PATIAL DATA INFRASTRUCTURE AFRICA UPDATE VOL 2, NO. 13 - 20 NOVEMBER 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 information into a newsletter in an effort to 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/pubs2.html#SDINEWS GISD: http://www.opengis.org/gisd/sdi_news.htm 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 Liz Gavin, EIS-AFRICA (South Africa); Kennedy Masamvu, SADC Regional Remote Sensing Unit (Zimbabwe); Davids Stevens, U.N. Office for Outer Space Affairs (Switzerland); Shifun Hailu, Ethiopian Mapping Authority (Ethiopia); Michele Shilling, National University of Rwanda (Rwanda); Lucy Phalaagae, Department of Surveys and Mapping (Botswana); Annette Rolfe, UN/OCHA (Sierra Leone); Jocelyn Fenard, UNITAR (Switzerland); Mwangudza Mwasaha, Luigi Broglio Space Centre (Kenya); Luis Abrahamo, DINAGECA (Mozambique); Betty Gowa, National Environment Management Authority (Uganda); Oscar N. Uluocha, Department of Geography, University of Lagos (Nigeria); Didier Devers, University of Maryland, Department of Geography (USA); Paul Desanker, Pennsylvania State University (USA); Enias Chinjekure, Department of the Surveyor General (Zimbabwe); and Els Brems, GMFS/G.I.M. - NV/SA (Luxembourg) for their contributions to this issue of the newsletter. -------------------------------------------------------------------- UPDATE FROM AFRICAGIS '03 -------------------------------------------------------------------- Congratulations to EIS-AFRICA and to the local organizing committee in Senegal for the organizing AFRICAGIS '03. I encourage you to visit the EIS-AFRICA website for the conference proceedings (they should be online soon), http://www.eis-africa.org. For those of you who did not have the good fortune to attend, Dr. Liz Gavin, Acting Executive Director of EIS-AFRICA, was kind enough to share this summary: Africa GIS '03 - Meeting the information needs of NEPAD Over 300 people converged on Dakar during the week 3-8 November 2003, to participate in the 6th AfricaGIS meeting, which focussed on "Meeting the information needs of NEPAD". Participants came from 30 African countries, as well as 12 countries outside Africa. AfricaGIS '03 was officially opened by Senegal's Minister for the Environment and Sanitation, Mr Modou Diagna Fada. The theme for the meeting was reinforced by a presentation on NEPAD by Mme Maguette Wade in the opening plenary session. Africa GIS '03 followed the traditional blend of technical plenary sessions and discussions focussing on a conference sub-theme, technical sessions and workshops. Conference goers also availed themselves of the opportunity to spend time in the exhibition halls throughout the week. Keynote speakers and discussants raised challenges facing the geo-information community in Africa . These include the need to shift their focus to the usage of information for development in Africa, particularly at the local level, rather than dwelling on technical complexities; to define how information technology can be used to support development and work towards this; to think in terms of making information useable, rather than simply considering its availability, and the need to pool knowledge and skills, in order to make effective use of information resources. Over 100 presentations were made, in both oral and poster form. Ten workshops during the conference allowed for in-depth discussions on topics such as policy and partnerships for building spatial data infrastructure, geo-information standardization and interoperability, the use of a geo-statistical database in supporting development and tools for improved management and use of geo-information. Recommendations deriving from the meeting include the following: ú Working towards wider access to both socio-economic and natural resource data, to facilitate the implementation of NEPAD; ú A participatory approach to identifying information needs with respect to improved resource management; ú The need to develop spatial data infrastructure; ú The harnessing of geo-information as a tool for NEPAD's peer review mechanism and monitoring development progress, particularly through exploiting existing initiatives and projects which are developing relevant data and information products; ú The need for investment in the information and communication infrastructure in African countries. ~EG - - - - The workshop on policy and partnerships for building spatial data infrastructure drew a sizeable crowd, I'm pleased to say. The following link provide details of the final program, which included presentations on national data/SDI policies from Nigiera, Namibia, and South Africa. The workshop also highlighted several examples of public-private partnerships for data development, distribution, and/or use. For further information, contact klance@usgs.gov, and download the reference materials provided online. http://www.gsdi.org/docs/SDIA/SDIworkshop_AfricaGIS03.doc http://www.gsdi.org/docs/SDIA/Landsat_Experts_Meeting.doc The Pre-Conference Expert Meeting on "The Use of Available Global Landsat Data Sets for Meeting the Information Needs of NEPAD" filled a workshop room as well. Seventy-two geospatial specialists representing 27 countries, met to review current obstacles and opportunities to accelerate the distribution of the available global LANDSAT data sets to support natural resources management, environmental monitoring, disaster management and sustainable development in Africa. http://www.gsdi.org/docs/SDIA/LandsatImagery_available_SADC-RRSU.doc One opportunity of note is the availability of some of the global Landsat datasets at the SADC Regional Remote Sensing Unit (RRSU) (in Harare), as this brief summary explains. The Regional Center for Mapping of Resources for Development (RCMRD) (in Nairobi) and AGRHYMET (in Niamey) also have imagery for distribution in their respective regions, thanks to the efforts of USGS/EROS Data Center and UNEP. For further information, contact: Dr. Kennedy Masamvu, RRSU, rrsu@fanr-sadc.co.zw Dr. Wilber Otichillo, RCMRD, rcmrd@rcmrd.org Dr. Issoufou Alfari, admin@agrhymet.ne -------------------------------------------------------------------- SDI NEWS, LINKS, PAPERS, PRESENTATIONS - HAVE YOU READ? -------------------------------------------------------------------- -- SDI update from Canada http://www.geobase.ca/ Moving Towards a New Geospatial and Mapping Environment - GeoBase Portal is Launched! On November 19, 2003, Natural Resources Canada launched the GeoBase Portal, providing Canadians with access to geospatial data at no cost to users and with no restrictions on its use. The new portal is intended to ensure the provision of common, up-to-date and maintained sets of quality geospatial data for all of Canada. Each of the provinces and territories, as well as many federal agencies, have contributed to this version of the GeoBase Portal, which offers users access to six pre-determined sets of data: national road network (NRN) data; Canadian digital elevation data (CDED); geographical names of Canada; administrative boundaries; Canadian geodetic network data; and Landsat-7 orthoimage data. GeoBase is overseen by the Canadian Council on Geomatics, a coalition of federal, provincial and territorial governments, and is supported by GeoConnections. The Portal's launch completes another key deliverable in GeoConnections' mission of making Canada's geographic information readily available via the Internet. For further information, contact WebmasterGeoBase@NRCan.gc.ca - - - - http://www.geobase.ca/ Vers un nouvel environnement de cartographie g‚ospatiale - Lancement du portail G‚oBase! Le 19 novembre 2003, Ressources naturelles Canada procŠde au lancement du portail G‚oBase. Grƒce … ce portail, les internautes canadiens pourront disposer gratuitement de donn‚es g‚ospatiales sans restriction d'utilisation. Le portail G‚oBase ouvre l'accŠs … une base de donn‚es g‚ospatiale commune, actualis‚e et maintenue … la fine pointe pour l'ensemble du Canada. Toutes les provinces et territoires de mˆme que plusieurs agences f‚d‚rales ont contribu‚ … cette version du portail G‚oBase qui donne l'accŠs … six couches th‚matiques d'information sp‚cifiques : le r‚seau routier national (RRN); les donn‚es num‚riques d'‚l‚vation du Canada (DNEC); les noms g‚ographiques du Canada; les limites administratives; le r‚seau g‚od‚sique canadien; et les ortho-images Landsat-7. G‚oBase est chapeaut‚ par le Conseil canadien de la g‚omatique, une coalition des gouvernements f‚d‚ral, provinciaux et territoriaux, et est financ‚ par G‚oConnexions. Le lancement du portail G‚oBase est une ‚tape importante dans l'accomplissement de la mission de G‚oConnexions d'ouvrir l'accŠs … l'information g‚ospatiale canadienne par Internet. Pour plus d'information, veuillez contacter … WebmestreGeoBase@RNCan.gc.ca -- SDI update from India http://www.nsdiindia.org/ 3rd International Workshop on NSDI (India) - Empowering People Through Geospatial Data, 12 - 14 November 2003 http://www.nsdiindia.org/bill.htm (India) National Spatial Data Infrastructure Bill, 2002 http://www.nsdiindia.org/publication/doc.htm (India) NSDI Strategy and Action Plan, December 2002 http://www.nsdiindia.org/organisation/min/index.htm Meeting Minutes (for an inside look at what is being discussed) http://www.nsdiindia.org/faq/index.htm What is NSDI? Who are the stakeholders of the spatial community or the NSDI? What does NSDI primarily do? How does it plan to implement its vision? What is Metadata? What purpose can Metadata serve? http://www.fig.net/figtree/pub/monthly_articles/november_2003/ruther_november_2003.htm http://www.fig.net/figtree/pub/monthly_articles/november_2003/Heinz_Ruther_November_2003.pdf FIG Article of the Month, November 2003 The Situation of Geomatics Education in Africa - An Endangered Profession, By Heinz Rther, South Africa The paper addrerses the situation of surveying/Geomatics in sub-Saharan Africa from the perspective of a survey educator in Africa. The author perceives the profession in Africa as being under severe threat as a result of a number Africa-specific as well as internationally occurring phenomena, among these are the economic situation in Africa in general and specifically that of educational institutions, the image of the profession, donor policies, the development of black-box technology, lack of resources and political instability. http://www.isotc211.org/Outreach/Newsletter/Newsletter_02_2003/TC_211_Newsletter_02.doc ISO/TC 211 Geographic information / Geomatics Newsletter No 2 - October 2003 http://www.gisdevelopment.net/magazine/gisdev/2003/september/roadsdi.shtml Roadmap to SDI in Africa, Liz Gavin, Sept. 2003, GIS Development "SDI development in Africa has perhaps not been highly visible, particularly as viewed from outside the region. "SDI Africa: an implementation guide" is far from complete - and never will be, just as an infrastructure is never complete. But, we have produced a guide, are on the learning curve, and know there are plenty of willing learners, convinced that the long term effort required for building SDI is worthwhile." -- SDI update from Rwanda US Embassy Science Fellow, Martin McComb, is coming from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to work with the National University of Rwanda for 6 weeks. He is mainly working at the organization on standardization of their databases and the creation of a central clearinghouse/warehouse prototype for use for multiple queries. He will also offer weekly seminars on data standardization and databases development guidance for participants coming from the university and several ministries to support the process of SDI in Rwanda. -- SDI update from Ethiopia Ethiopia had their first (official) Ethiopian National Spatial Data Infrastructure (ENSDI) steering committee meeting on October 21st, 2003 at the Ethiopian Mapping Authority. IThe member organizations were represented by: 1. EMA - General Manager 2. Ministry of water resources..Vice Minister 3. Ministry of Agriculture.Vice Minister 4. Eth. Science & Technology Commission. Commissioner 5. Population and Housing Commission. Commissioner 6. National Meteorological Services Agency...Deputy Manager 7. Geological Survey of Ethiopia. Chief Geologist Observer participants also came from from Environmental Authority, USAID, UNDP, UNECA. -- SDI update from Sierra Leona http://www.gsdi.org/docs/SDIA/SLIS_0310_Newsletter.doc The Sierra Leone Information System is a resource for the Humanitarian Community for coordination and knowledge sharing in Sierra Leone. This newsletter, updated every three months is designed to inform interested parties of new products that are available from the SLIS and from the OCHA Humanitarian Information Centre. For further information, refer to http://www.humanitarianinfo.org/slis, a regularly updated website. Another key development is that Statistics Sierra Leone is now chairing the Sierra Leone Information Management Committee. They sent out invitations and oversaw the last Committee meeting that was held at their offices. The meeting was largely attended by Government Ministries. - - SDI update from Botswana http://www.gsdi.org/docs/SDIA/3rd_Survey&MappingConference_15-19Sept2003.doc The 3rd Botswana's Survey and Mapping Conference was held in the small town of Ghanzi situated in the West of the country, from the 15th to 19th September 2003. The conference was the first ever Survey and Mapping event of this Magnitude to be held in the mostly rural and sparsely populated District of Ghanzi. In essence, this event was one of the many endeavours that the Botswana Government, through the Department of Surveys and Mapping, has embarked on to take Geoinformation to the rural communities. In all, over 20 technical papers were presented including demonstration and exhibits dealing with various subjects and topics in Land Surveying, Cartography, Botswana National Atlas, GIS, GPS, Remote Sensing, etc. The main focus of the conference was towards building a National Spatial Data Infrastructure and as part of its efforts and contribution towards building a comprehensive geoinformation database. -- SDI update from Madagascar http://www.pnae.mg/arsie/bul/Fehy4.pdf FEHY Nø4, 3Šme trimestre 2003 - Le bulletin d'information de l'Association du R‚seau des SystŠmes d'Information Environnementale http://www.pnae.mg/arsie/lettre_intro.htm http://www.pnae.mg/arsie/charte.htm (contenu) Charte pour la gestion et la diffusion de l'information environnementale. L'‚laboration de cet outil ‚tait devenue une priorit‚ dans l'accomplissement de la mission principale de l'ssociation qui est la facilitation de l'accŠs, des ‚changes, et de la valorisation des informations environnementales. Le principe directeur de la charte est l'ouverture, tout en garantissant au d‚tenteur le contr“le de ses informations et la r‚serve de la r‚glementation de leur accŠs suivant sa politique propre. Concernant ce dernier point, l'association a pr‚vu dans son programme de travail d'appuyer chaque membre dans l'‚laboration de sa politique de gestion et de diffusion des donn‚es et informations. Un r‚gime pr‚f‚rentiel d'accŠs aux informations environnementales est pr‚conis‚ entre les membres de l'ARSIE sans pour autant porter atteinte de maniŠre exag‚r‚e au principe d'‚gal accŠs. L'outil constitue aussi un cadre global de partage et/ou de mise en commun des informations environnementales en pr‚conisant la mise en place de m‚canisme et d'outils techniques appropri‚s comme les m‚ta-informations et les catalogues. Ceci permettra aux parties d'‚voluer au sein d'un environnement institutionnel doublement avantageux, d'abord en lui procurant les possibilit‚s de connaŒtre … tout moment l'existant en termes de donn‚es et informations et ‚ventuellement d'y acc‚der, mais aussi de faire connaŒtre et de promouvoir, donc de mieux valoriser ses propres ressources. -- SDI update from Zimbabwe http://www.gsdi.org/docs/SDIA/Progress_Review_Zimbabwe_SDI_Nov2003.doc Zimbabwe has been making steady progress on it's national spatial data infratsructure initiatives. An SDI Steering Committee has been meeting once a month since April 2003. A national SDI stakeholders workshop (Theme: Raising awareness- the first mile of geographic readiness) will be held November 27, 2003. Prior to the workshop, a three-day metadata training workshop also will conducted. The link above provides a progress review of the Zimbabwe Spatial Data Infrastructure Initiative (11/11/2003). This document [Note from Kate: a very helpful summary -- other countries should strive to do the same] serves to advise stakeholders of the progress/activities happening with the initiative. -- update from Uganda http://www.nemaug.org/news.php As part of an effort to enhance public awareness and participation in environmental management, the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) produces various information and educational materials for a diversity of stakeholders and target groups. Key amongst these is a quarterly newsletter 'NEMA news'. NEMA news is a free quarterly newsletter that NEMA produces. They have been producing it in hardcopy. This quarter marks the first time that they will also be distributing it through the Internet, in order to enable it to have a wider reach. **and speaking of newsletters, the Uganda Bureau of Statistics is also doing a wonderful job. http://www.ubos.org/cunitreview6.pdf Ugandan Bureau of Statistics, Sept. 2003 http://www.ubos.org/cunitreview4.pdf Ugandan Bureau of Statistics, Mar. 2003 -- update from Nigeria The Nigerian Cartographic Association (NCA) held its 25th Annual Conference and General Assembly in the city of Port Harcourt from 13th - 17th October, 2003. The theme of the conference was "Cartography and GIS for Sustainable Environmental Management". The conference Proceedings, which was edited by Dr. Oscar N. Uluocha and A. A. Obafemi, is now out in book form. The title of the Proceedings is "Cartography, GIS and Environmental Management". Anyone interested in the Proceedings can contact Dr. Oscar N. Uluocha, Department of Geography, University of Lagos, through my e-mail address: uluocha65@yahoo.com or through the following address: The Nigerian Cartographic Association (NCA) c/o Department of Geography University of Lagos Lagos, Nigeria -------------------------------------------------------------------- GIS TOOLS, SOFTWARE, DATA -------------------------------------------------------------------- http://www.refractions.net/wms/ Open Source and Free OGC Implementing Software Refractions announced the beta release of its WMS Client software for ArcView 3.X. The Open Planning Project released GeoServer 1.0.0, a full transactional Java implementation of the Web Feature Server specification. The software is freely available under the GPL 2.0 license. The release was built to serve as the reference implementation for the OGC's WFS 1.0 specification as part of the CITE (Conformance and Interoperability Testing and Evaluation) Initiative. It is built as a thin web services layer on top of the GeoTools2 (http://geotools.org) toolkit. The release can be downloaded directly from http://geoserver.sourceforge.net/html/index.php. [Source OGC News] http://www.osfac.org The OSFAC website is up and running. OSFAC-the "Observatoire Satellital des Forˆts d'Afrique Centrale" is the Central African Network of the Global Observation for Forests and Land Cover Dynamics (GOFC-GOLD). GOFC-GOLD is a coordinated international effort working to provide ongoing space-based and in-situ observations of forests and other vegetation cover, for the sustainable management of terrestrial resources and to obtain an accurate, reliable, quantitative understanding of the terrestrial carbon budget. OSFAC is based in Kinshasa and is implemented in the region through its Points of Contacts: Democratic Republic of Congo, Republic of Congo, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Gabon, and Equatorial Guinea. The main objective of OSFAC is to improve the sustainable management of environmental resources in the Congo Basin through enhanced use and dissemination of remote sensing and other geo-spatial information. The OSFAC website ensures the promotion and dissemination of the information it has collected. OSFAC houses the largest source of remote sensing and GIS datasets for Central Africa in Africa. These include raw datasets (+700 Landsat scenes, JERS) as well as derived products developed internationally by different groups in the region (e.g.: TREES, GLC2000, CARPE GIS). * For more information, visit the website at http://www.osfac.org or contact the following: OSFAC Focal Point, Jean-Francois Bizenga, jfbizenga@yahoo.fr --Didier Devers, Geography Department University of Maryland ddevers@glue.umd.edu - - - - L'Observatoire Satellital des Forˆts d'Afrique Centrale --OSFAC, est le r‚seau r‚gional en Afrique Centrale de l'initiative ® Global Observation of Forest Cover and Land Cover Dynamics ¯ (GOFC-GOLD). GOFC-GOLD est un projet pilote international du CEOS (Committee on Earth Observation Satellites) qui vise … promouvoir la gestion durable des forˆts mondiales par l'am‚lioration de l'‚tat des connaissances sur les ‚cosystŠmes en recourant intensivement … l'imagerie satellitale conjointement avec des donn‚es terrain. Le siŠge social de OSFAC est bas‚ … Kinshasa/ RDC, avec une implantation … travers des Points de Contact sur l'ensemble des pays de la sous-r‚gion: Cameroun, R‚publique du Congo, Gabon, R‚publique Centrafricaine, R‚publique D‚mocratique du Congo, Guin‚e-‚quatoriale. Le site Web d'OSFAC assure la promotion et la diffusion de l'information qu'OSFAC collecte. OSFAC possŠde la plus large source de donn‚es de t‚l‚detection et SIG sur l'Afrique Centrale en Afrique. Ceci inclus des donn‚es brutes (ex : +700 images Landsat, JERS) mais aussi des donn‚es d‚riv‚es d‚velopp‚es internationalement par diff‚rent groupes dans la r‚gion (ex : TREES, GLC2000, CARPE SIG) * Pour plus d'informations, visitez le site web a http://www.osfac.org, ou veuillez contacter: Point Focal OSFAC, Jean-Francois Bizenga, jfbizenga@yahoo.fr --Didier Devers, Geography Department University of Maryland ddevers@glue.umd.edu http://www.gmfs.info GMFS stands for "Global Monitoring for Food Security". GMFS is the name of a project that is financed by the European Space Agency (ESA) in the framework of a common initiative of the European Commission (EC) and ESA called Global Monitoring for Environment and Security (GMES) (http://www.gmes.info and http://earth.esa.int/gmes) The GMFS project aims to provide advanced crop information derived at least partly from earth observation (EO) data. It will become a satellite data support service for existing early warning systems and thus will assist food security decision-makers from a local to a global level. The initial focus of the project is Sub-Saharan Africa. The GMFS project provides one integrated service: Agro-environmental monitoring for food security (in Africa). The GMFS service is based in essence on the integration of generic (for instance Vegetation Index) and specific (for instance yield, acreage) products derived from the synergy between low-medium (small scale) and high resolution (large scale) Earth Observation data integrated with ground based agro-meteorological information. The ultimate goal is in the monitoring of the wider resource base for the identification of vulnerable areas. http://www.eumetsat.de/en/area1/puma/news/news_20030821.html PUMA News 21. August 2003: The 4th Meeting of the Preparation for the Use of Meteosat Second Generation in Africa (PUMA) Project Steering Committee (PSC: the highest authority of the project) took place in Nairobi on 22 - 24 July 2003. It was agreed that PUMA receiving stations would receive the MSG data through a EUMETcast Africa, a DVB system disseminated through the commercial satellite Atlantic-Bird 3. March - July 2004: Test of the PUMA stations in 6 centres in Africa (Dakar Douala, Harare, Maurice, Nairobi and Niamey) and training of the trainers. October 2004 - April 2005: Installation of the PUMA stations in all African NMSs and training of the relevant professionals. The second major decision of the PSC was the selection of the 6 pilot projects which will be funded under the PUMA Outlook Activities. http://www.gsdi.org/docs/SDIA/malindi_RScenter.doc Activities at the Remote Sensing Centre ( Luigi Broglio Space Centre, Malindi, Kenya). The Center's website is still under construction from where they will be posting some of their data. In the mean time, Prof. Laneve (laneve@psm.uniroma1.it) presently is the appropriate person who may clarify about the availability of any of the data to users outside of the Centre. http://www.mara.org.za/ http://www.mara.org.za/data.htm MARA LITe ver 3.0 CD-ROM Low-end Information Tool for Africa: contains main products of MARA/ARMA project, namely malaria prevalence data, malaria distribution maps and estimates of populations at risk. The MARA LITe CD is a user-friendly tool designed to access products of the MARA/ARMA (Mapping Malaria Risk in Africa / Atlas du Risque de la Malaria en Afrique) project. The tool was developed and produced within the Malaria Research Programme of the South African Medical Research Council, which operates as the main MARA/ARMA investigating centre. Cost: Endemic African countries = US$5 MARA: Mapping Malaria Risk in Africa (ARMA: Atlas du Risque de la Malaria en Afrique). For further information please contact Dr. Marlies Craig at: craigm@mrc.ac.za -------------------------------------------------------------------- GEOSPATIAL RESEARCH / APPLICATIONS / REFERENCE MATERIAL -------------------------------------------------------------------- http://www.fao.org/DOCREP/005/Y4597E/Y4597E00.HTM Choosing a method for poverty mapping, a 2003 FAO report by Benjamin Davis. The purpose of this paper is to discuss poverty and food-security mapping in terms of relevance and available options for analysis, policy design and implementation in the rural sectors of developing countries. It will present and compare a large selection of poverty and food-security mapping methodologies in use, in order to provide some guidance as to their potential and appropriateness for different policy applications. The aim is to send some warning signals regarding the deceptive ease with which it is possible to construct colourful and informative poverty maps, when different methods or different data could lead to very different results. This is done by studying in detail a number of applications of poverty mapping to policy questions. The paper concludes by indicating areas where more research is necessary. The focus is primarily on the subnational level, where there has been a considerable amount of analytical activity over the last few years. http://ag.arizona.edu/OALS/ALN/aln53/aln53toc.html Using geospatial technologies to develop participatory tools for natural resources management. Arid Lands Newsletter, May-June 2003, Issue No. 53, Office of Arid Lands Studies, University of Arizona. http://www.uky.edu/PR/News/03-03_cliggett.htm March 28, 2003 (Lexington, Ky.) -- Lisa Cliggett, a University of Kentucky assistant professor of anthropology, has received a two-year $200,000 National Science Foundation (NSF) grant to conduct land cover change research in Zambia, Central Africa. Cliggett will study land cover change (primarily deforestation) in the Kafue National Park in Zambia for six months beginning in January 2004. The park land is inhabited by Zambian migrant farmers who had to leave their previous farmland because of land use changes that occurred with the building of a dam. The project is titled 'Migration and Environmental Change: Tenure Insecurity in a Zambian Frontier.' Contact: cligget@uky.edu GIS-based efforts in Guinea supported by USAID http://www.usaid.gov/gn/infotechnology/news/ http://www.usaid.gov/gn/infotechnology/news/031026_gradeschooldata/index.htm USAID Helps Build Database on Grade Schools in Guinea USAID in cooperation with the Ministry of Education has completed a data base of grade schools in Guinea. http://www.usaid.gov/gn/infotechnology/news/031026_gradeschooldata/anecdotes.htm Collecting GIS Data--Tales from the Field: Representatives from the Guinean Ministry of Education tell of the joys and perils of collecting GPS data in Guinea. http://www.usaid.gov/gn/infotechnology/news/031026_gradeschooldata/projectmanagement.htm Geo-Referenced Data is Effective Management Tool for USAID Projects Educational Development Corporation (EDC), a USAID/Guinea partner, offers the following vignettes to explain how their project has made use of geographic information systems (GIS) and maps in the management of its educational project. -------------------------------------------------------------------- FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES / AWARDS / SUPPORT -------------------------------------------------------------------- Grants to Institutions in the South for Joint Research Projects http://www.ictp.trieste.it/~twas/TWNSO_RG.html http://www.ictp.trieste.it/%7Etwas/TWNSO-RG.pdf (applications) The Third World Network of Scientific Organizations (TWNSO) with financial support from the OPEC Fund for International Development has established a competitive Research Grants scheme designed to encourage and support joint research projects involving 2-3 competent research and training institutions from different countries in the South. To ensure maximum benefit to the Least Developed Countries (LDCs), it is required that at least one of the cooperating institutions in any proposed project should be from the LDCs. A list of these countries is available at: http://www.ictp.trieste.it/~twas/LDC.html Applications open for fellowships in environmental research Young post-graduate researchers working in the environmental sciences in developing countries have until 16 January 2004 to submit their application for a UNESCO/Keizo Obuchi Research Fellowship worth a maximum of US7,500. Applicants must be under 40 years of age. They should contact their country's National Commission for UNESCO to make known their interest in applying for one of the 20 fellowships on offer. Each country is entitled to propose two candidates for the fellowship programme, which is financed by Japan through funds-in-trust dedicated to the development of human resources. http://www.unesco.org/ncp/natcom/pages/resources.html Directory of National Commissions for UNESCO http://www.aauw.org/fga/fellowships_grants/international.cfm American Association of University Women (AAUW) Educational Foundation Fellowships and Grants 2004-05 International Fellowships are awarded for full-time study or research to women who are not U.S. citizens or permanent residents. Both graduate and postgraduate study at accredited institutions are supported. Application postmark deadline: Dec. 15, 2003 http://www.yale.edu/worldfellows Call for Yale University's World Fellows Program. The program will select 16 to 18 young professionals from outside the US to attend a semester-long program of leadership development. Applications are due January 15, 2004. http://www.start.org START Fellowship/Visiting Scientist Programme START (SysTem for Analysis, Research, and Training) invites applications for START fellows and visiting scientists to participate in the 12th round of the START Fellowship/Visiting Scientist Program. This program is designed to increase the number of developing country scientists who serve as active partners in global change research in START regional networks and in the Joint and Core Projects of the Earth System Science Partnership (DIVERSITAS, IHDP, IGBP, and WCRP). Through this effort, these scientists will also be able to contribute to related aspects of sustainable development for their respective countries and regions. Deadline for submissions is 1 December 2003. http://www.unpan.org/dpepa_PSaward2003.asp The United Nations Division for Public Administration and Development Management invites nominations for the UN Public Service Awards for 2003. The awards will recognize institutional contributions made to enhance the role, professionalism, and visibility of public service. One of the categories this year is the application of information and communication technology (ICT) in local government. Nominations should Reach DPADM no later than November 30, 2003. (Source: Digital Dividend Digest vol 32, 10/29/03) http://www.isprs.org/documents/awards/dolezal.html http://www.isprs2004-istanbul.com/downloads/Grants%20and%20Fellowships.pdf The Eduard Dolezal Award (1996), sponsored by the Austrian Society of Surveying and Photogrammetry, is a limited travel and expense grant to assist individuals or representatives of institutions, from developing or reform countries, to participate in the ISPRS Congress. Candidates are those who have permanently implemented a practical application of photogrammetry, remote sensing or GIS in an efficient manner or which documents their outstanding success in support of these fields. Applications may be self nominated and should be submitted to Secretary General Dowman (idowman@ge.ucl.ac.uk) by 30th November 2003. The next ISPRS Congress will be in Istanbul, Turkey, July 12-23, 2004 (http://www.isprs2004-istanbul.com). -------------------------------------------------------------------- TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES -------------------------------------------------------------------- http://www.itc.nl/education/programme_levels/short_courses/default.asp Overview of short courses in 2004 at ITC http://www.nuffic.nl/nfp-npt/pdf/ShortCourseStarting2004.doc Short Courses starting in 2004 This list is the result of a survey of the Dutch post-graduate education sector conducted at the beginning of 2003. Providers whose courses were not accepted for the list are able to appeal the Nuffic decision, which means that at a later date a number of courses might be added to the list. If this occurs, Nuffic will immediately update this website. http://www.nuffic.net/common.asp?id=772&instantie=0 Fellowships for Short Courses 2004 There are six fellowship application deadlines for short courses: 1 August 2003, 1 November 2003, 1 January 2004, 1 April 2004, 1 August 2004, and 1 November 2004. On the overview of Short Courses 2004, each entry indicates which deadline applies. http://www.natgeo.su.se/naturgeo/uncourse/index.htm 14th UN/Sweden International Training Course on Remote Sensing Education for Educators, May 3rd - June 11th, 2004. The organizers are aiming at tertiary-level educators with at least a Master degree (or equivalent) in subjects relevant to the course with 3 years experience of teaching. Most information about the course can be found on the website. Last date of application will be January 31st 2004, when the application form must have reached the Swedish embassy (or wherever the application should be sent into - this information will also be found on the website). Applicants are recommended to send an advanced copy by fax straight to us (only the application form - 4 pages, we will drown in paper otherwise), because sometimes the mail is very slow. Please put "attention" to the UN-course secretariat (Sara Hyllman). If there are any questions contact , sara.hyllman@natgeo.su.se -------------------------------------------------------------------- TRAVEL GRANT OPPORTUNITIES -------------------------------------------------------------------- http://www.wwf-efn.org/professional.html EFN Professional Development Grants to attend a short-term training course. To apply for an for an EFN Professional Development Grant to attend a short-term (less than one year) training course, you must first complete an application form, available upon request from EFN at efn@wwfus.org. EFN only provides funding to individuals working in select WWF-US focal ecoregions (http://www.wwf-efn.org/apply.html). Please allow up to three months between the time your application is submitted until the time when funds are needed. There is no application deadline for EFN Professional Development Grants. Grants are awarded throughout the year on a first-come, first-served basis, depending on the availability of funding. -------------------------------------------------------------------- EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES -------------------------------------------------------------------- GIS Research Analyst, Washington, DC, USA http://joblist.wri.org/job.cfm?jid=45 Biological Resources/Global Forest Watch, World Resources Institute Employment period: 6 month term position Global Forest Watch, an initiative of the World Resources Institute, is currently seeking candidates for a GIS Research Analyst to focus on datasets on Central Africa's forests and development activities in the following countries: Cameroon, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, Congo, Dem. Rep. of Congo, and the Central African Republic. The research analyst will develop and implement GIS applications in support of a consortium of NGOs working on Central African natural resource management, including bushmeat hunting and related issues, forestry, and compliance monitoring. As part of this work, the analyst will produce spatial data sets from satellite imagery and paper maps, edit and improve datasets, be responsible for writing metadata and making datasets available. This is a six-month term position with benefits, and will require at least one trip of up to one month to one or more Central African countries to collect and compile datasets. Global Land Tenure Specialists: Long & Short-Term Assignments http://www.ardinc.com/htm/jobs/job_land.htm ARD, Inc.is currently recruiting long and short-term consultants specialized in land tenure, management policy, legislation, and economic incentives to support our work in land tenure and sustainable land management. See link for details and requirements. U.S. citizenship is not required. There is no closing date. Program Officer, Uganda http://www.irmgt.com/noFrames/indexNF.html Innovative Resources Management Inc., a Washington DC based 501(C)3 non-profit, works in Africa, Asia and Latin America in sustainable development and natural resource conservation. IRM is seeking a Program Officer for: Landscape Ecology and Community Economic Development in Uganda. Energetic candidate should have MS in landscape ecology, forestry, agriculture, or applied social science, with 5 years of field program experience in complex environment and development situations. Demonstrated skills in land use planning, community based natural resource management, coordination of multiple stakeholders, economic development planning, GIS, and institutional capacity building. For 2 years field assignment in southwest Uganda, beginning January 2004. Research Associate (1P0017), Greenbelt, Maryland, USA University of Maryland, Department of Geography (working at NASA Goddard Space Flight Centre). Closing Date: Nov. 21, 2003 - but open until filled. Assist in the analysis of African MODIS burned area products (see http://modis-fire.gsfc.nasa.gov/products.asp) in support of a NASA funded activity lead by Dr. D. Roy. Full-time is preferred, part-time will be considered for exceptional candidate. The applicant should have a recent PhD in remote sensing or related numerate field and be able to communicate effectively with scientific and technical staff. Experience in the analysis of terrestrial remote sensing data using commercial packages is required. Skills in GIS, African land cover-land use research, spatial statistics, computer modeling, and programming in a Unix/C environment are desirable. To apply: Send cover letter, resume and contact information for three references to: Liz Satterfield, Dept. of Geography Room 2181 Lefrak Hall, University of Maryland College Park, MD 20742., or by e-mail to umcp3101@earthworks-jobs.com Technical Adviser, Moshi, Tanzania http://www.iucn.org/about/vacpangani.doc IUCN Water and Nature Initiative - Pangani Basin Project Deadline: 21 November 2003 Technical Adviser, Nairobi, Kenya http://www.iucn.org/about/vaclakevic.doc Socio-Economics of the Nile Perch Fishery on Lake Victoria (Phase II) IUCN Eastern Africa Regional Office, Deadline: 21 November 2003 Landscape Coordinator, Democratic Republic of Congo http://www.awf.org/about/landscapecoord.php The African Wildlife Foundation (AWF), an international conservation organization, invites applications for the position of Landscape Coordinator for the Maringa/Lopori-Wamba Forest Landscape in north central Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The primary role of the Landscape Coordinator will be to successfully coordinate and implement all components of this conservation program which aims to reduce the degradation of forests and biodiversity across the landscape by developing sustainable natural resource management practices, strengthening resource governance and developing resource monitoring systems. Contact: HumanResources@awfke.org Database Consultant, Democratic Republic of Congo http://www.theirc.org/index.cfm?section=jobs&number=2003-478 The Database Consultant will provide technical support to the creation of a centralized database on child soldiers in the Orientale, Maniema and North Katanga provinces. The database, which will be accessible by internet and protected by passwords, is going to be managed by the NGO Group secretariat, with the eventual idea of handover to the government or other local structure. Initially the database caseload will be child soldiers only, but later it will expand to include separated children throughout Eastern DRC. Other organizations working with separated children will be allowed to use the database, with varying levels of access permitted and according to program needs. The Database Consultant will work with the NGO Group, other actors involved in DDR and the website managing company in order to ensure compatibility of the database with other external data collection tools and to set up effective management procedures.For details and how to apply visit website:www.theirc.org Qualifications: MUST SPEAK AND WRITE FRENCH FLUENTLY. University degree in Computer Science, Information Systems or other relevant technical field; At least five years of experience setting up data management tools/systems; Strong competence in using data collection software, such as Excel, Access, SQL, etc; Must be able to work independently while being a committed team player; Must have good communication and training skills. GIS Unit Manager, Nairobi, Kenya http://www.worldagroforestrycentre.org/viewjobs.asp?Jobid=132 The World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF) seeks to recruit a GIS Manager. The Manager will be expected to take up four key responsibilities: - manage and maintain the effectiveness of a GIS unit that conducts a variety of proactive and responsive spatial analyses (approximately 12 work stations and associated staff, software and hardware); - advise and build capacity among ICRAF project teams for high quality scientific work involving spatial analysis, geographic information systems and remote sensing; - assist scientists, students and collaborators to identify, define and implement spatial analysis within multi-disciplinary research and development projects; - support a GIS community of practice across the many countries where ICRAF has offices; and supervise collection and promotion of data of relevance to a wide range of potential users within ICRAF and its partners. Applications will be considered until November 28th, 2003. Post-doctoral Scientist - Spatial Econometrician http://www.ilri.org/html/jobs1.htm Screening of applicants will begin December 9, 2003 and will continue until post is filled. Duties will focus on research in Kenya and will support the global mandate of ILRI to address poverty through the identification of research priorities. Specific duties will involve: Leading the analysis of the existing poverty data and other related GIS data; Working closely with Kenyan Government (CBS) staff and World Bank poverty mapping team; Working in collaboration with ILRI scientists to explore model-based approaches to build upon and complement the econometric approach; Providing hands-on training in spatial analysis and GIS techniques to CBS and other Kenyan Government staff; Liasing with various international and national agencies working on poverty- livestock issues; Providing timely research reports, assessments and work plans as required by ILRI and donor organizations. See website for details and how to apply. Corridor Manager, Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo http://www.conservation.org/xp/CIWEB/about/jobs/Africa_corrridor_mngr.xml Conservation International (CI) , in partnership with local and international organizations, is developing and implementing a conservation strategy for a conservation corridor encompassing the protected areas of Maiko and Kahuzi-Biega in the Democratic Republic of Congo. This is one of the eleven priority landscapes of the Congo Basin Forest Partnership. CI is seeking an experienced manager for this three-year project, which aims to reduce the rate of forest degradation and loss of biodiversity in the region. The Corridor Manager is responsible for designing and implementing CI's conservation strategy in the Corridor. It assures that all projects undertaken and supported by CI and its partners are technically well integrated and managed appropriately. It is also responsible for establishing and maintaining relationships and partnerships with CI's technical and funding divisions, government institutions, private sector and other NGOs operating in the area. Fidafrique Coordinator, Dakar, Senegal http://www.unops.org/web_forms/vacancy_view.asp?pmode=3&VacancyNo=349 On behalf of International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) that is funding the Fidafrique programme, UNOPS seeks qualified applications for the Fidafrique Coordinator position, Vacancy No.: AFRII/SEN-FC/03. It is a 1 year, renewable position. Entry in Duty: as soon as possible. Closing Date: 08 December 2003. Post Level: P-4/L-4 or equivalent ALD. The overall goal of Fidafrique is to improve the impact of IFAD-funded projects through the development and dissemination of information contributing to rural poverty-reduction in the Western and Central Africa (WCA) region. The target group consists of IFAD project managers and staff, regional stakeholder networks and grass-roots-level representatives of the rural poor and farmers' organizations. The programme seeks to develop information management capacity and products that will directly or indirectly contribute to poverty-reduction in the region via agricultural and rural development. International Fellowship Program, Oregon, USA http://www.worldforestry.org/wfi/fellowship-1.htm Deadline: December 5, 2003 The World Forest Institute (WFI) is seeking individuals working in forestry and natural resources to apply for their International Fellowship Program. WFI is a division of the World Forestry Center, which is a small, private non-profit educational organization based in Portland, Oregon U.S.A. The Forestry Center promotes education and information exchange regarding forests and forestry. The Fellowship Program brings young forestry professionals from around the world to work at the World Forest Institute for 6 to 12 months. Over 50 Fellows from 17 countries have participated in the program. Post Doctoral Fellows Program in Sustainable Development Earth Institute, Columbia University, New York, USA http://www.earthinstitute.columbia.edu/postdoc/index.html Deadline: December 1, 2003 Earth Institute Fellows Program in Sustainable Development (granted for 24 months). Columbia University seeks post-doctoral candidates interested in enhancing their disciplinary research (in one of the core disciplines represented within the Earth Institute, i.e., any of the earth sciences, biological sciences, engineering sciences, social sciences, or health sciences), while at the same time acquiring the cross-disciplinary expertise and breadth needed to addresses critical issues related to sustainable development and reducing environmental degradation, poverty, hunger, and disease. Applications are being accepted now for fellowships starting in the Summer of 2004. The deadline for receipt of on-line applications is December 1, 2003. Information on the Earth Institute can be found at: http://www.earthinstitute.columbia.edu/ Sub-Regional Conservation Director, Antananarivo, Madagascar http://www.panda.org/about_wwf/jobs/publication.cfm?uNewsID=9747&uLangId=1 The WWF Madagascar & West Indian Ocean Regional Programme Office is recruiting a Conservation Director to directly assist in achieving WWF's conservation objectives in Madagascar and the West Indian Ocean region. This position requires a seasoned conservation professional. The candidate should be dynamic, with excellent inter-personal skills, high level integrity, with good language skills, this senior professional will be involved in implementing an exciting and ambitious conservation programme. Interested candidates should send a covering letter with their CV to : Administrative Affairs Manager, WWF Madagascar & West Indian Ocean Programme Office, P.O. Box 738, 101 Antananarivo, Madagascar, e-mail: nrakotoarivelo@wwf.mg or directly to the WWF MWIOPO Office, prŠs lot II M 85 ter Antsakaviro . Closing date for applications is 27 November 2003. -------------------------------------------------------------------- OTHER -------------------------------------------------------------------- http://www.masdar.com/news/newshome.asp MASDAR is reviewing their representation and would be interested to hear from individuals, professionals or companies who would be interested in representing MASDAR particularly in Botswana, Kenya, Mozambique, Namibia, and The Gambia. Note that an agent must be resident in the country he/she is representing and must have an established network of contacts within Government Departments. Email: info@masdar.com http://www.millenniumassessment.org/article.aspx?id=32 http://www.millenniumassessment.org/2/products.aspx Millennium Ecosystem Assessment - report - Ecosystems and Human Well-Being: A Framework for Assessment. The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MA), the most extensive study ever of the linkages between the world's ecosystems and human well-being, today released its first report, Ecosystems and Human Well-being. The 245-page report lays out the approaches, assumptions, processes, and parameters scientists are using in the study. It offers decision- makers a mechanism to identify options that can better achieve core human development and sustainability goals and better understand the trade-offs in decisions about development and the environment. http://www.waterforfood.org/text/Limpopo_Workshop_Report.doc Summary of the Limpopo Benchmark Basin Start-Up Workshop. March 5-7, 2003, including group discussions and the way forward. http://www.gsdi.org/docs/SDIA/AESEDA_Description.pdf Alliance for Earth Sciences, Engineering, and Development in Africa (AESEDA), Pennsylvania State University, For further information, contact Rachel Altemus, rla7@psu.edu http://www.undp.org/dpa/index.html UNDP, reinsurance company, Swiss Re, and Harvard Medical School's Center for Health and the Global Environment to assess risks of climate change and biodiversity loss An innovative partnership will investigate the risks posed by climate change and loss of biodiversity that can contribute to natural disasters, the spread of diseases and other health hazards that often hit poor communities hardest. They are assigning working groups to assess four areas: heat waves and air pollution, emerging infectious diseases, extreme weather events and impacts on ecosystems. For more information, contact Charles McNeill, charles.mcneill@undp.org, or Arun Kashyap, arun.kashyap@undp.org, UNDP Energy and Environment Group -------------------------------------------------------------------- CONFERENCES - YOU'RE INVITED! -------------------------------------------------------------------- November 19, 2003 - GIS Day http://www.gisday.com Visit the GIS Day website to review all that events that were organized in Africa. November 26-28, 2003, Abuja, Nigeria http://www.gsdi.org/docs/SDIA/AGA_Reg_Form.doc http://www.gsdi.org/docs/SDIA/AGA_GSoN_Brochure.doc Geoinformation Society of Nigeria, First Annual General Assembly and Conference (GEOSON Abuja 2003). Venue: NUC Auditorium Theme: Application of Geoinformation to the Development and Management of Nigeria's Resources. Contact: Olubodun Ayeni, ooayeni@yahoo.com December 1-2, 2003, Port Elizabeth Technikon, Saasveld Campus, SA http://tutor.petech.ac.za/unigis/Postgrad/UNIGIS.htm UNIGIS Conference 2003: GIS: A Tool for Sustainable Development Contact: ann@petech.ac.za December 1-4, 2003, Bamako, Mali http://www.syngentafoundation.com/pdf/syngenta_foundation_sahel_symposium_dec_2003.pdf Agriculture Durable en Zone Sah‚lienne. Le‡ons et Opportunit‚s Sustainable Agriculture in the Sahel. Lessons and Opportunities for Action. The goal of the Sahel Agricultural Symposium is to review current research, examine access of rural populations to that research outcome, and to evaluate the relevance of new innovative technologies for Sahelian agriculture. The symposium will build a trans-Sahel conversation among researchers and civil society on issues at common interest. December 2-5, 2003, Marrakech, Morocco http://www.fig.net/figtree/morocco/ Urban-Rural Interrelationship for Sustainable Development Monde urbain et rural pour un environment durable 2nd FIG Regional Conference for the Arab Countries and Francophone Africa, 10th Anniversary of ONIGT, and 3rd National Surveying Day. 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 The conference will be held in English, French and Arabic. Early bird registration fee is 250 euros and the early bird rates are available until 30 September 2003. December 2-5,2003, Niamey, Niger Sustainable Dryland Agriculture Systems Organized by ICRISAT Sahelian Center/Niger (International Crops Research Institute for the Semi Arid Tropics) and IPALAC (International Program for Arid Land Crops). The symposium will feature presentations on agro-ecological production systems in areas where farmers strive to meet almost all family needs from small parcels of land in low rainfall regions. Following the presentations, a roundtable will try to synthesize the various approaches presented into principles for sustainable dryland agriculture. Languages of the symposium will be English and French. For more information, contact: Mr. Arnie Schlissel, Secretary, IPALAC, ipalac@bgumail.bgu.ac.il December 2-6, 2003, Yaounde, Cameroon http://www.pdm-net.org/africites/fr/inscription/form2003Ang.pdf African local government Summit - AFRICITIES 2003: 'Ensuring the access to basic services in African Local Governments'. Contact: Mr Souleymane Maiga (PDM), smaiga@pdm-net.org December 2-10, 2003, Maiduguri, Borno State, Nigeria http://www.uni-bayreuth.de/afrikanistik/mega-tchad/ http://www.uni-bayreuth.de/afrikanistik/mega-tchad/nouvelles/dernieres_nouvelles/colloque.pdf Mega Chad Conference 2003 "Man and the Lake" Contact: gilliam22002@yahoo.co.uk, mega.tchad@mae.u-paris10.fr December 4-5, 2003, Lyon, France http://www.cities-lyon.org/ World Summit of Cities and Local Authorities on the Information Society. The aim of this meeting is to facilitate taking into account the specific perspectives of cities and regions by the World Summit of heads of state and government. It will also highlight and make known the initiatives taken by citins and local authorities as well as those of the private sector and civil society. December 4-6, 2003, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia START Pan-Africa Regional Committee Meeting Contact: Eric Odada, eodada@uonbi.ac.ke December 8-10, 2003, Geneva, Switzerland http://www.irfd.org/events/wf2003/intro2.html Digital Divide, Global Development and Information Society A Conference in Conjunction with the United Nations World Summit on Information Society. The IRFD, within its framework of consultative status granted by the ECOSOC of the United Nations, will host a series of events to contribute to the preparatory process and the World Summit on Information Society. The focus of this conference, to be held immediately prior to the World Summit on Information Society, is on critical issues and considerations in the context of information technological revolution, global transformation, and marginalization. Inter and intra regional disparities will be examined in terms of information infrastructure and dissemination, knowledge generation and management. The principal purpose will be to examine the relationship between ICT and development (scientific, economic, social, political, and cultural) issues and concerns at local, national, regional and global levels. December 8-12, 2003, Tunis, Tunisia http://www.uaps.org/cap2003/cap2003eng/indexcap2003en.htm http://www.uaps.org/cap2003/cap2003eng/appelcom.htm (call for presentations) http://www.cap2003tunisie.com/Publish/Uaps_eng.asp?IDArticle=63 The Fourth African Population Conference For more information: Mister Mbaye Diouf Ndiaye, cap2003@uaps.org Sub-themes (informal sessions) 1. Community Approaches And Implementing Population Policies(APAC) 2. NGO Partnership In Reproductive Health And Poverty(CEFA) 3. Methods Of Quality Data Collection And Analysis(CERPOD) 4. Governance, Civil Society And Poverty(UNDP) 5. Governance And HIV/AIDS(IDRC/RARS) 6. Geographic Information System From EDS Data(MACRO Internatinal) 7. Access And Use Of Data(MACRO International) December 8-13, 2003, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia http://www.uneca.org/panafcon/ http://www.uneca.org/awich/panafricanwater/ AMCOW/UN: Water Africa/Pan Africa Implementation and Partnersip Conference on Water. December 8-9 , 2003, Geneva, Switzerland http://www.unece.org/stats/documents/2003.12.wsis.htm Monitoring the Information Society: Data, Measurement and Methods Statistical workshop in conjunction with the World Summit on Information Society organized by: UNECE, UNCTAD, ITU, UNESCO Inst. of Statistics, OECD, Eurostat December 10-12, 2003, Geneva, Switzerland http://www.itu.int/wsis/ World Summit on the Information Society, First Phase December 10-15, 2003, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia http://www.wateryear2003.org/fr/ev.php@URL_ID=4659&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html Pan-African Implementation and Partnership Conference on Water December 15-17, 2003, Lisbon, Portugal http://www.erpanet.org/php/Lisbon/workshop.htm ERPANET/CODATA International Archiving Workshop on the Selection, Appraisal, and Retention of Digital Scientific Data January 12-16, 2004, Capetown, South Africa http://idlelo.uwc.ac.za Idlelo - The First African Conference on the Digital Commons Organized by the Free Software and Open Source Foundation for Africa (FOSSFA), the African Virtual Open Initiatives and Resources (AVOIR) project at the University of the Western Cape and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) If you are working on an open source project, you are encouraged to register your project at http://www.fossfa.org/database/ The conference will address the challenges and opportunities of the creation and use of free / open source software and open content and their development potential for Africa. For additional information, contact: Bildad Kagai, Coordinator, Free Software and open Source Foundation for Africa (FOSSFA) Email: fossfa@fossfa.org February 2-6, 2004, Bangalore, India http://www.gsdi7.org.in/ 7th Global Spatial Data Infrastructure Conference Focus: Spatial Technologies, Applications and Policies Revised deadline for submitting abstracts Oct. 31, 2003. February 9-11, 2004, Marrakech, Morocco http://enaweb.enameknes.ac.ma/~8imsmtc/ Soil Information: a basis for better land management and prevention of desertification in the mediterranean environment February 14-17, 2004, Khartoum, Sudan http://www.araburban.org/MDMS/ Management and Development of Municipal Services and Public Utilities in Arab Citites, in conjunction with the 13th General Conference of Arab Towns Organization February 26-28, 2004, Tours, France http://www.maptrade.org/index.cfm?sectn=events&men=13&id=Forthcoming %5Fevents%2Ecfm&event=25 International Map Trade Association, imta@maptrade.org IMTA Global Conference and Trade Show Facing the Future - A Mapping Challenge For more information, please contact Mike Cranidge, Executive Director IMTA (EAME) (imtaeurope@btinternet.com) February 29, 2004 - Closing date for Abstracts for the 13th International Congress of the Names Society of Southern Africa, September 27-30, 2004 (see details below) March 1-4, 2004, Berne, Switzerland IGS Symposium & Technical Workshop 2004 Celebrating the 10th Anniversary of the International GPS Service The Symposium will recognize the unique history of the IGS as well as looking towards the future and what is on the horizon for an international GNSS services in the next decade. The Technical Workshop Series will focus in detail on many critical issues, analysis results, network/communication aspects, data systems, and the various applications addressed by the Projects, Working Groups, and Coordinators of the IGS. March 4-5, 2004, Accra International Conference Center, Ghana http://www.cddc.vt.edu/knownet/accra-it-conference.html The 3rd International Conference on Information Technology and Economic Development. The three-day conference will explore how information and communications technologies may be employed to promote economic development. The 4 tracks will be Harnessing ICT for Development, National Strategies for ICT Policy Development, Africa and ICT Market Development and ICT for National, Regional and International Networking for Development. March 16-19, 2004, Safari Park Hotel, Nairobi http://www.aitecafrica.com The Kenya National ICT Convention incorporating The African e-Commerce Forum (regional) and ea.telecom: The East African Telecommunications & Broadcasting Exhibition & Conference (regional) Organised by AITEC under the auspices of the ICT Board of the Kenya Private Sector Alliance The Kenya National ICT Convention will be the culmination of a series of national sector-focused ICT conferences convened by the National ICT Board to drive forward effective ICT applications and solutions to underpin Kenya's economic transformation into an electronically empowered economy competing effectively in the world economy and providing increased employment opportunities for its citizens. March 17- 20, 2004 in Alexandria, Egypt http://www.millenniumassessment.org/2/about.meetings.bridging.aspx Bridging Scales and Epistemologies Conference: Linking Local Knowledge and Global Science in Multi-Scale Assessments March 26-29, 2004, Washington, DC http://gsdi.org/SDIA/gdinfinal.pdf http://www.gdin.org GDIN2004. Sixth Conference of the Global Disaster Information Network. Global Disaster Information Network (GDIN) is an organization that is dedicated to improving the flow of information before and during natural disasters. Conference themes include: emergency telecommunications, disaster manager needs, the UN International Strategy on Disaster Reduction, information management (including homeland security), urban search and rescue, and many more. Contact: gdin2003@hotmail.com [the GDIN Secretariat is pleased to announce that the Government of South Africa has offered to host the 7th GDIN Conference]. March 18-22, 2004, Dakar, Senegal http://www.wsscc.org/load.cfm?edit_id=332 First Global Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) Forum The objectives of this forum are: to draw lessons on how successful water, sanitation and hygiene programs, sector reforms and development partnerships are leading to the eradication of poverty; and to strengthen regional and national partnership initiatives aimed at attaining the goals of the WSSD. April 1-3, 2004, Kampala, Uganda http://www.ifpri.org/2020AfricaConference/index.htm Assuring Food and Nutrition Security in Africa by 2020 Organized by 2020 Vision Initiative of the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), Washington, DC. Contact Rajul Pandya-Lorch, Head, 2020 Vision Initiative, r.pandya-lorch@cgiar.org. April 20-29, 2004, New York, NY, USA http://unstats.un.org/unsd/geoinfo/ungegn.htm http://unstats.un.org/unsd/geoinfo/englishUNGEGN.pdf http://unstats.un.org/unsd/geoinfo/frenchUNGEGN.pdf (francais) The Twenty-second Session of the United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names (UNGEGN) April 29-May 1, 2004, Heraklion, Crete, Greece http://agile2004.iacm.forth.gr 7th AGILE Conference on GI Science May/June 2004, Cape Town, South Africa (dates to be determined) http://www.afrea.org/content/index.cfm?navID=18&itemID=206 Third African Evaluation Association (AfrEA) Conference The theme of the conference is proposed to be Evaluation for Effective Development in Africa May 10-12, 2004,Johor, Malaysia http://www.gsdi.org/docs/SDIA/gisdeco7_Malaysia_May2004.doc http://www.fab.utm.my/gisdeco2004 7th Conference on GIS and Developing Countries: GISDECO 2004, on GIS Capacity Building and Infrastructure. Proposals for papers and posters dealing with the following topics should be sent to the GISDECO Secretariat by November 30, 2003. GISDECO Secretariat: Email :b-haris@utm.my. General information on GISDECO or details of past events please see: http://www.itc.nl/gisdeco/ or email Richard Sliuzas, GISDECO Int'l coordinator at GISDECO@itc.nl. May 12-14, 2003, Miami Beach, Florida http://www.geospatialworld.com/ Geospatial World 2004 Intergraph Mapping and Geospatial Solutions and the Intergraph GeoSpatial Users Community are organizing the fourth annual GeoSpatial World, themed, "Open. Solutions. Exchange." The program for GeoSpatial World will address open technology and standards, demonstrate proven industry solutions, and provide a platform for the exchange of ideas and expertise with users from around the world. June 2004, Rabat, Morocco http://www.eurisy.asso.fr/ Conference on Tele-Health and Satellites Based on the French project RED GEMS (Re-Emergent Diseases Global Environment Monitoring form Space) it will be an in-depth concentration on tele-medicine and tele-epidiomology. June 2-7, 2004, Orleans, France http://www.gsdi.org/SDIA/1st_Circular-CAG20.doc http://cag20.brgm.fr 20th Colloquium of Africa Geology - First circular 20eme Colloque de Geologie Afrique - Cirulaire premiere Symposia topics include: Geodynamics of Africa; Earth Resources and Sustainable Development of Africa; Geohazards, Environmental management, Paleoclimatology and Human Evolution in Africa; and Geoscience Education in Africa. There will also be workshops: 1) The future role of African Geological and Mining Surveys, 2) Earth resources, sustainable development and poverty alleviation in Africa, 3) Geoscientific Maps of Africa including Tectonic map of Africa (CGMW), and 4) Initiative for integrated research projects in Africa (CNRS-INSU, Univ., IRD, IFREMER, BRGM, etc.). June 7-9, 2004, Gavle, Sweden http://www.hig.se/geoinformatics/ Geoinformatics 2004: Geospatial Information Research: Bridging the Pacific and Atlantic, 12th International Conference on Geomatics. Deadline for Abstracts: 01 December 2003. July 12-16, 2004, Johannesburg, South Africa http://www.wits.ac.za/geoscienceafrica/ GEOSCIENCE AFRICA 2004 The conference will embrace several parallel symposia catering for different areas of specialization, including economic geology, palaeontology, tectonics, geophysics, sedimentology, geohydrology, geological education and geomorphology, together forming the Geoscientific Forum. University of the Witwatersrand July 12-23, 2004, Istanbul, Turkey http://www.isprs2004-istanbul.com Geo-Imagery: Bridging Continents International Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing oaltan@srv.ins.itu.edu.tr The organizing committee is providing a limited number of grants and fellowships to deserving attendees from developing countries. August 9-13, 2004, San Diego, California, USA http://www.esri.com/events/uc/index.html http://www.esri.com/events/uc/dates.html ESRI International User Cmnference September 15-17, 2004, Agro-Montpellier, France http://www.itc.nl/personal/hengl/PM/WEB/DSM_Workshop_2004.htm Global Workshop on Digital Soil Mapping The Workshop (GW-DSM) aims to discuss and further develop new rapid and economic methods for digitally mapping soil classes and attributes (and their uncertainties) particularly at resolutions of 20 metres to 500 metres. The Workshop should be of interest to all those concerned in the future of soil resource assessment. For expressions of interest, and more details, please contact Philippe Lagacherie, lagacherie@ensam.inra.fr. September 27-30, 2004, Maputo, Mozambique http://www.gsdi.org/docs/SDIA/13th_Int_Congress_NamesSA.doc 13th International Congress of the Names Society of Southern Africa Contact: dinageca@teledata.mz http://www.dinageca.gov.mz October 18-21, 2004, Nairobi, Kenya http://www.gsdi.org/docs/SDIA/The5thAARSEConference-1stAnnouncement1.1.doc 5th African Association of Remote Sensing of the Environment (AARSE) Conference. Jointly hosted by the Regional Centre for Mapping of Resources for Development (RCMRD), Ministries of Environment, Natural Resources and Wildlife and of Lands and Settlement in Kenya, and UNESCO/UNEP Office, Nairobi. The theme of the 5th AARSE Conference is "The Role of Geo-Information Technologies (GIT) in the New Partnership for African Development (NEPAD)". Contact: rcmrd@rcmrd.org or ottichilo@rcmrd.org October 20-24, 2004, Udine, Italy http://www.dpvta.uniud.it/~agroenv http://www.dpvta.uniud.it/~agroenv/docs/brochdraft1.ppt Agro Environ 2004: Role of Multi-purpose Agriculture in Sustaining Global Environment The Symposium covers a wide range of topics addressing key environmental and agricultural issues through applying new technologies that aim at sustaining agricultural systems, monitoring environment and conserving natural resources. Participants are invited to submit papers, coherent with the above said objectives and topics, that will be published in the proceedings. Submit a 250-word summary (no figures or references) by November 30, 2003 to the e-mail address: agroenv@uniud.it. October 21-23, 2004, Geneva, Switzerland http://www.sieng.ch/enviroinfo2004/ EnviroInfo 2004 - 18th International Conference on Informatics for Environmental Protection The 2004 symposium will focus on 'sharing': sharing information technologies, sharing data and knowledge. Organized by the CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research. Deadline for submission of abstracts: Feb. 2004 November 8-10, 2004, Berlin, Germany http://www.codata.org/04conf/index.html 19th CODATA International Conference (Committee on Data for Science and Technology) -------------------------------------------------------------------- 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. -------------------------------------------------------------------- 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/