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<p>Welcome to <strong>Introduction to Digital Earth Africa: Platforms & Sandbox </strong>using Digital Earth Africa (DE Africa)!</p>
<p>This single course is organised <strong>into two parts</strong>. Part 1 teaches practical, no-code and low-code ways to access DE Africa data using <strong>Web GIS</strong>, <strong>Direct Access</strong>, and <strong>ODC–STAC</strong> (especially useful while the Sandbox is under technical review). <strong>Part 2</strong> gets you working in the <strong>Sandbox (JupyterLab)</strong> to launch the environment, run notebooks, and load DE Africa products. Deeper thematic analyses (e.g., NDVI, vegetation, water) are offered in separate courses you can take after Part 2.</p>
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<p>By the end of this course, you will be able to:</p>
<blockquote>
<ul>
<li><strong>Lesson 1:</strong> Navigate the DE Africa Learning Platform and find help (community forum, Knowledge Base, Help Desk).</li>
<li><strong>Lesson 2:</strong> Compare access pathways (Web GIS, Direct Access, ODC–STAC, Sandbox) and select the right one for your task.</li>
<li><strong>Lesson 3:</strong> Explore products, check spatial/temporal availability, and produce simple visualisations without the Sandbox.</li>
<li><strong>Lesson 4:</strong> Launch the Sandbox, run notebooks, manage kernels/files, and load DE Africa products (incl. <span style="color: #339966; font-family: monospace, serif;">load_ard()</span> basics).</li>
<li><strong>Lesson 5:</strong> Save and share notebook artefacts and choose an appropriate <strong>thematic</strong> course to continue your analysis journey.</li>
</ul>
</blockquote>
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<p>The course is organised into <strong>7 sessions</strong> across two parts, each focusing on a critical aspect of <strong>platform access and Sandbox operation</strong>.</p>
<p></p>
<h3><strong>Part 1: Introduction to Digital Earth Africa — Platforms & Access</strong></h3>
<p><strong><span style="color: #333333;">Session 1: Orientation & Accounts</span></strong></p>
<blockquote>
<ul>
<li><strong>Overview: </strong>Welcome, platform navigation, tracking progress, community & help.</li>
<li><strong>Focus:</strong> Create an account, bookmark pages, find updates, access the forum/Knowledge Base/Help Desk.</li>
</ul>
</blockquote>
<p><strong><span style="color: #333333;">Session 2: Access Pathways Overview</span></strong></p>
<blockquote>
<ul>
<li><strong>Overview:</strong> What are Web GIS, Direct Access, ODC–STAC, and the Sandbox? When to use which?</li>
<li><strong>Focus:</strong> Decision aid (no-code vs low-code vs full-code); Sandbox availability note.</li>
</ul>
</blockquote>
<p><strong><span style="color: #333333;">Session 3: Products & Data Fundamentals</span></strong></p>
<blockquote>
<ul>
<li><strong>Overview:</strong> Product catalogue; spatial/temporal availability; data formats.</li>
<li><strong>Focus:</strong> Explore products in Web GIS; understand availability; preview data.</li>
</ul>
</blockquote>
<p><strong><span style="color: #333333;">Session 4: First Visualisations (No Sandbox Required)</span></strong></p>
<blockquote>
<ul>
<li><strong>Overview:</strong> Practical, lightweight access and exports without coding.</li>
<li><strong>Focus:</strong> Visualise layers in <strong>Web GIS</strong>; simple exports/downloads via web services/Direct Access; minimal STAC discovery.</li>
</ul>
</blockquote>
<p><strong><span style="color: #333333;">Session 5: Preparing for the Sandbox (Bridge to Part 2)</span></strong></p>
<blockquote>
<ul>
<li><strong>Overview:</strong> What the Sandbox is; brief Jupyter 101; access checklist & troubleshooting.</li>
<li><strong>Focus:</strong> Transition guidance into Part 2 and where to go next.</li>
</ul>
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<h3><strong>Part 2: Introduction to the Digital Earth Africa Sandbox — Analysis Fundamentals</strong></h3>
<p><strong><span style="color: #333333;">Session 1: Getting into the Sandbox & Running Notebooks</span></strong></p>
<blockquote>
<ul>
<li><strong>Overview</strong>: Launch the Sandbox; JupyterLab tour; files/kernels/terminals; run/stop notebooks.</li>
<li><strong>Focus</strong>: Good notebook habits; save versions; export notebooks/figures.</li>
</ul>
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<p><strong><span style="color: #333333;">Session 2: Working with DE Africa Products in the Sandbox</span></strong></p>
<blockquote>
<ul>
<li><strong>Overview</strong>: Product refresher in-code; availability; choosing inputs; <span style="color: #339966; font-family: monospace, serif;">load_ard() </span>basics.</li>
<li><strong>Focus</strong>: Load data efficiently; use <strong>ODC–STAC</strong> inside notebooks where appropriate; quiz and wrap-up.</li>
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<p></p>
<p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.7999999999999998; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;">Each session builds on the previous ones, providing you with both conceptual understanding and practical skills to use Digital Earth Africa effectively.</p>
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<p>Throughout the course, you will explore and work with:</p>
<blockquote>
<ul>
<li><strong>DE Africa Web GIS</strong> (browse, preview, quick visualisations)</li>
<li><strong>Direct Access</strong> (object storage paths and simple download patterns)</li>
<li><strong>ODC–STAC</strong> (low-code discovery and filtering)</li>
<li><strong>DE Africa Sandbox</strong> <strong>(JupyterLab)</strong> (environment launch, notebooks, data loading)</li>
<li><strong>DE Africa Knowledge Base & User Guide</strong> (official guidance and references)</li>
</ul>
</blockquote>
<p>These components give you a comprehensive toolkit to access, explore, and begin analysing DE Africa datasets across environmental and development themes.<br /><br /></p>
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<p><strong>🎓 Part progression:</strong></p>
<p>Complete Part 1 before starting Part 2.</p>
<p><strong>💻 Reliable Internet Access:</strong></p>
<p>Required for the Learning Platform, Web GIS, Direct Access, ODC–STAC, and the Sandbox.</p>
<p><strong>🌍 Basic Understanding:</strong></p>
<p>No prior Earth observation or Python experience required (basic familiarity helps).</p>
<p><strong>📚 Concept Familiarity:</strong></p>
<p>Part 1 concepts (access pathways, products, availability) are assumed in Part 2.</p>
<p><strong>🐍 New to Python?</strong></p>
<p>Learn the basics with this free resource: <a href="https://www.learnpython.org/" target="[object Object]">Learn Python</a>.</p>
<p>Use the <strong>Optional Appendix: Python Basics</strong> (recommended pre-work or refresher).</p>
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<p>Throughout this course, you will use the following tools and resources:</p>
<ul>
<ul>
<li><strong>Digital Earth Africa Web GIS (visual exploration)</strong>.</li>
<li><strong>Direct Access (downloading data)</strong>.</li>
<li><strong>ODC–STAC (programmatic discovery)</strong>.</li>
<li><strong>Digital Earth Africa Sandbox (JupyterLab) </strong>(running notebooks; loading products).</li>
</ul>
</ul>
<p>Step-by-step guidance is provided within the course lessons.</p>
<p></p>
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