As part of the NASA BioSCape campaign, CyanoSCape conducted field sampling during AVIRIS-NG and PRISM airborne imaging spectrometers overflights and satellite overpasses (DESIS and EMIT) from October – November 2023 spanning a wide range of inland water sites for the South African Greater Cape Floristic Region (GCFR). In country collaborators included, the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, University of Venda, University of Cape Town, and the South African Environmental Observation Network. Additional collaboration with other NASA funded BioSCape projects included, Columbia University and the City College of the City University of New York. The freshwater phytoplankton biodiversity of the GCFR freshwater systems is not well characterized. Hyperspectral optical observations (e.g, BioSCape campaign) aligned with field measurements were conducted to facilitate the improvement of current phytoplankton diversity, as the sensitivity is sufficient that the distinctive, fine spectral features of different phytoplankton groups can be detected. This hyperspectral capability will enable testing emerging algorithms and inform the development of new algorithms for use with upcoming hyperspectral satellite missions in this decade. Innovations in optical sensor sensitivity and next generation machine learning capabilities considerably enhance the potential for accurate and rapid detection of phytoplankton, presence, extent, and diversity.