Dan Irwin, a research scientist at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, developed the idea for an applied Earth science program during a conversation with environmental ministries from Central America. He was inspired to design a program where satellite Earth data would be made more accessible for decision-makers around the world–this concept would later become the first proposal for the SERVIR program. The concept would be picked up with NASA funding and the support of Anne Dix and Carrey Yeager of the USAID Central American Mission.

SERVIR Mesoamerica; first known as the Mesoamerican Regional Visualization & Monitoring System was established in Panama, through the joint effort of NASA, USAID, and other partners. SERVIR’s name is derived from the Spanish word meaning “to serve.” SERVIR-Mesoamerica operated until 2011.

Carrie Stokes, USAID Geospatial Information and Technology Advisor, joined the program with the vision and plan to expand the SERVIR model to other regions

The Ministerial Declaration of the 2007 Earth Observation Summit recognized SERVIR as a model for the implementation of the Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS).

SERVIR Eastern and Southern Africa was formed through a partnership with the Regional Centre for Mapping of Resources for Development (RCMRD) in Nairobi, Kenya. SERVIR was supported by a science coordination team at the University of Alabama in Huntsville (which later was tied to the Lab for Applied Science), with additional support from the Universities Space Research Association

SERVIR Hindu Kush-Himalaya was established in partnership with the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) in Kathmandu, Nepal.

SERVIR Mekong was launched in Bangkok, Thailand with the support of the Asian Disaster Preparedness Center (ADPC) and consortium partners.

SERVIR West Africa became the fourth SERVIR hub. The consortium was originally implemented by the Permanent Inter-State Committee for Drought Control in the Sahel (CILSS) subsidiary, the Agrometeorology, Hydrology and Meteorology (AGRHYMET) Regional Center in Niamey, Niger.

SERVIR Amazonia was launched by the Alliance of Bioversity International and the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) in Cali, Colombia with a consortium of partners including Imaflora, EcoCiencia, Conservación Amazónica (ACCA), and Spatial Informatics Group (SIG).

SERVIR Southeast Asia is re-launched as an expansion of SERVIR Mekong, extending the hub’s scope to include the wider region. Over the years, the progress of this program would not have been possible without the outstanding contributions and support of USAID’s Jenny Frankel-Reed, Albert Momo, Kevin Coffey, and USAID mission colleagues, and NASA’s Woody Turner and Lawrence Friedl, as well as SERVIR project managers Gwen Artis, Jason Kessler, Tia Ferguson, Cindy Stemple, and Ray French.

SERVIR Central America was launched by the Tropical Agricultural Research and Higher Education Center (CATIE) in Costa Rica.

After two decades of impactful partnership, USAID’s funding for the SERVIR program came to a close, followed by the conclusion of NASA’s direct science and technical support to the hubs.
Recognizing the immense value and momentum of SERVIR’s work, the regional hubs, institutions, and partners came together with a shared commitment to continue and grow the mission. This led to the formation of the SERVIR Global Collaborative; an open and evolving alliance dedicated to advancing geospatial innovation, strengthening regional capacities, and tackling global development and environmental challenges.

The Collaborative builds on SERVIR’s legacy while expanding its reach and grounding itself even more firmly in regional leadership, equity, and knowledge sharing. Independent hubs guide the direction of the Collaborative, while SIG-NAL (Spatial Informatics Group – Natural Assets Laboratory) provides technical support.