ISPRS Contributions to GEO Capacity Building

Transcription

1 ISPRS Contributions to GEO Capacity Building Ian Dowman First Vice President ISPRS Emeritus Professor of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing University College London

2 Contents What is capacity building? Who is doing it...and why? Activities in capacity building for geospatial information in Africa What more needs to be done? 2

3 What is Capacity Building? The United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) (1992) definition for capacity building encompasses a country s human, scientific, technological, organizational, and institutional resources and capabilities. A fundamental goal of capacity building is to enhance the abilities of stakeholders to evaluate and address crucial questions related to policy choices and modes of implementation among different options for development. These choices would be based on an understanding of environmental potential and limits and of the needs perceived by the people of the country concerned 3

4 Capacity Building for the geospatial information community Capacity building for the geospatial information community is the provision of facilities, programmes or other resources in the area of geomatics, which will help develop a community s ability to perform specific tasks requiring geospatial information. Building institutions Training Scientific networking Ensuring that suitable employment is available Developing infrastructure Providing equipment 4

5 Components of capacity building (Georgiadou and Groot (2002) Purpose Focus CAPACITY BUILDING FOR GEOINFORMATICS Human resources development Organisational strengthening Institutional Strengthening Supply the technical and professional personnel Strengthen the management capacity of organisations, institutionalise GEO ICT solutions (systems and processes) as well as strategic management principles Strengthen the capacity of organisations to develop and negotiate appropriate mandates and modus operandii as well as appropriate (new) legal and regulatory frameworks 5

6 The need for Capacity Building in Africa The use of geoinformation in Africa needs to be developed Projects such as AFRef and Mapping Africa For Africa need more resources and recognition by government African scientists frequently leave the continent when qualified 6

7 Africa s brain drain 30% of Africa s university trained professionals live beyond the continent s borders Up to Africans with PhDs are working outside the continent University departments of geomatics are closing or loosing staff 7

8 What is being done? In the Implementation Plan from the WSSD in Johannesburg specific mention is made of Earth Observation and GIS to: Promote the development and wider use of earth observation technologies, including satellite remote sensing, global mapping and geographical information systems, to collect quality data on environmental impacts, land use and land-use changes,.. Various agencies are tackling the problem. 8

9 Other initiatives NEPAD New Partnership for Africa s Development USAID ICSU - International Council for Science; Regional Office for Africa GARNET-E - GMES and Africa Regional Network for information Exchange and Training in Emergencies aims at integrating African requirements in the operation of the GMES Emergency Response Service in Africa 9

10 Who is doing capacity building for GI in Africa? United Nations UN Economic Commission for Africa Committee on Development Information Science and Technology (CODIST) UN Environment Programme (UNEP) UN Office of Outer Space Affairs (OOSA) FAO IGOs, NGOs CEOS ICSU GEO Societies Higher Education Universities UNEDRA RECTAS, ARCSSTE-E, RCMRD ITC 10

11 Global Spatial Data Infrastructure (GSDI) Geographic Information Knowledge Network (GIKN) This web site enables profiles of organisations and individuals to be uploaded to a universal site. It is a self-maintained, but moderated site presenting summaries of important players in the GI discipline. Linkages to other organisations (e.g. OGC and GEOSS) 11

12 GIKN content A professional and academic network for the geographic information global community Geographic Information Community Registry Browse profiles supplied by others, through the Community Registry to search by category or key words. Deposit Spatial Documents. works that address spatial data infrastructure and geographic information development concepts to an open access depository. Find Spatial Documents Search the spatial docs depot or explore links to best papers, best practices, and other geospatial document collections. Mapping Agency Central Explore the national mapping agency contact list, the status of national mapping agency spatial data infrastructure programs, the mapping agency discussion forum, and the equipment exchange. Spatial Data Infrastructure Survey Responses See survey responses from across the globe on the status of national, sub-regional and local spatial data infrastructure developments. Quarterly Global Survey Express your opinion in this quarterly one question survey. Accumulated responses are posted at the end of each quarter. Best Geo Web Resources View link collections to geospatial journals, newsletters, discussion lists, conference announcements, blogs, document collections, geodata and geoweb service portals, map mashups and geospatial organizations. 12

13 Committee for Earth Observation Satellites CEOS is an international coordinating mechanism charged with coordinating international civil spaceborne missions designed to observe and study planet Earth. Objective: to optimize benefits of spaceborne Earth observations through cooperation of its participants in mission planning and in development of compatible data products, formats, services, applications, and policies; Structure Working Groups: Calibration and Validation, Information Systems and Services, Education, Training and Capacity Building 13

14 Group on Earth Observations (GEO) Group on Earth Observations (GEO) established by the first Earth Observation Summit in July 2003 which declared the need for:.timely, quality, long-term, global information as a basis for sound decision making. The second Earth Observation Summit in April 2004 agreed to a Framework which established the basic principles for preparing an Implementation Plan for a Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS). The third Earth Observation Summit in February 2005 formally set up GEO and adopted the ten year implementation plan. 14

15 GEO Capacity Building Committee The GEO capacity building strategy follows the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) concept of a global partnership between those whose capacity needs development and those who are able to assist in the process, recognizing that activities have intertwined social, environmental, and economic impacts. Facilitate Earth observation capacity building activities among GEO Members, in concert with GEO Participating Organizations. Build global capacity to access, retrieve, analyze, include into appropriate models, and interpret relevant data from global data systems. Build global capacity to integrate Earth observation data and information with data and information from other sources, improving understanding of problems in order to identify sustainable solutions. Develop a coordinated capacity building strategy among GEO members and participating organizations based on the principles articulated in the GEOSS 10-Year Implementation Plan Reference Document. Recommend strategies for resource mobilization.. 15

16 GEONETCast is a near real time, global network of satellite-based data dissemination systems designed to distribute space-based, air-borne and in situ data, metadata and products to diverse communities. GEONETCast is a Task in the GEO Work Plan and is led by EUMETSAT, the United States, China, and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). Many GEO Members and Participating Organizations contribute to this Task. 16

17 MSG data reception through Atlantic Bird GEONETCast African Service received in Africa Satellite Dish installed at CGIS-NUR Atlantic Bird 3 C-band dbw footprint Satellite Dish installed at RCMRD 17

18 Examples of Capacity Building Organisations in Africa Nigeria African Resource Management Satellite AFREF Mapping Africa for Africa ISPRS Joint Board of Geospatial Information Societies GEOSS Wokshops 18

19 Objectives To provide a forum to address issues of common interest through the conduct of conferences, seminars and workshops; To promote a greater cooperation and coordination of efforts among African countries, institutions and industries in the development of space technology and its application to natural resources and environmental issues; To promote greater appreciation of the benefit of the technology, especially, remote sensing and Geographic Information System (GIS) in the pursuance of an African priority program for Economic Recovery and sustainable development. To exchange views and ideas on technology, systems, policy and services of remotely sensed data and GIS which are applicable to the betterment of Africa; To improve teaching and training in remote sensing and GIS and to collect, evaluate and disseminate results and failures in remote sensing activities from all over the world; 19

20 EIS-AFRICA consolidates ten years of investment and capacity building efforts in Environmental Information Systems (EIS) in sub-saharan Africa into an Africa-wide organisation promoting the greater use of harmonised geo-spatial information. EIS Africa publishes a newsletter and supports many capacity building activities throughout Africa. The mission of EIS-AFRICA is to develop African capacity to generate, manage, disseminate and use geo-spatial and environmental information to enrich policy debate and support decision-making for the well-being of African people. African Institutions supported by EIS-AFRICA and its partners are using best practices and policies for information management. Access to geo-spatial and environmental information in Africa is being facilitated by EIS-AFRICA through networking and appropriate technology. 20

21 UN SPIDER In its resolution 61/110 of 14 December 2006 the United Nations General Assembly agreed to establish the "United Nations Platform for Space-based Information for Disaster Management and Emergency Response - UN-SPIDER" Mission statement: "Ensure that all countries and international and regional organizations have access to information to develop the capacity to use all types of space-based information to support the full disaster management cycle". The UN-SPIDER programme is achieving this by focusing on being a gateway to space information for disaster management support, by serving as a bridge to connect the disaster management and space communities and by being a facilitator of capacity-building and institutional strengthening, in particular for developing countries. UN-SPIDER is being implemented as an open network of providers of space-based solutions to support disaster management activities. 21

22 MAINSTREAMING GEOSPATIAL INFORMATION FOR SUSTAINABLE NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT IN NIGERIA O. Kufoniyi, J. O. Akinyedeb Capacity Building: Dealing with human, institutional and technological capacity building. The policy makes it mandatory: to include training component in GI projects; to locally implement GI projects to a minimum level of 75%; that all GI producers shall provide evidence of the local contents of their production activities in compliance with Government policy on local content; etc. 22

23 NigeriaSat-1 The first Nigerian satellite, a microsatellite called NigeriaSat-1, was successfully launched into low earth orbit on 27th September The choice of NigeriaSat-1 was influenced by its low cost, affordability and the Advantage of comparable performance to the expensive large satellites the possibility to support capacity building. Fifteen Nigerian engineers/scientists were trained in all aspects of satellite technology including ground station management. 23

24 AFRICAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT (ARM) SATELLITE CONSTELLATION A joint satellite programme of South Africa, Nigeria Kenya and Algeria and any other interested country in Africa Laying the foundation of sustainable technology development in Africa. The project is one of the key flagship projects in the NEPAD Science and Technology Ministerial Programme areas. The countries involved would collaborate in building capacity to support space programmes in Africa. 24

25 African Reference Frame (AFREF) a project to set up a geodetic framework for GNSS in Africa, built on the existing sparse network of continuously operating GPS stations. The project calls for hardware, software and training to install, support and use the GPS network. AFREF is supported by UN and NMOs have signed up to it. 25

26 AFREF Rationale (Neilan 2004) Communication and internet are critical to success and sustainability of GNSS infrastructure access to information, global data, products, and technology advances Increase knowledge base, capacity building Training, education, access to resources, retention of quality personnel and stability are issues Collective approach within African nations Each adopting similar methodologies and technology Permits progress where practical, implementing a network of GPS stations Support and training envisioned by IGS/ITRF - seeking resources 26

27 Mapping Africa for Africa The terms of reference of the Working Group set up by ICA are as follows: To further the objectives of the Durban Statement on Mapping Africa for Africa; To liaise with the Committee on Development Information (Geoinformation) of the UN Economic Commission for Africa relating to Mapping Africa for Africa initiatives and projects; To bring together experts in fields relevant to ICA to provide a voluntary advisory service to Mapping Africa for Africa initiatives and projects; To promote Mapping Africa for Africa initiatives and projects at the international and regional level, including the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD). 27

28 ISPRS Mission ISPRS is an international NGO devoted to the development of international cooperation for the advancement of knowledge, research, development and education in the Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing and Spatial Information Science, their integration and applications, to contribute to the well being of humanity and the sustainability of the environment. 28

29 ISPRS Vision for 21 st Century The new Strategic Plan Use core disciplines in applications such as disaster management, health, cultural heritage and maintaining a sustainable environment; Develop interest in key international issues such as working towards the Millennium Development Goals and climate change; Engage with developing countries, especially in capacity building and student activities; Improve electronic and printed forms of communication; 29

30 ISPRS Activities in Capacity Building ISPRS Technical Commission VI- Education and Outreach WG VI/1 - Web Based Education WG VI/2 - E-Delivery of Education Services WG VI/3 - Frameworks for Cross-Border Education WG VI/4 - Joint Educational Programs WG VI/5 - Promotion of the Profession to Young People WG VI/6 - Special Interest Group "Technology Transfer CARAVAN" GEOSS Workshop series in Collaboration with IEEE and OGC Regional Representatives in Africa, Latin America and SE Asia to develop programmes in their region Programmes with Joint Board of Geospatial information Societies (JBGIS) 30

31 ISPRS External relations UN MEMBERS CEOS ICSU Policy ISPRS Collab n Joint Board ICSU GeoUnions GEO GEO Meetings Projects TECH COMMS WGs Meetings Joint Projects Speakers, consultants 31

32 Joint Board of Geospatial Information Societies - Committee on Capacity Building in Africa Mission To co-ordinate the capacity building activities in Africa of the members of the Joint Board and to advise the Joint Board on policy issues relating to education in Africa. Terms of Reference Collect and maintain information of meetings on capacity building in the geospatial area in Africa held by any organisation. Review the information and advise members of the Joint Board of opportunities for collaboration and for organisation of events and of potential duplication of effort. Establish and maintain an network of interested individuals and organisations who can contribute to information on activities and any problems. Advise the Joint Board on any problems or potential problems which could be reduced by members of the Board. 32

33 Joint Board of Geospatial Information Societies JBGIS ad hoc Committee on Risk and Disaster Management JB-GIS Best Practices Booklet on Geo-information for Risk and Disaster Management The Joint Board of Geospatial Information Societies UN-SPIDER are preparing a Best Practices Booklet on Geo-information for Risk and Disaster Management This will create a decision support forum based on the knowledge and experience of experts, and outline the potential uses of the Geo-Information Technologies to governmental, institutional and operative decision makers. The Booklet is intended to cover all regions of the world and all phases of the disaster management cycle. 33

34 Workshop Series The User and the GEOSS Architecture Objectives Focus on broad range of users and regional issues Educate about GEOSS user approach and architecture (structure) Through interaction with users, get feedback on their needs for data, information and infrastructure Create continuing interactions/follow-ons including training and case studies Status 33 workshops held by end of

35 GEOSS Workshop AfricaGIS 2005: Some Conclusions More money is needed. Better understanding of the problems is required, this involves first the identification and then the participation of user groups, and then better communication. There are particular technical problems for Africa which include: poor infrastructure; low bandwidth; lack of interoperability and metadata (not just an African problem); basic technology equipment is needed training is no use without equipment; Lack of spatial literacy and education on use of GI in schools. Lack of political will. Poor communications amongst African governments. 35

36 GEOSS Workshop AfricaGIS 2005: Possible solutions Long term, sustainable, national environmental programmes run by national governments. More networking. Training needs to be recurrent with a long term commitment. Poor communications amongst African governments GEOSS (SDI) can act as a rallying point, therefore outreach to ministers is needed. Need for good communication: between scientists, between disciplines and to policy makers; GEOSS can act as a catalyst and listen to end users, particularly non specialists. Activities must be more regionally relevant Activities must make more use of existing systems and capacity building efforts, provide easy to use tools. Outreach to African politicians, GEO should be able to provide political clout. 36

37 GEOSS Workshop for Water Security and Governance in Africa, Accra, Ghana, October 24-26, 2008 Users need data accessibility, affordability, readiness,and interoperability; From a technology stand point, thecommunication infrastructure is critical. For researchers, there is a need for funding sources. GEONETcast is a good solution but there is still a need to continue development of the fiber infrastructure, including end use infrastructure. Once the data is available, there is a need for data exchange (peer to peer) between users, as well as help in developing archiving facilities There was a discussion on open source it is useful to overcome the cost of commercial tools; however, there is a need for usable documentation and training; there is also a need for workshops as training opportunities; 37

38 GEOSS Workshop XXX Disaster Management and Humanitarian Assistance Ongoing requirements indicate users lack of knowledge about GEOSS or difficult problems which require time to solve A key requirement is for more information on resources available (data, software.) and how to get it. Users require centralised access to data which has been collected or acquired by other organisations. Standards are required. Costs of data need to be reduced - preferably data should be free. 38

39 Ongoing requirements (cont) There should be more opportunities created for users to interact through user groups and to obtain research reports. Make decision makers aware of EO data and importance of this in many projects. Open source software to be promoted, particularly extension tools as an add on e.g. ILWIS as an extension to GEONETCast Spatial Data Infrastructure needed. Improved access and speed needed for downloading data More capacity building required. Distance learning packages to be made available and catalogued. 39

40 Requirements for Disaster management A major requirement for disaster management is timely data for disaster response and time series for prediction and risk assessment. [Note that there are many existing resources which can be accessed and used when disasters strike; organisations like MapAction and CartONG know how to access these.] Policies for disaster management are required at national level National centres with a capability for data analysis are essential - these must be adequately funded. Policies must be localised local communities must be involved in preparing policies and trained in response. Introducing relevant issues to high schools is important. 40

41 Conclusions Capacity Building is essential based on an understanding of the issues of Geoinformation and on the development of sustainable institutions The first requirement is international co-operation and a willingness to work together. Secondly provision of the technology. - recognition of gaps in the provision of data and international co-operation in filling these would be a big step forward; Thirdly funding. Funds are being made available to GEO and other agencies such as UN OOSA are funding capacity building. 41