Proceedings of the International Executive Seminar: Earth observation for improving water management in Africa

Water managers in Africa urgently need reliable information on the use and availability of water. Data acquired from space can contribute to this need. To satisfy the demand for information, good synchronisation is required between water managers, who must indicate their specific information needs, developers of the data gathering-monitoring satellite systems, and the knowledge institutes that must transfer their knowledge on collection and dissemination to users. During the seminar “Earth Observation for Improving Water Management in Africa: Developing Human, Technical and Institutional Capacity” which was held from 23 to 25 September 2008 at the International Institute for Geo-Information Science and Earth Observation (ITC), Enschede, The Netherlands, scientists, water managers from Africa and staff from knowledge centres have been addressing the question: “How can the knowledge available in the area of satellite data use for water management purposes be strengthened in Africa?” The seminar was jointly organized by the Group on Earth Observation (GEO) and ITC’s Department of Water Resources.

Report Executive Seminar (download: PDF 420kb)
Report summary (download: PDF 22kb)

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Theme 1: What are the emerging water resources management issues in the coming years and what information needs exist

Dr. Canisius Kanangire, ATP, Regional Project Manager, Nile Basin Initiative (NBI), Egypt.
Keynote: Water Resources Management Issues and Challenges in the Nile Basin. (presentation)

Eng. Philip Olum, Water Resources Management Authority (WRMA), Kenya.
Water Resources Issues and Interventions in Kenya. (article and presentation)

Eng. Christmas Maheri, Southern African Development Council (SADC), SADC Secretariat, Botswana.
SADC Water Resources Management Issues over the coming years and the existing information needs. (article and presentation)

Mr Crispin Sedeke Okwul, Department of Water Resources, DR Congo
Problems related to Durable Management of the Water Resources of the Basin of Congo, Prospect and Existing Information Needs.

Theme 2: What is currently being developed in EO based data and information systems and what impact on WRM decision making processes can be expected

Dr Diego Fernandez, European Space Agency (ESA), Italy.
Keynote: The Tiger Initiative. Supporting African Efforts towards an African Water Observation System. (article and presentation)

Dr Ben Maathuis, Assistant Professor Department Water Resources
ITC, The Netherlands.
ITC GEONETCast Toolbox Approach. (article and presentation)

Dr Douglas Cripe – Water and Agriculture Expert, GEO, Switzerland.
GEOSS and Africa: Earth Observation in Support of Decision Making. (article and presentation)

Dr Volker Gärtner - Head of User Service Division, European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT), Germany.
EUMETSAT’s Systems in Support of Earth Observation. (presentation)

Dr Gilberto Câmara – General Director, Instituto National de Pesquisas Espaciais (INPE), Brazil.
Geospatial Data for África: The Brazilian Contribution. (presentation)

Dr Lieven Bydekerke, Flemish Institute for Technology Research (VITO), Belgium.
Remote Sensing Applications & Services in Africa: Some cases. (article and presentation)

Dr Peter van Oevelen – Director Global Energy and Water Cycle Experiment (GEWEX), USA.
Application of Water and Energy Cycle Science and Observations within the Framework of GEWEX. (article and presentation)

Theme 3: Capacity building strategies for EO and Water in and for Africa

Prof. Bob Su, ITC, The Netherlands
Keynote: TIGER or DRAGON: Capacity building in Earth Observation of Water Resources System as a backbone for informed Water Resource Management. (article and presentation)

Dr Themba Gumbo, WaterNet, Botswana
Keynote: Up-scaling human and institutional capacity in integrated water resource management: Opportunities from new knowledge technologies. (article and presentation)

Dr Nigussie Teklie Girma, Arba Minch University, (AMU), Ethiopia
Arba Minch University: Achievements and Challenges in its Effort towards Capacity Building in Various Fields of Water Technology. (article and presentation)

Dr Foster Mensah, Centre for Remote Sensing and Geographic Information Services (CERSGIS), Ghana
Capacity Building strategies for EO and Water Management in Africa. (article and presentation)

Dr Atnafu, Addis Ababa University (AAU), Ethiopia
Outline on Capacity Building of the Department of Earth Sciences (AAU) in water-related academic and scientific activities. (article and presentation)

Dr Souleye Wade, Cheikh Anta Diop University, Senegal
Capacity Building strategies in Earth Observation applications for Sustainable Development in Africa: achievements and prospects. (article and presentation)

Dr Justin Ahanhanzo, UNESCO, France
UNESCO-IOC, Africa in the big Picture. (presentation)

Dr Hussein Farah, Director Regional Centre for Mapping of Resources for Development (RCMRD) Kenya
Keynote: Regional Centre for Mapping of Resources for Development: Its Role in Eastern and Southern Africa Sub-Region. (presentation)

Dr Abdou Ali, Hydrologist AGRHYMET, Niger
Keynote: Water Resources Management and Capacity Building at AGRHYMET. (article and presentation)

Theme 4: Conclusions and recommendations

Preparation outcome workshop sessions in 3 groups

Reporting themes by rapporteurs