Lower Mekong countries, including Thailand, will be able to take advantage of highly sophisticated Nasa information, such as satellite imagery, to help them cope with natural disasters under a project launched yesterday.
The SERVIR-Mekong programme gives countries access to valuable digital data from the United States' top science body that will also help increase their resistance to the ever-escalating threat of climate change.
This will include publicly available satellite imagery, geospatial data information and mapping.
The project is being funded by Nasa and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), while the Asian Disaster Preparedness Centre is implementing the programme.
USAID director of Asian regional development Beth Paige said climate change was one of the key challenges faced by Lower Mekong countries due to natural disasters in the area.
The SERVIR-Mekong project grants the use of high-tech geospatial information to governments and lawmakers in the five Lower Mekong countries of Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam and Thailand.
Nasa administrator Charles Bolden emphasised the importance of sharing available scientific knowledge from country to country for the benefit of the region.
"We are committed to protecting resources, the environment and most of all, millions of people living across the region," he said.
SERVIR-Mekong executive Peeranan Towashiraporn said the region continued to face several challenges, including inaccurate weather forecasting, lack of standard information for agricultural planning and ineffective drought monitoring systems.
"The development programme will not only help protect locals from natural disasters, but also help those involved in agriculture to make better decisions for their crops," he said. Better information would help planning and ultimately boost the economy.
Developers are working on a sub-project that allows anyone with an internet connection to be able to track flooded areas in the region. The information is currently only available in English, but Mr Peeranan said translations into local languages were due in the near future.