Keiko Nomura

Branch: Biospheric Science Branch (SGE)

Email: keiko.nomura@nasa.gov

Bio

Dr. Keiko Nomura specializes in remote sensing and applied sciences, focusing on integrating data for biodiversity and risk applications. With over 20 years of experience in private sector consulting and multilateral organizations, including the UN-REDD Programme with UNDP and UNEP (Indonesia, Cambodia, Myanmar, and Sri Lanka), Space Intelligence Ltd. (UK), and Climate Engine (USA), Dr. Nomura has led the development of biodiversity-related risk models and datasets across sectors such as retail, finance, and transportation, while collaborating with academic institutions and technology partners.

Her contributions include connecting numerous physical asset locations to extreme weather events, biodiversity, and water data, aiding in regulatory reporting, risk reduction, and sustainable finance. She was recognized among 15 leading women at the forefront of machine learning for Earth observation by Radiant Earth in 2021. Dr. Nomura is also an international expert and a Google Developer Expert (GDE) for Earth Engine, with widely followed online tutorials.

Education

Ph.D. in Geography (Remote Sensing), School of GeoSciences, College of Science and Engineering, The University of Edinburgh, Scotland, UK, 2019

M.S. in Labor Studies (Economics and Statistics), University of Massachusetts, Amherst, USA, 2002

B.A. in English & English Literature, Doshisha Women’s College of Liberal Arts, Kyoto, Japan, 2000

Professional Activities

• Nomura, K. Measuring Business Impacts on Biodiversity and the Rise of Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures. Geo for Good Summit, October 2023.
• WIRED. Missing Forests Are Messing With Climate Targets. October 2021. Link
• Career Journeys of Women+ in Earth Engine: Abena Asare-Ansah, Dr. Lola Fatoyinbo & Dr. Keiko Nomura. Google Geo for Good Summit, October 2020.
• Detecting palm oil plantation land use in Myanmar. EO Data Science, May 2020.
• Myanmar risks losing forests to oil palm, but there’s time to pivot. Mongabay Environmental News, November 2019. Link
• The Case for SPACE, Herald’s Business HQ Magazine, Summer 2019.
• Concerns raised about REDD+ scheme to conserve forests. Geographical, May 2019.
• Earth from space: the biggest earth observation conference in the world, ESA’s Living Planet Symposium, kicks off in Milan. Today Programme. BBC Radio 4, May 2019.
• Brazil to Receive First-Ever Results-Based REDD+ Payment, but Concerns Remain. Mongabay Environmental News, March 2019. Link
• Outstanding Reviewer for Environmental Research Letters, 2018. Link

Publications

• Nomura, K., Pettinari, M. L., Abatzoglou, J. T., Pritchard, I., & Shah, A. (2023). Understanding wildfire risk: Combining weather and fuel information. Presentation at AGU Fall Meeting 2023, San Francisco, California. https://agu.confex.com/agu/fm23/meetingapp.cgi/Paper/1318540
• Nomura, K. (2023). Cloud-based remote sensing with Google Earth Engine: Fundamentals and applications (Chapter F5.1: Raster/Vector conversions).
• Nomura, K., & Mitchard, E. T. A. (2018). More than meets the eye: Using Sentinel-2 to map small plantations in complex forest landscapes. Remote Sensing, 10(11), 1693. https://doi.org/10.3390/rs10111693
• Nomura, K., Mitchard, E. T. A., Bowers, S. J., & Patenaude, G. (2019). Missed carbon emissions from forests: Comparing countries’ estimates submitted to UNFCCC to biophysical estimates. Environmental Research Letters. https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/ab07b5
• Nomura, K., Mitchard, E. T. A., Patenaude, G., Bastide, J., Oswald, P., & Nwe, T. (2019). Oil palm concessions in southern Myanmar consist mostly of unconverted forest. Scientific Reports, 9(1), 1-9. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-50280-0
• Nomura, K., & Enters, T. (2013). Breaking stereotypes: REDD+ finance, or where’s the money? UN-REDD Programme. https://www.un-redd.org/news/breaking-stereotypes-redd-finance-or-where-money
• Nomura, K. (2013). Cambodia CG selection process. UN-REDD Programme. https://www.un-redd.org/sites/default/files/2021-10/Cambodia%20CG%20selection%20process_21Nov2013_final.pdf