*** Happy New Year *** To start off the New Year on the right foot, please send in something about your work, or research results, or an announcement of an upcoming workshop or training opportunity. You can even send in a question to the newsletter.... or mention how you made use of information that you read about in the newsletter. I just need to know that you're 'engaged' in the process of communication. If not, then my motivation for continuing the newletter is pretty low. To those of you who have contributed information, thank you, thank you, thank you! *** Happy New Year *** -------------------------------------------------------------------- SPATIAL DATA INFRASTRUCTURE AFRICA UPDATE VOL 2, NO. 1 - 09 JANUARY 2003 -------------------------------------------------------------------- Spatial Data Infrastructure Africa (SDI-Africa) is a free email newsletter for people interested in GIS, remote sensing, and data management issues in Africa. To subscribe to SDI Africa, unsubscribe, or change your email address, contact: klance@usgs.gov If you're subscribing, please indicate your institutional affiliation and how you learned about the SDI-Africa newsletter. I began putting this information into a newsletter in an effort help provide information to colleagues in Africa (particularly since surfing the web can be costly in Africa). I am involved in a number of projects that aim to build SDI capacity in Africa; however, there is no project or organization that is called SDI Africa. I will send out issues as time permits. If you have news or information related to GIS, remote sensing, and spatial data infrastructure (e.g., workshop announcements, publications, reports, websites of interest, etc.), kindly send me the materials so that I can include them in the newsletter. This will ensure that issues are sent more frequently. The newsletter depends upon your continued interest and input. You are welcome to forward this message onto colleagues who may find the information useful. If you do so, please include the newsletter contact information at the bottom of this message so that others will know about the newsletter and subscribe themselves. Back issues of the newsletter are at the GSDI and GISD websites: GSDI: http://www.gsdi.org (go to GSDI newsletters) GISD: http://www.opengis.org/gisd (go to 'What's New') Best regards, Kate Please note: Some long URLs (internet addresses) may occupy 2 lines. In that case, copy both lines into your browser. -------------------------------------------------------------------- INPUT TO THIS ISSUE -------------------------------------------------------------------- Thank you to Mohamed Timouli, ITIGEO (Morocco); Jide Kufoniyi, RECTAS (Nigeria); J.O. Akinyede, NASRDA (Nigeria); Sergei Chernikov, OOSA (Switzerland - UN); Shifun Hailu, Ethiopian Mapping Authority (Ethiopia); John Latham, FAO (Rome-UN); Karim Owolabi, Office of the Surveyor General (Namibia); Carmelle Cote, ESRI (USA); Jocelyn Fenard, UNITAR (Switzerland-UN); Emmanuel Tembo, Department of Civil Engineering, University of Botswana (Botswana); Dusan Ilkic, Department of Surveys and Mapping (Botswana); Sives Govender, National Spatial Information Framework (South Africa); and Jean-Michel Dufils, PACT (Madagascar) for their contributions to this issue. -------------------------------------------------------------------- SDI NEWS, LINKS, PAPERS, PRESENTATIONS - HAVE YOU READ? -------------------------------------------------------------------- The dates for AfricaGIS '03 have been decided - November 4-8, 2003. Plan ahead, so that you can attend! See conference section below for more information. http://www.telecom.net.et/~ema/ On 29 October 2002, the Ethiopian Mapping Authority organized a one-day NSDI workshop in collaboration with the UN Economic Commission for Africa. They invited approximately 50 ministries and government organizations that have a direct connection with geo-data (producers or users). More organizations would have been invited, but EMA was working within time and budget constraints. Five papers were presented stressing on the advantages of NSDI on the national economy and other relevant information. There were discussions on each presentation and sharing of experiences on geo-information techniques, data sharing, policy issues, etc. Finally, the participants separated into four groups to discuss specific issues and develop recommendations. The theme of the four groups were as follows: Group-I 1. Identification of the lead agency for NSDI development in Ethiopia. 2. Role, responsibilities, and mandate of the lead agency with particular reference to NSDI development. Group-II 1. Identification of major producers of spatial data 2. Types of data produced according to the interest of the community Group III. Identification of major applications that require spatial data and the data need by these applications in Ethiopia. Group-IV 1. Suggestion of strategy for geo-information known by policy makers 2. How should the NSDI investment to be justified to obtain funding? After each group's results were presented and discussed, the following resolutions were passed as a conclusion: 1. The Ethiopian Mapping Authority, based on the existing capacity, experience and legal mandate to take responsibility of facilitating development of NSDI in the national level as a provisional project. 2. The national workshop to be held within 6 months time in such a way that all stakeholders to be aware in the development of NSDI. 3. All stakeholders, funding agencies and geo-information data producers and processors to play an important role on NSDI developing funding and capacity building 4. Policy issues such as data production, processing, standardization, dissemination, to be well developed without duplication and affecting the national economy. http://www.gsdi.org/SDIA/ethiopia_workshop_agenda.xls On Oct. 28-30, 2002, UNECA with EMA and the Global Spatial Data Infrastructure (GSDI) Secretariat conducted a metadata/clearinghouse /web mapping workshop. Participants included information management specialists from UNECA, EMA, Ministry of Water Resourcers, and the Ministry of Science and Technology. A trainer from USGS/EROS Data Center led the workshop. The agenda is available at the above link. This work will contribute to the Ethiopian Ethiopian Natural Resources and Environmental Meta-Database, http://geoinfo.uneca.org/geoinfo/ethiopia/index.html http://www.africover.org/ Multipurpose Africover Databases on Environmental resources (MADE) available for 7 countries. The Africover project website has been thoroughly revised and udpated. There is a wealth of information about the project methodology, software, data, partners, training materials, etc. You can now: - Consult the metadata on the content and characteristics of the data sets - Visualize and browse public domain data through the Africover interactive Web maps http://www.africover.org/webmap.htm - Download the public domain geographic layers you need (requires free registration) - Apply for customization of the data on the base of your specific requirements - Download the public domain data warehouses for free,powerful, interactive desktop GIS use See guidelines for data custodianship: http://www.africover.org/custodianship.htm http://www.africover.org/download/documents/AfricoverGFC.pdf The Africover Project will hold a Second Training course on the management, use and update of the National Multipurpose Africover Database on Environment (MADE), in Nairobi from the 17th February to 14th March 2003. The training, which will last four weeks, will cover all the procedures and tools required to use, maintain, upgrade and disseminate the national MADE. The training has been designed for the participation of two specialists from each country: a GIS expert, who will be the reference person for the GIS processing needed to interact with MADE and a Remote Sensing and Photo-interpretation expert, who will we be the referent for the update and upgrade of the MADE. http://www.nasrda.gov.ng/ National Geospatial Data Infrastructure - Nigeria The increasing awareness of the use of GIS for decision-making over the past years has crystallized into a project for the establishment of a National Geographic Information Systems (NAGIS) for Nigeria. The project is currently being implemented by the National Space Research Development Agency (NASRDA), a parastatal under the Federal Ministry of Science and Technology, in partnership with GML Projects Limited and Raytheon Inc., USA. NASRDA has realized the need to adopt policies for promoting greater awareness and public access to standard and coordinated geo-spatial data production, management and dissemination by all sectoral institutions and the need for the establishment of a Geospatial Data Clearing House (GDCH) at various levels in the country (local, state and federal) and linkages with the private sectors. Towards the achievement of these objectives, NASRDA has put in place plans to produce a National Geo-information Policy for Nigeria, organize a stakeholders workshop on National Geospatial Data infrastructure (NGDI), and to ensure that the NAGIS/NGDI implementation fully benefits from the suggestions, inputs and participation of stakeholders and end-users. Consequently, a three-day stakeholders and users workshop has been scheduled for 10th - 12th February, 2003. NASRDA launched the National Geoinformation Policy Committee, consisting of 10 members drawn from various stakeholder institutions. The committee recognizes that they do not have to "re-invent the wheel". Their idea is to review existing national policies and work plans (from developed and developing economies), and then prepare a draft for discussion and ratification at the February Workshop. http://www.gsdi.org/SDIA/Windhoek_Dec.doc (Executive Summary) Windhoek Declaration on an African Geodetic Reference Frame (AFREF) The 36th Governing Council Meeting of RCMRD (http://www.rcmrd.org) recently took place in Windhoek, Namibia, and at the same time, an AFREF workshop was organized, taking advantage of the presence of Surveyor Generals from 15 countries of Eastern and Southern Africa. The AFREF workshop resulted in a declarative concept document that the participants have labelled as 'The Windhoek Declaration' (see Executive Summary). The workshop recommended that AFREF coordination be included in the Permanent SDI Committee for Africa structure and that it be discussed and approved by the UNECA Committee on Development Information (CODI, http://www.uneca.org/codi/). The workshop looked at possible future events to further the AFREF discussion, and ICC Durban (see conference, August 2003) was mentioned. http://w3sli.wcape.gov.za/SURVEYS/MAPPING/afref.htm AFREF, A Continental Geodetic Reference System for Africa AFREF has been conceived by the national mapping organisations (NMO's) of Africa. The purpose of this project is to establish a Unified Geodetic and Mapping Datum for Africa using GPS technology and the existing geodetic networks. The project will be implemented by subdividing the continent into four regional groups. http://www.igad.org/ Enhancing Disaster Preparedness and Response Capacity in the IGAD (Intergovernmental Authority on Development) Sub-Region Goals: enhance region's capacity for mitigating, collaborating and preparing for disasters In the period 1993-1999 the IGAD, with the assistance of FAO, has developed the IGAD Sub-regional Disaster Preparedness Strategy, that was endorsed by the Assembly of Heads of State and Government at a Summit Meeting in Khartoum in November 2000. The IGAD Secretariat recieved the mandate to start the process of operationalisation through a series of projects that would address the seven main strategic areas outlined in the Strategy document: - Development of disaster preparedness strategies and the contingency planning process; - Elaboration of supporting policies, legislation and agreements for disaster management; - Improvement of sub- regional collaboration for preparedness and response; - Strengthening of early warning and information systems and vulnerability analysis; - Development of education and training for disaster mitigation; - Improving preparedness for impact and needs assessment and resource mobilisation; and - Improving preparedness for targeting, implementation and monitoring and evaluation of relief and rehabilitation assistance. In 2001, IGAD initiated the formulation of a Disaster Risk Management capacity building programme through a participatory process with the 7 countries of the regions. From November 2001 to June 2002, 2 regional workshops and 5 national workshops were organized with the aim to develop the 7 components of the programme. The programme document has been validated during the regional workshop held in Nairobi, June 2002. In September 2002, IGAD contracted UNOPS to set up and organize a regional introductory training workshop early in 2003 in Asmara, on Disaster Risk Management in the IGAD region. In December 2002, a group of both regional and international experts in the different components of the IGAD programme met in the region, visiting a number of national and regional institutions, with the aim to define the contents of the regional introductory training workshop and to develop the related training materials. For further information, contact Jocelyn Fenard, jocelyn.fenard@unitar.org http://www.pnae.mg/arsie/ Association Rseau Syst me d'Information sur l'Environnement (ARSIE), Madagascar. On Tuesday, January 14, 2003 a workshop is being held to reinforce the capacity of some ARSIE members in documenting spatial data. After the training; the trainees will support other ARSIE members to produce standardized medata. The training is being provided by PACT Madagascar (M. Andrianjafiravelo Tsitohaina, Tsito@pact.mg), and funding to support the workshop comes from USAID (Miray Program for Eco-region-Based Conservation and Development) and French Cooperation (SCAC). http://www.pactworld.org/programs/country/madagascar/madagascar_miray.htm Program : - Introduction to metadata (concept, use,...) - Introduction to clearinghouse setting - Practical exercises of data reseach using clearinghouse/metadata Introduction to Metalite sotware - Practical exercises with Metalite - Production and validation of metadata Training material provided (and translated in French) by USGS/EROS Data Center. http://www.johannesburgsummit.org/html/sustainable_dev/p2_means_implement/1309_itu_unitar_sisei.pdf Capacity building on the applications of ICT for the establishment of Environmental Information Systems for Sustainable Development in Africa - SISEI http://www.sisei.net [Note from Kate: it's my understanding that SISEI program will be working in the following countries in 2003. Mali, Mauritiania, Morocco, Niger, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, Uganda, Zambia. If you are interested in collaborating with SISEI, or if you are involved in a project that is dealing with environmental information in one of these countries, contact Jocelyn Fenard, jocelyn.fenard@unitar.org, to ensure that appropriate linkages are established. http://www.gsdi.org/docs/SDIA/Botswana_SDI_workshop_Jan_2003.doc The Botswana Government Computer Bureau, Department of Surveys and Mapping, Swedesurvey have organized a Workshop on the Establishment of the Botswana Spatial Data Infrastructure and Botswana National PC Atlas Launch, 30 -31 January 2003. The National Coordination Committee will brief the geographic information community on the national initiative and invite people to discuss ways of co-operation and co-ordination of GI and GIS. The workshop is open to anyone interested in or working with Geographic Information and GIS. For further information, contact Dusan Ilkic, dilkic@gov.bw and botdsm@info.bw (use both) http://www.ngis.gov.bw - web-site of the project Establishment of a National Geographic Information System. Regarding data standards in Botswana, the main producer of spatial data is the Department of Surveys and Mapping which has been using its own standards. Up until now, most organisations, as with DSM, have had in-house standards. Because of this, GIS users have found that data collected from one source might not fully be compatible with another, e.g. scale and projection problems. As part of Botswana's newly established national geographic information coordination committee, a working group will address the standards issue. This working group is mandated to do the following: 1. To analyse in what areas standards are needed for the National GIS 2. To find suitable standards and to seek agreement about these standards in the GI community 3. To disseminate information about and promote the use of established standards 4. Review established standards and propose any necessary changes or additions. It is most likely that the working group will be guided by work done by ISO TC211 (http://www.isotc211.org/) http://www.gsdi.org/docs/SDIA/Proposed_pricing_policy_for_spatial_info.doc South Africa framework data policy - Pricing Policy Document for Spatial Information Products and Services Provided by the Department of Land Affairs, South Africa. This policy relates to topographic and cadastral data sets in particular. The policy on the pricing for spatial information and services provided by the Department must support the departmental strategic outcome of improved access to spatial information. The high cost of such products and services are seen as an effective barrier to the access to such information for the majority of the people. The aim of such policy must not be to achieve cost recovery from users, but to make spatial information and services more accessible, affordable, and ultimately more effective and efficient. The purpose is to have a uniform policy in the Department on pricing of spatial information and services. The Director General of Land Affairs has signed the document, and it should be implemented in 2003. The National Spatial Information Framework (NSIF, http://www.nsif.org.za) hopes that other custodians of framework datasets will adopt this policy as a national standard. -------------------------------------------------------------------- GIS TOOLS, GUIDES, SOFTWARE, DATA -------------------------------------------------------------------- http://www.cyber.vt.edu/LSG/Uganda/U-arc1.htm IPM CRSP Uganda GIS Workshop Using ArcView. The objective of this workshop was to introduce participants to the basic operations and analytical techniques of the GIS program ArcView. Held at Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda, February 19 - 21, 2002 Organized by the Department of Geography - Virginia Tech, Makerere University, National Agricultural Research Organization http://www.mapsymbols.com/symbols2.html The Unofficial Arc/Info and ArcView Symbols Page This page is the result of a query that Brian Sheahan posted to the ESRI-L and ArcView-L users list in March 1998. He found that the existing cartographic symbology was not adequate for particular projects. Inevitable, this resulted in his having to spend hours, days or in some cases weeks creating the the needed sets. After becoming active in the Users Groups, he realized that many colleagues faced the same obstacles. So with the generous help of other users and the sponsorship of Spatial Online, he was able to create this resource. http://sedac.ciesin.columbia.edu:9080/tg/guide_main.jsp SEDAC has released a new Thematic Guide on Social Science Applications of Remote Sensing. This guide provides an introduction to remote sensing for non-technical audiences and reviews key issues in the application of remote sensing techniques in social science research. The online guide provides examples of the application of remote sensing in six different social science fields and includes an extensive research bibliography and a listing of major satellite systems and sensors. http://www.ornl.gov/gist/landscan/index.html The 2001 version of the LandScan dataset is now available from Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). LandScan provides global estimates of 'ambient' population on a 30" X 30" latitude/longitude grid. Census counts at sub-national levels are apportioned to each grid cell based on likelihood coefficients derived from proximity to roads, slope, land cover, nighttime lights, and other factors. LandScan 2001 supercedes LandScan 2000, which, at the request of ORNL, SEDAC no longer disseminates. http://glovis.usgs.gov/ Version 3.0 of the USGS Global Visualization Viewer has been released. The new release includes the introduction to the NASA Distributed Active Archive Center (DAAC) ASTER browse images. The inventory of ASTER scenes is current through the end of May 2002. Also, the source code can be downloaded by organizations wishing to create similar web sites. Note: The source code is provided "As-Is" with no support. http://www.cimmyt.org/Research/NRG/map/developing_world/africamaizeresearchatlas/afrmaizeresatlas.htm Africa Maize Research Atlas (version 2.0). A compendium of digital data on climate, soils, elevation, land use, population, and maize-related information for sub-Saharan Africa. The Atlas contains over 150 different layers of spatial data, covering roughly all of Africa from southern Chad, Mali, Niger and Sudan to the Cape of Good Hope. Version 2.0 also has an added focus on the Southern African Development Community (SADC, including Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe). Geographic information is combined with maize-related data, such as climate similarity zones for 104 major maize research sites, estimation of climatic risk at specific crop growth stages, simulated maize yields for East Africa (derived from the CERES model), and human consumption/nutrition data. The CIMMYT Natural Resources Group (NRG) and Texas A&M University Contact: j.white@cgiar.org -------------------------------------------------------------------- GEOSPATIAL RESEARCH / APPLICATIONS / REFERNECE MATERIAL -------------------------------------------------------------------- http://80.110.251.60/corp/archiv/papers/2001/CORP2001_Aibinu_MI.pdf Utilising GIS in Kigali (Rwanda) urban planning and city management, By Aderemi Aibinu. The paper discusses the development of an innovative urban plan and an appropriate technique for providing easy access to accurate, fast and reliable urban information, which will be used in the preparation of city development plan. http://www.geo.ucl.ac.be/Recherche/Teledetection/Projects/Lupo_Reginster.html Land-cover Changes in West Africa: Multitemporal Change Vector Analysis at a Coarse Scale and Change Processes Categorisation with SPOT Vegetation Data. This report presents the first results of this study: a map (available in digital format) which represents the impact of the natural disasters and rapid land-cover changes which have occurred during the growing seasons of 1998 and 1999 in West Africa. For every 'hot spot' of change detected (flooding, local decrease or increase of vegetation cover), information has been compiled on the type of change, their cause (heavy rains, drought conditions, deforestation or fires) and their environmental significance. http://www.nczooeletrack.org/elephants/loomis_maps/ Mapping and Analyzing Elephant Migration in Cameroon Maps constructed with GIS software allow researchers to analyze elephant location data over time. For example, one can view an elephant's migration route, on a day-to-day basis, over the course of several months. One can also consider how those movements change during Cameroon's dry season (December to June) and during the wet season (June to January). And, by adding data about the physical characteristics of a landscape (roads, rivers, villages, etc.) to the map, one can better understand how those characteristics may effect elephant migration. -------------------------------------------------------------------- FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES / AWARDS / SUPPORT -------------------------------------------------------------------- http://reuters.stanford.edu/ Reuters Foundation Digital Vision Fellowship Program at Stanford University. Reuters Foundation Digital Vision Fellowship Program enables outstanding technologists to use their vision and talent to build information and communications technology solutions that empower developing world communities. The deadline for 2003 applications is March 14, 2003. http://www.nuffic.net/common.asp?id=382 The Netherlands Fellowship Programmes have been revised. In 2003 a number of important changes will go into effect to make the programmes more demand-oriented, more focused on institutional development, and more flexible. The deadline for fellowship applications varies. The new NFP consists of two programmes: the Academic Programme (AP) and the Training Programme (TP). http://www.nuffic.net/common.asp?id=668 The Netherlands Programme for the Institutional Strengthening of Post-secondary Education and Training (NPT) http://www.nuffic.net/common.asp?id=663 NFP - AP: Fellowships for master's degree programmes. Applicants first apply for admission to the master's degree programme of their choice. This should always be done directly to the Dutch institution offering the programme. The deadlines for these applications vary between 1 February and 1 April 2003. http://www.nuffic.net/common.asp?id=658 NFP- AP: Fellowships for PhD studies. Applications for an NFP PhD fellowship should have reached Nuffic before 1 July 2003. http://www.nuffic.net/common.asp?id=659 NFP - TP: Fellowships for short courses http://www.nuffic.net/common.asp?id=629 NFP - TP: Tailor-made training http://www.wellcome.ac.uk/en/1/biosfgintpop.html Wellcome Trust, Health Consequences of Population Change Supports research into the health impact of shifts in population structure and dynamics, particularly in the developing world. The HCPC Programme supports research aimed at documenting and understanding current sweeping demographic and socioeconomic changes, assessing their impact on public health, and using new knowledge to improve the delivery of healthcare. Ultimately, it aims to provide a reliable evidence base to support policy and decision-making on the best use of scarce health-care resources. The closing dates for receipt of full applications are: 1 July 2002 [round has closed]; and 3 March 2003 (decisions will be notified in June 2003). Late applications will not be considered. Candidates should be residents of the developing countries in Africa, Asia or Latin America, or the restructuring countries of Central and Eastern Europe, including the former Soviet Union. They normally should be educated at least to first degree level in a relevant subject. Further details hcpc@wellcome.ac.uk http://www.gsdi.org/SDIA/INSA-JRD_Tata_Fellowship.doc INSA-JRD Tata Fellowship The Fellowship provides an opportunity for young scientists, teachers and researchers from the developing countries all over the world to undertake research studies in India. It covers short-term, participatory research studies in all major disciplines of science and technology including engineering and medical sciences at the Indian Centres of Excellence selected by the scientists. The Fellowship awardees are provided considerable freedom in availing the opportunity and formulating the contents of their research work in india. The awardees may either choose any institute or seek the assistance of the Indian National Science Academy. The Academy may arrange the placements accordingly for the awardees and also a research collaborator/ supervisor at the host institute in India About 20 Fellowships are likely to be provided annually. The deadlines for receipt of the applications are 31st March and 30th September.The Fellowship covers to and fro airfare, board and lodging at the affiliated institution/, and an adequate allowance in Indian currency to cover incidental expanses. The minimum period of award will be 3 months, not exceeding six months. http://www.codesria.org/Links/Training%20and%20Grants/Small_Grants_2003%20a.htm The Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa (CODESRIA) has announced the 16th competition for the Small Grants Programme for Thesis Writing. The grants are intended to contribute to funding primary research conducted by students and professionals, as means of promoting the development of social sciences in Africa and of strengthening the research capacity of African Universities. The grants are also aimed at funding fieldwork, the acquisition of books and documents, data processing and the printing costs of written theses. The Programme is open to African professionals and graduate students registered in African universities preparing their theses in all social science fields and other disciplines involving social and economic analysis. Application deadline is 30 March 2003. -------------------------------------------------------------------- TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES -------------------------------------------------------------------- http://www.natgeo.su.se/naturgeo/uncourse/index.htm 13th UN/Sweden International Training Course on Remote Sensing Education for Educators, 5 May - 13 June 2003, Stockholm and Kiruna, Sweden. OOSA sponsors educators from developing countries. OOSA provides international air travel for 13 selected participants, and Sweden government covers international air travel of the rest participants, plus accommodations, pocket money and local transportation for the duration of the course for all participants. The deadline for receipt of applications is Jan 31, 2003 (to Swedish embassies, Feb. 10, 2003 if received directly by OOSA's office in Vienna) is February 10, 2003. The course is highly competitive, and for 26 places OOSA usually receives 120 - 140 applications. [Note from Kate: this training is for educators in natural and physical sciences at universities and technical colleges in developing countries. Applicants should have a minimum of three years teaching experience]. Candidates should have at least a Master degree in subjects relevant to the course. Female teachers are encouraged to apply. http://uclas.ac.tz/gic/timetable.htm The EISCAP project is a collaboration between the University College of Lands and Architectural Studies UCLAS and the Institute of Aerospace Surveys and Earth Sciences (ITC) which aims to build capacity in the field of Environmental Information Systems. The EISCAP training Programs target technicians and graduates involved in Environmental Information management who need to be able to use modern remote sensing and GIS tools in an application context. Courses have been designed so that participants can immediately apply the acquired knowledge and start productive work after completion of the course. See website for further details and costs. Geo Information Centre's 2003 training schedule (Dar es Salaam) GIS and Remote Sensing Application for Environmental Impact Assessment, February 2003, 8 Weeks GIS and RS Application for Water Resource Management, April 2003, 8 Weeks GIS and Remote Sensing for Urban Environment Management and Planning, June 2003, 8 Weeks GIS, Remote Sensing and Digital Cartography, August 2003, 6 Weeks GIS and Remote Sensing Application for Forest Resource Management, October 2003, 8 Weeks The Geo Information Centre (GIC), UCLAS P. O. Box 35176, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania Tel: (+255-022) 2700820, 2700657 Fax: (+255-22) 2775448, 2775479 e-mail: mtalo@uclas.ac.tz Engineer Degree (Bac +5) on Geographic Information Sciences within Ecole Hassania des Traveaux Publics (EHTP - Casablanca - Morocco). The program is a 3 year program of study oriented on Geomatic projects and Geographic Information Systems (GIS). During the academic year 2002-2003 two new courses were added to the third year program: - GIS Project Management - Spatial/Geographic Data Infrastructure For futher information, contact: Mohamed Timoulali, Informatics Information Technologies and Gomatic (ITIGEO), La cigogne 3 Appt. 314 Rue Farhat Hachad Ocan, Rabat, Maroc GSM: 212 061 535698, e-mail: timoulali@atlasnet.net.ma, http://scanict.marwan.ac.ma/ -------------------------------------------------------------------- TRAVEL GRANT OPPORTUNITIES -------------------------------------------------------------------- http://www.scgis.org/scholarship.html The Society for Conservation GIS Announces its 2003 Conference Scholarship Awards Program. Conservation GIS users who require financial assistance to enable them to attend the sixth annual SCGIS conference, being held from July 4 - 6, 2003 in Asilomar, California, may apply for these competitive scholarships. Scholarship funds cover an airfare and some or all waivers for the SCGIS conference registration. ESRI is supporting with waivers for their Annual ESRI User conference registration and pre and post conference training in Redlands, California for SCGIS scholarship awardees. The ESRI User Conference is being held from July 7-11, 2003 in San Diego, California. Applicants must be affiliated with a non-profit conservation organization or a university conservation project in their region or country. Closing date for SCGIS conference scholarship applications is January 31, 2003. See website for further details for applying. If you have any questions contact Prashant Hedao, phedao@esri.com, or Serene Ong, song@esri.com. -------------------------------------------------------------------- CONFERENCES - YOU'RE INVITED! -------------------------------------------------------------------- January 2003, Dakar, Senegal (third week of January 2003 proposed) http://www.paris21.org/htm/regional.htm#africa West Africa Regional Workshop(s) -- Statistics. The workshop will be split into two parts comprising seven to eight countries each. The two parts will be held on different dates and in different locations. Every country will be invited to attend both parts, but the delegations for countries to which the workshop relates directly will include up to six delegates, and the other countries will send one or two delegates. The first group will be composed of: Cape Verde, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Mauritania, Senegal, Sierra Leone. The second group will include Benin, Burkina Faso, Cote d'Ivoire, The Gambia, Liberia, Niger, Nigeria, and Togo. The second West African workshop has been proposed for February 17-21, 2003 in Abuja, Nigeria January 24-25, 2003, Marrakech Morocco http://www.onigt.org.ma/news.htm Third Congress of ONIGT (Ordre National des Ingnieurs Gom tres- Topographes). Theme: L'ingnieur au service de la collectivit locale /The engineer in service to the local collectivity. Contact: Mohamed Timoulali, timoulali@atlasnet.net.ma January 22-24, 2003, University of Stellenbosch, Stellenbosch, Western Cape, South Africa http://www.cig.ensmp.fr/~iahs/conferences/2003Stellenbosch.htm 2nd International Symposium on Integrated Water Resourcs Management - "Towards Sustainable Water Utilisation in the 21st Century. Call For Oral And Poster Presentations - deadline Jan 31, 2003 http://www.gsdi.org/docs/SDIA/Landscapes_of_Africa4.doc Call For Oral And Poster Presentations For A Special Session On "The Changing Landscapes Of Africa" (July 2003, see below). International Association of Landscape Ecologist, (IALE) World Congress. All abstracts need to be submitted through the IALE 2003 conference web site at http://www.iale.ntu.edu.au by January 31, 2003. For further information, contact Henry Bulley, hbulley@calmit.unl.edu February 3-7, 2003, Nairobi, Kenya. http://www.unep.org/GoverningBodies/GC22/ Twenty-Second Session of the Governing Council/Global Ministerial Environment Forum http://www.unep.org/GoverningBodies/GC22/Document/19Dec-RevStru.doc (proposed organization and structure of the meeting) http://www.urisa.org/PPGIS/callforppgis.htm Call for presentations: PPGIS Conference (see July 20-22, 2003). Abstracts due by February 7, 2003. February 13-14, 2003, Sierra Leone http://www.aitecafrica.com/events/Sierra/sierra.html Computing, Telecommunications and the Internet for Africa's Digital Transformation (AITEC) is organising a Sierra Leone IT Education Forum on 13-14 February 2003 - Mobilising information technology for National recovery. The main aim of the event is to bring together private sector, government and civil society groups interested in mobilising ICTs as a tool for development and mapping out a vision and strategy to stimulate growth and development in Sierra Leone. Organisations and individuals wanting to propose presentations for the conference should e-mail proposals to Kwami Ahiabenu, with a brief presentation outline and biographical note on the presenter (kwami@aitecafrica.com), admin@aitecafrica.com February 17-21, 2003 in Abuja, Nigeria http://www.paris21.org/htm/regional.htm#africa West Africa Regional Workshop(s) -- Statistics. See above (January 2003) February 17-21, 2003, Ubon Ratchathani, Thailand http://www.iucn.org/themes/fcp/activities/transboundary1.htm Increasing effectiveness of Transboundary Conservation Areas in tropical forests. Upcoming workshop organized jointly by ITTO (International Tropical Timber Organization) and IUCN. The workshop will bring together practioners involved in the implementation of ITTO's transboundary conservation areas (TBCA) programme, and experts from IUCN and other interested organizations. TBCA Meeting Secretariat: transboundary@iucn.org February 18-21, 2003, Lusaka, Zambia http://www.melissa.org/english/about%20us/main2.htm http://www.melissa.org/english/about%20us/AgendaLusaka.htm (provisional agenda) The MELISSA Program Regional Workshop on "Managing Sustainable Development Locally: Fighting Poverty and Environmental Degradation" The Workshop,hosted by PAES (Partnership for African Environmental Sustainability), aims to advance the participants' knowledge of the broad range of poverty reduction and sustainable development issues confronting local governments. The meeting is an interactive platform to share experiences and knowledge. Recognizing that the success of this event depends on the participants' contribution, the MELISSA Program has set aside a very limited amount of grant funds to facilitate participation of African stakeholders from the public and the private sectors, as well as from the civil society. If you would like to be considered for a grant, please indicate this clearly when registering. However, bear in mind that it is unlikely that the MELISSA Program will be able to meet all grant requests; only those who meet the selection criteria will be eligible for consideration. February 19-21, 2003, Accra, Ghana http://www.cto.int/ http://www.cto.int/frame.php?dir=02&sd=10#Ghana Commonwealth Telecommunications Network (CTO) Digital Africa Summit: Building Digital Opportunities through Public-Private Partnerships. For more information, contact Rowan Waddelow, Conference Director, rw@worldsummits.com February 28, 2003. Deadline for submissions for AfricaGIS '03 (to be held November 4-8, 2003) http://www.gsdi.org/docs/SDIA/First_announcement_def.pdf Anyone interested in making a presentation in the form of a paper, poster, workshop, or demonstration should send an abstract or synopsis (no more than three paragraphs of 50-100 words) in electronic format to the Program Committee by 28 February. Les parties intresses par une prsentation sous l'une des formes suivantes : document imprim, poster, atelier ou dmonstration , sont invites  en envoyer un rsum ou un condens (pas plus de 3 paragraphes de 50  100 mots) en version lectronique au Comit charg du Programme de la Confrence, vers le 28 Fvrier. March 2003 http://www.gisig.it/coastgis/call_for_papers/callforpaper_def.pdf Call for papers: Submission of abstracts due by beginning of March 2003. Fifth International Symposium on GIS and Computer Cartography for Coastal Zone Management, October 16-18, 2003, Genova, Italy http://www.gisig.it/coastgis/home.htm March 10-12, 2003, Paris, France http://www7.nationalacademies.org/usnc-codata/OpenAccessWorkshop.html International Workshop on Open Access and the Public Domain in Digital Data and Information for Science March 16-23, 2003, Japan http://www.water-forum3.com/ta/ The 3rd World Water Forum March 19-20, 2003, Hong Kong, China http://www.hk-cyber.net/sdq/index.htm 2nd International Symposium on Spatial Data Quality. The Symposium will provide an interdisciplinary forum for international leading scientists and young researchers to present their latest research developments and share their experience in this field. A conference proceeding will be published before the conference. Selected papers, after a review process, will be published as a special issue for International Journal of Remote Sensing. Keynote speakers: - Michael Goodchild, Progressive Construction of Geographic Knowledge, University of California, U.S.A. - Andrew Frank, How to measure data quality, How to measure data quality - Martien Molenaar, ITC, The Netherlands March 24-28, 2003, International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP), Trieste, Italy http://ugamp.nerc.ac.uk/promise/research/conference2003/index.html Monsoon environments: Agricultural and hydrological impacts of seasonal variability and climate change. Currently sponsored by EU PROMISE, ICTP, WRCP and START/CLIMAG PROMISE comes to an end in March 2003. An international conference is planned to disseminate the results of the project. PROMISE research is inter-disciplinary and applicable to end-users and policy-makers. The aim is to include presentations from development agency representatives and end-users as well as from leading resesarchers in meteorology, hydrology and agriculture. April 13-17, 2003, Paris / Marne-la-Valle, France http://www.figww2003.com The 125th Anniversary of the International Federation of Surveyors (FIG) May 12-16, 2003, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia http://www.uneca.org/codi/codi_iii_information_note.htm http://www.uneca.org/codi/codi_iii_information_note_FR.htm (francais) The 3rd Meeting for the Committee on Development Information Theme: Information for Governance United Nations Conference Center (UNCC), Addis Ababa, Ethiopia http://www.uneca.org/codi May 18-23, 2003, Montreal, Canada http://network.idrc.ca/ev.php?URL_ID=3964&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC International Forum on Ecosystem Approaches to Human Health The goal of the Forum is to provide a platform for a discussion of the ecosystem approach to human health, the evidence from the field, and the relevance of the approach to improving health and well-being. The Forum offers the opportunity for researchers, policymakers, practitioners, and civil society representatives from around the world to share knowledge, and for institutions to consider strategies for a way forward. May 19-23, 2003, Bonn, Germany http://www.cifor.cgiar.org/shared/template/livelihoodconference.asp International Conference on Rural Livelihoods, Forests and Biodiversity. An international conference on the role of forests in supporting rural livelihoods in developing countries and on the maintenance of biodiversity. Key objectives are to survey current knowledge and identify policy lessons and a future research strategy. May 22-23, 2003, GFAR Conference in Dakar, Senegal http://www.egfar.org/tools/special2002/specialcontents.htm#2003 Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA) and the Senegalese National Organising Committee to hold the 2003 GFAR Conference on May 22 & 23, 2003. The GFAR Conference follows closely behind the 2nd FARA General Assembly which will now take place on May 19 & 20th, 2003 in Dakar, Senegal. In between the FARA and GFAR meetings, there will be an Agricultural Day scheduled for May 21st, 2003, during which the host, the Senegalese NARS, will show us some of the work they have been doing. GFAR Secretariat, gfar-secretariat@fao.org May 22-23, 2003. Berlin, Germany http://tlc.unipv.it/urban_2003/index.html 2nd Joint Workshop on Remote Sensing and Data Fusion over Urban Areas (URBAN 2003) May 27-30 2003, Semmering, Austria http://isess.crle.uoguelph.ca/2003.html International Symposium on Environmental Information Systems (ISESS 2003) is the 8th event in the conference series organised by IFIP (International Federation for Information Processing) Working Group 5.11, "Computers and Environment". The purpose of the symposium is to present and discuss the progress and actual trends in Enviromatics in terms of methods, tools and state-of-the-art applications. July 9-11, 2003, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA http://www.spatial.maine.edu/~ssdbm03/ SSDBM2003, 15th International Conference on Scientific and Statistical Database Management June 14-20, 2003, Marrakech, Morocoo http://www.iaia.org/ IAIA '03 Conference: Impact Assessment and Capacity Building July 7-11, 2003, San Diego, CA, USA http://www.esri.com/events/uc/index.html ESRI International User Conference 2003 July 12-14, 2003, Okinawa, Japan http://www.iscgm.org/html4/index_c1_s1.html#doc2_org.iscgm.schedule.gmf03 Global Mapping Forum 2003 in Okinawa (GMF03), sponsored by the International Steering Committee for Global Mapping. The objective of the Forum is to exchange ideas, experiences and information among data users and data providers concerning global or regional scale geographic information. July 13-17, 2003, Darwin, Australia http://www.iale.ntu.edu.au International Association for Landscape Ecology (IALE) World Congress. A special session on Africa is being planned for 2003. The proposed theme for this session is, "The Changing Landscapes Of Africa". The session is also intended to be a starting point for an Africa-Chapter of IALE. All those with interest in landscape analysis, resource data and projects in Africa are encouraged to be part of this process. If you are interested in the special session and Africa-IALE, contact: Henry N.N. Bulley, CALMIT, University of Nebraska - Lincoln Tel: 402-472-4973; Email: hbulley@calmit.unl.edu July 20-22, 2003, Portland, Oregon, USA http://www.urisa.org/PPGIS/ppgis.html 2nd Annual Public Participation GIS Conference (PPGIS) Portland State University July 20-25, 2003, Cambridge, U.K. (by invitation only) http://www.cambridgeconference2003.com/index.htm National Mapping - Shaping the future. A newsletter, giving more details about the conference, has been sent out to potential delegates. Ordnance Survey hosted the first two conferences (1995, 1999), which by design aims to get together the senior people in national mapping to discuss, in a relatively informal setting, the challenges facing national mapping around the world. In recent years, the conference has also, not surprisingly, focused on SDI's, training, public private relationships etc. for senior representatives of national mapping organisations of the world. Each time, about 200 delegates from 70 to 80 countries were represented at the conference July 21 - August 1, 2003, Durban, South Africa http://www.ru.ac.za/institutes/rgi/irc2003/IRC2003.htm International Rangeland Congress August 4 - 11, 2003, Bloemfontein, South Africa Water Conservation Technologies for Sustainable Dryland Agriculture in Sub-Saharan Africa (WCT). This event is organized jointly by the International Water Management Institute (IWMI), the Water Research Commission of South Africa (WRC), South Africa's National Department of Agriculture (NDA) and the ARC-Institute for Soil, Climate and Water (ISCW). This event was initiated by ISCW and the Optimizing Soil Water Use (OSWU) Consortium which is part of the Systemwide Soil, Water and Nutrient Management (SWNM) Programme of CGIAR. August 10-16, 2003, Durban, South Africa http://www.icc2003.gov.za/ 21st International Cartographic Conference & 12th General Assembly of the International Cartographic Association ICA and the Global Spatial Data Infrastructure Association will offer spatial data infrastructure workshops in conjunction with the International Cartographic Conference August 12-16, 2003, Nairobi, Kenya http://www.jkuat.ac.ke/other/ce2003/default.htm International Civil Engineering Conference on Sustainable Development in the 21st Century. Organized by: Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture & Technology (JKUAT) August 13-20, 2003. Berlin, Germany http://www.isi-2003.de International Statistical Institute, 54th Biennial Session (includes meetings of the Bernoulli Society, the International Association for Statistical Computing, the International Association of Survey Statisticians, the International Association for Official Statistics and the International Association for Statistical Education). Email: isi@cbs.nl August 17-22, 2003, Kruger National Park, South Africa http://safnet.umd.edu/implementation/events/meetings/index.asp Fourth Meeting of Southern Africa Fire Network (SAFNet) Contact: Diane Davies, ddavies@hermes.geog.umd.edu August 25-29, 2003, Abuja, Nigeria http://www.aitecafrica.com/act2002/default.htm The Fifth Annual African Computing & Telecommunications Summit, Mobilising ICT Applications & Projects for effective Corporate, National and Regional Development September 8-17, 2003, Durban, South Africa http://wcpa.iucn.org/wpc/wpc.html Vth World Congress on Protected Areas September 17-19, 2003, Quebec, Canada. http://www.gfis.net/showannoun.php?id=24 Information Interoperability and Organization for National and Global Forest Information Systems. The goal of the conference is to bring together international scientists, practitioners, administrators, and information professionals to discuss and announce recent research and advances in the use and organization of information within national and global forest information systems. September 29-October 3, 2003, Moscow, Russia http://wccc2003@mecom.ru World Climate Change Conference. Executive Secretariat (scientific issues): Yu.Izrael@g23.relcom.ru October 16-18, 2003: 2003. Montreal, Canada Open Meeting of the Human Dimensions of Global Environmental Change Research Community. Updated information will be posted at the 2001 open meeting web site: http://sedac.ciesin.columbia.edu/openmeeting/ October 16-18, 2003, Genova, Italy http://www.gisig.it/coastgis/home.htm Fifth International Symposium on GIS and Computer Cartography for Coastal Zone Management. CoastGIS is a collaborative initiative of the International Geographical Union's Commission on Coastal Systems and the International Cartographic Association's Commission on Marine Cartography. October 19-31, 2003. Bonn, Germany 6th Conference of the Parties to the Convention to Combat Desertification. Contact: CCD Secretariat: Tel 49-228-815 2800; Fax 49-228-815 2898/99; secretariat@unccd.int; www.unccd.int November 4-8, 2003, Dakar, Senegal. http://www.gsdi.org/docs/SDIA/First_announcement_def.pdf AfricaGIS '03. Check EIS-AFRICA website for more details as they become available. http://www.eis-africa.org. The main theme for AfricaGIS'03 is 'Meeting the Information Needs for the NEPAD'. Le th me principal retenu pourAfricaGIS'03 est 'vers une satisfaction des besoins informationnels du NEPAD' November 4-7, 2003, Washington, DC, USA http://gsdi.org/SDIA/gdinfinal.pdf http://www.gdin.org GDIN2003, Sixth Annual Conference of the Global Disaster Information Network. For questions on gdin2003, send an email to gdin2003@hotmail.com. For questions on GDIN, send an email to gdin@hotmail.com [the GDIN Secretariat is pleased to announce that the Government of South Africa has offered to host GDIN2004]. November 10-14, 2003, Honolulu, HI, USA http://www.symposia.org 30th International Symposium on Remote Sensing of Environment December 1- 5, 2003. Morocco FIG Regional Conference for the Arab Countries and Francophone Africa. Organised by FIG, Ordre National des Ingenieurs Geometres - Topographes ONIGT. Co-sponsored by FIG Commissions 2, 3 and 5. Contact: FIG Office, email: fig@fig.net December 10-12, 2003, Geneva, Switzerland http://www.itu.int/wsis/ World Summit on the Information Society, First Phase. -------------------------------------------------------------------- EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES -------------------------------------------------------------------- http://www.birdlife.net/jobs/job_cta.cfm Chief Technical Advisor (CTA) for a Cameroon/Nigeria Transboundary Integrated Conservation and Development Project is being sought for 15 months, starting in March 2003, and to be based in Yaounde, Cameroon. Deadline for applications: Jan 10, 2003. http://www.unesco.org/per/Vacancies/egysc0010.pdf Assistant Programme Specialist in Earth Sciences Professional category (P-1/P-2) Organizational location: UNESCO Office in Cairo, Cairo, Egypt Applications due no later than 3 February 2003. http://www.unesco.org/per/Vacancies/zimsc0002.pdf Title: Programme Specialist in Basic Sciences Professional category (P-4) Organizational location: UNESCO Office in Harare, Harare, Zimbabwe Applications due no later than 3 February 2003. http://www.si.edu/simab/Gabon.htm Monitoring and Assessment of Biodiversity Program, Gamba, Gabon. The /Monitoring and Assessment of Biodiversity Program (MAB), of the National Zoological Park's Conservation and Research Center works to conserve biological diversity throughout the world. For more than ten years, the program has been conducting research, conservation, and training activities in Central Africa. MAB requires a program specialist for the Gabon Biodiversity Program to implement field projects by coordinating program priorities and by providing administrative support. The program specialist participates in project development and monitors achievements, and manages multiple tasks to ensure that objectives are met within Program budget. The program specialist serves as contact person with national government, international agencies, and other non-governmental organizations. Candidates should hold a Masters Degree in conservation biology/ecology or relevant social sciences (Ph.D. preferred), and three years of experience. Candidates should have practical knowledge of technical aspects of biodiversity research and skills to facilitate coordination and management of projects, administrative experience in managing budgets and contracts, strong positive attitude and an ability to prioritize and manage multiple tasks. Excellent writing and communication skills are a must. Candidate must be fluent in English and have an advanced knowledge of French. Applications for this position must include (1) one to two pages describing the applicant's interest and qualifications for the position, (2) the applicant's curriculum vitae and (3) two letters of reference. Submit applications to Alfonso Alonso via e-mail at aalonso@ic.si.edu. Deadline for submitting applications is January 17, 2003. http://www.uz.ac.zw/jobs/asa-12-12-2002-2.html Animal Ecologist, University of Zimbabwe Applicants are invited from ecologists with appropriate academic training and experience in large mammal ecology. They should have at least an MSc in Ecology or a related discipline. A PhD would be an added advantage. The successful applicant will be responsible for teaching some undergraduate courses but will also be involved in the MSc degree in Tropical Resource Ecology. Closing date for receipt of applications is 24th January 2003. http://www.iucn.org/about/pva_regdir_rosa.pdf IUCN Regional Director - Southern Africa Duty Station: Harare, Zimbabwe Deadline: 27 January 2003. -------------------------------------------------------------------- OTHER -------------------------------------------------------------------- New e-Initiative to Facilitate e-Government for Development Exchange A new email- and Web-based initiative will enable e-government practitioners in developing countries to exchange best practices and other ideas. The eGovernment for Development Information Exchange will also include developing country-specific case studies, reports, and training materials. The Exchange is coordinated by the Institute for Development Policy & Management at the University of Manchester with partners in developing countries. If you are involved with e-government for development and would like to join the Exchange's e-mail list for discussion and alerting, please reply to richard.heeks@man.ac.uk with: your name your postal address at work (for hard copy outputs) your e-mail address (if not indicated in your reply headers) http://pda.healthnet.org International NGO Provides PDAs to African Health Care Providers Lack of information on treatments and disease management is one of the pressing health care problems in Africa. Through its Health Information Project SATELLIFE, an international nonprofit organization, turned to a device that is gaining widespread popularity in many Western medical communities: hand held computers, also called personal digital assistants or PDAs. The technology encompassed by PDAs offers a unique but untapped promise to conduct surveys in an efficient manner with subsequent rapid data analysis and reporting, and to enable physicians and other health professionals to have constant access to up-to-date information. SATELLIFE is conducting the project in three African countries: Ghana, Kenya and Uganda. http://www.egov4dev.org/topic1cases.htm Cases of eGovernment Success and Failure from Developing/ Transitional Countries. The projects focus on providing services online. [Note from Kate: very few of these cases are using GIS, though there is this example: A Land Licensing and Planning System for Beira City, Mozambique http://www.egov4dev.org/beira.htm#title This example was categorized as a failure in terms of influencing decision making. Overall, note the critical success and failture factors and recommendations from the case studies]. -------------------------------------------------------------------- The inspiration for this newsletter came from the Forest Information Update (www.foresters.org/portal), and follows the same format. Thank you Gyde! You are welcome to forward this message onto colleagues who may find the information useful. If you do so, please include the newsletter contact information at the bottom of this message so that others will know about the newsletter and subscribe themselves. If you have news or information related to GIS, remote sensing, and spatial data infrastructure (e.g., workshop announcements, publications, reports, websites of interest) kindly send me the materials so that I can include it in the newsletter. This newsletter depends upon your continued interest and input. This newsletter is supported through the Geographic Information for Sustainable Development Project GISD (http://www.opengis.org/gisd). -------------------------------------------------------------------- Kate Lance EROS Data Center/International Program Address: Global Spatial Data Infrastructure Secretariat USGS 12201 Sunrise Valley Drive Mail Stop 590 Reston, VA 20192 Email: klance@usgs.gov Tel: 703-648-4564 Fax. 703-648-5755 Website: http://edcintl.cr.usgs.gov/ http://www.gsdi.org/