International cooperation in earth observation: which way for developing countries ?
- Paper number
IAC-05-B1.1.08
- Author
Mrs. Clémence Bastien, European Space Agency/Student Participation Programme, France
- Year
2005
- Abstract
International cooperation in earth observation: which way for developing countries ? In the Plan of Implementation adopted at the World Summit on Sustainable Development, in Johannesburg, in 2002, countries involved, recognizing the crucial role of space technology, agreed to promote the development and wider use of Earth observation technologies, including satellite remote sensing, global mapping and geographic information systems, to collect quality data on environmental impacts, land use and land use changes. International cooperation, vital to Earth observation, should ensure that developing countries derive the same benefit as developed countries from Earth-observing technology. The international community recognized the need to support a coordinated effort to involve and assist developing countries in improving and sustaining their contributions to observing systems, as well as their access to and effective utilization of observations, data and products, and the related technologies, by addressing capacity-building needs related to Earth observations. In a first part, the paper analyses the current cooperative efforts led throughout the successive Earth Observation Summits (EOS) at a global level. In the case study of the second part, the paper assesses two ongoing regional cooperative programs taking place in Africa : PUMA (Meteorological Transition in Africa) and AMESD (African Monitoring of the Environment for Sustainable Development). The two first Earth Observation Summits (July 2003, Washington DC ; April 2004, Tokyo) called for an international effort to move towards a comprehensive, coordinated and sustained Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS), pursuing socio-economic benefit but also the improvement of the understanding of the Earth system, providing support to decision-making processes and to sustainable development. In effect, there are a numerous factors contributing towards low utilization of data in developing countries and appropriate actions are needed. A critical requirement for GEOSS is improved access, availability, and usefulness of information for users. Achieving this will necessitate two things: first, compiling and linking disparate sets of data to create the information base and second, developing access services to quickly provide readily-digested information to decision makers. The EO Summit III to be held in Brussels, in February 2005 is meant to finalize a 10-year implementation plan. Supported under the European Commission’s European Development Fund, the PUMA project is bringing state-of-the-art Earth Observation technologies and services to African countries. Partnerships of this kind are now considered the way forward in both Europe and Africa. Access to reliable information on the environment is now a major priority for developing countries. PUMA draws support from meteorological stations around the world, with a new generation of weather satellites now providing rapid transmission of forecast products for immediate interpretation and dissemination to end-users. As a follow-up to the current PUMA project, a new project has been proposed on African Monitoring of the Environment for Sustainable Development. This initiative places the emphasis on the use of satellite data in operational applications beyond weather forecasting, and has been identified as a powerful positive example of work targeting Africa under the GMES initiative’s Support to Regional Development Aid action. GMES tools and technologies will help to transfer know-how and technology to developing countries. AMESD will allow all African stakeholders, led by the African Regional Economic Communities, to manage better the environment, using relevant and up-to-date information and analysis, as well as remote sensing and information and communication technologies.
- Abstract document
- Manuscript document
IAC-05-B1.1.08.pdf (🔒 authorized access only).
To get the manuscript, please contact IAF Secretariat.