in a simple browser-based interface. Looking back, it’s been quite a journey. When I started, my experience was mostly limited to basic R scripts for plotting and calculations. Gradually building up to a fully functional dashboard was both challenging and incredibly rewarding.
Next Steps: Expanding and Hosting the Tool for Wider Access
As the internship draws to a close, we are now exploring possibilities for further developing the tool by adding new features and potentially hosting it on a server to make it more accessible for researchers and students.
