Cakacaka Vakaukauwa: Hard work, clear data and a Pacific woman in Earth & Ocean Observation
- Nabil El Halwani
- Jan 14
- 6 min read
The western side of Viti Levu has shaped much of who Elenoa Likutotoka Biukoto is today, from school days and shared playgrounds to a career that helps Pacific countries and territories understand their land and ocean from space.
“My name is Elenoa Likutotoka Biukoto, and I am currently the Earth Observation Technical Officer for the Earth and Ocean Observation Team. I am from Lawaki, Nairai, Lomaiviti and have maternal links to Nawairuku, Nalawa, Rakiraki.”
From these roots, Elenoa now works with the Pacific Community (SPC), contributing to the Digital Earth Pacific programme and regional efforts to monitor forests, coasts, and ecosystems using Earth and Ocean Observations.
Growing up Western: compounds, games and books:
Elenoa describes herself as “western born and bred,” raised in FSC compounds across Rakiraki, Ba and Lautoka.
“I’m a western born and bred. Most of my childhood and even now was spent in the FSC compound around the Western areas of Fiji from Rakiraki to Ba and to Lautoka. I mostly enjoyed reading growing up, there was that feeling about just getting lost in your imagination of each storyline and I wasn’t really the best in making a conversation so I guess you can say I was a shy kid who feared talking so reading was my safe haven.”
Childhood was collective. Compounds blurred family boundaries; safety and supervision were shared.
“Since we lived in a compound, all kids in the compound knew each other, families didn’t care about relations, all they cared about was their child was within the compound, safe and having fun. That was how my childhood was, all kids gathering at home or at the grounds to play touch rugby, tag, hide n seek, and soccer. We were kids that had no extreme expectations in life but to show up for school the next day, try not to get into trouble, and do well in school.”
Those simple expectations, do your best at school, stay out of trouble, respect the people around you, would later evolve into her personal standard for work and leadership.
From marine dreams to geospatial science:
Like many Pacific Islanders, her early ambitions were tied to the ocean.
"I’ll be honest, I actually wanted to be a marine biologist growing up. I had my own personal liking to the ocean system, maybe because I was from an island myself and my curiosity about the vast ocean stuck with me until I got accepted into University, and that was where I was advised by my cousin to take up geospatial science.”
She entered geospatial science without fully knowing what to expect, but curiosity kept her moving.
“I didn’t have a lot of expectations with it. I had no idea what I was dragging myself into, but I guess, again, curiosity about this completely new environment didn’t exactly stop me from continuing. I quickly learnt the ways of GIS, made myself familiar with it, and since I was on the Geospatial science developer pathway, my newly found interest in making maps and analysing data was combined with coding knowledge, which opened up my mind to many more possibilities of remote sensing uses for different settings of data.”
This combination of maps, data analysis, and coding opened the door to Earth and Ocean Observations and, eventually, to her role at SPC, where those skills now support governments across the region.
Mapping forests, coasts and change:
As an Earth Observation Technical Officer, Elenoa’s work sits at the intersection of science and policy. The products she helps develop are used to understand how Pacific landscapes and seascapes are changing.
"Currently, my role as an EO technical Officer consists of assisting with product development and testing, with statistics and analysis mixed in. Coverage of regional/ national products would range from terrestrial products such as landcover modelling, invasive tree detection mapping, and elevation masking/testing, while aquatic would consist of coastal habitats mapping focusing on seagrass coverage and mangrove extents mapping.”
One project in particular stands out for her: invasive species mapping.
“One current project that really excites me is the Invasive species mapping. Maybe it was due to my newly found interest in forestry work from my previous line of work that kept me motivated. While I was working at Fiji Pine and working mostly with logging and silviculture departments in the highlands of Nadi, it made me realise what a huge problem Invasive trees within our forests are, though it increased our forest percentage, but it was also dominating our Native Tree species, which ultimately puts them in an endangered to extinct situation.”
That experience in the highlands, seeing how invasive trees affect native forests, now informs her regional work.
“So, through this ongoing Invasive species mapping project and with that insight, I’m currently working with the exceptional team from Sustainable Natural Resources team from LRD SPC to map out the invasive species using random forest machine learning modelling infused with training data, validation points, and Sentinel 2 satellite images with cloud masking for Fiji, Tonga, and now recently included Vanuatu.”
The technology is advanced, but the goal is straightforward: provide reliable evidence so Pacific countries and territories can better protect their native forests and biodiversity.
When asked how her roots and values influence her approach, Elenoa returns to what she learnt at home.
“My approach to work is to work hard, in an honest and positive way. Now why? Because that’s how my upbringing was, and also watching my parents and family members working hard and getting through every single day of work, even with all their specific work issues, they always tried their best to show up and help and move on by doing better.”
These principles, working hard, being honest, and staying positive, now show up in her regional role, whether she is testing a new land cover product or collaborating with teams across SPC. It is a quiet form of leadership rooted in consistency.
To end violence against women and girls:
This year’s 16 Days of Activism campaign calls for action to “To end violence against women and girls .” For someone whose professional life is built around digital tools and data, the rise of online harassment is deeply concerning.
“I think it’s unfortunate that girls and women are being exposed to this type of environment. Social media platforms were created to help make communication easier for everyone and to express yourself in ways that make you who you are as a person, but it’s really disappointing to see how just a few groups of people could tear that down just for their own personal gain and not think of the negative consequences that brings to the other party.”
Her response focuses on values and early education, not just regulation.
“Personally, I think in order to stop this cycle from continuing, we should start a programme from the lowest level of education working itself up to the top on ethical and moral values and upholding it in society as their own responsibility in keeping everyone safe, including themselves.”
In other words, if technology is to empower Pacific women and girls, digital spaces must be shaped by shared ethics and collective responsibility.
On gender-based violence and discrimination, Elenoa points to direct but structured engagement.
“The most effective solution to coming across a situation like this is by facing the problem head-on, not really the safest way as a woman, but in order to show the importance of your position and as a woman, having a conversation with the other party and a superior present as a mediator would be helpful. You’re able to openly share your thoughts, and the other party is able to express themselves as well, and the mediator is able to make an informed decision based on both discussions. Don’t be scared, stand your ground and defend the position you rightfully earned.”
For women working in technical or field-based roles, this approach recognises both risk and agency, speak up, but ensure you have support and structure around you.
“I hope girls and women of this generation will have a sense of responsibility and safety for themselves. The world is advancing in most aspects of convenience, but having a sense of safety will protect them from any sort of danger or discomfort that might come their way.”
When asked for a phrase that resonates with her in iTaukei, Elenoa chooses one that reflects everything she has shared, from childhood to Regional Earth and Ocean Observation:
“Cakacaka vakaukauwa ka dina ena veitavi ko vakacolati kina.”Work hard and truthfully in the tasks you are given and you will be strengthened through them
In many ways, that line captures her journey and the kind of Pacific development she represents: grounded, steady, technically skilled, and guided by values learned at home and carried into regional work that serves communities across the ocean.
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