-------------------------------------------------------------------- SPATIAL DATA INFRASTRUCTURE AFRICA UPDATE VOL 2, NO. 5 - 07 APRIL 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 (go to GSDI newsletters) 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 Michelle Schilling, Center for Geographic Information Systems and Remote sensing, National University of Rwanda (Rwanda); Tania Smith and her colleagues at the National Spatial Information Framework (South Africa); Tyler Christie, Conservation International (USA); Jamison Suter, Fauna & Flora International (U.K.); Ahmed Abdelrehim, Centre for Environment and Development for Arab Region and Europe (CEDARE) (Egypt); and Jean Roger Rakotoariajoana, Office National pour l'Environnement (Madagascar) for their contributions to this issue of the newsletter. -------------------------------------------------------------------- SDI NEWS, LINKS, PAPERS, PRESENTATIONS - HAVE YOU READ? -------------------------------------------------------------------- http://www.nsif.org.za/news.html South Africa National Spatial Information Framework (NSIF) Quarterly Review (1st Quarter 2003, March 1), Department of Land Affairs. http://www.gsdi.org/SDIA/agenda_10April.doc NSIF National Seminar: GIS, GPS and Remote Sensing in the Future, Bloemfontein - 10 April 2003 http://www.gsdi.org/SDIA/NSIF_Metadata_Monthly.doc [Note from Kate: NSIF is organizating national seminars and recently sent out the first quarterly newsletter for 2003, as well as a metadata update. These are good examples of keeping the national SDI community informed. It would be wonderful if other national SDI committees published quarterly reports as well, summarizing national meetings, key developments, and upcoming events. -- that way we can begin to demonstrate that there's a growing 'critical mass' of interest in and activity for SDI development. The National University of Rwanda, a Center for Geographic Information Systems and Remote sensing, CGIS, was created in 2001 in collaboration with Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International. The CGIS is an inter faculty unit aimed at developing a GIS curriculum for instruction and to assist national institutions by providing training in the application of GIS tools to current problems in Rwanda. The CGIS is building the capacity at UNR to produce graduates capable of applying this new technology to improve planning and management of Rwanda's resources. More specifically, the missions of the CGIS are: · Developing a GIS curriculum for instruction, · Assisting governmental and non-governmental institutions by providing training in the application of GIS tools, · Assisting in GIS-based conservation research in conjunction with our partner, Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International, · Developing research in various topics of national interest, · Serving as a regional or central clearinghouse for all Rwandan geographic databases, · Serving as a mapping unit to respond to the needs of the community. Through funding provided by the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International (DFGFI), the CGIS is working on a student-led research project to better manage and protect the Nyungwe Park. DFGFI is also funding a social impact assessment on the Imidugudu in the Province of Butare. In collaboration with OCIR Café, the CGIS is working on a project to assist coffee producers and private entrepreneurs locate ideal sites for the placement of coffee processing centres based on soil types, access to clean water and optimum coffee production. During the last year, the CGIS collaborated with the Minister of Public Works, Transport and Communication to develop the new administrative map of Rwanda. The CGIS has also provided several training to the Ministry of Education and Ministry of Infrastructures. Through these different projects, the CGIS has gained valuable expertise through the development of the GIS and Remote Sensing (RS) based research projects. They have now collected many geographic, environmental and socio-economic databases with GOR Ministries and other governmental and non-governmental institutions (indeed, they are sharing data with colleagues and have a lot of demand from various governmental and non-governmental institutions for training or specific studies to undertake. The difficult part is that the center has only two staff members working at the center, and there is many things to be done especially on metadata/NSDI/GSDI, data access and sharing, capacity building issues so that they can work better and more in synergy with the different GIS efforts in the country and the region. So far, they have been starting from scratch (Note from Kate: they should be commended for their work!). Thanks to and under the US Embassy of Rwanda, the center has submitted a proposal for the US Embassy Science Fellow Program of this year. This State department/ NSF program offers an opportunity to host a working scientist for 1-3 months to provide assistance, expertise and advice in, in their case, GIS-RS applications in environment. For this year, they have insisted on their need to design a GIS-RS based environmental and resource management information system to address the issues mentioned above i.e. metadata/NSDI/GSDI, data access and sharing. This year the participating agencies include USGS, EPA, NOAA, NASA, and USDA. http://unstats.un.org/unsd/statcom/doc03/2003-19e.pdf Statistical Commission, Thirty-fourth session, 4-7 March 2003 Natural resources and environment statistics (Item 5 of the provisional agenda), Report of the Secretary-General: The work programme of the United Nations Statistics Division (UNSD) in the area of natural resources and environment statistics covers two major complementary fields: environmental statistics and indicators, and environmental accounting. The present report focuses on developments in the area of environmental statistics and indicators. It (a) summarizes the results of the two international collections of environmental data carried out by UNSD, in 1999 and 2001, and draws conclusions with relevance to future work, and (b) outlines a work programme for the improvement of the regular collection, compilation and dissemination of international environment statistics. http://www.pnae.mg/arsie/ L'Association du Réseau des Systèmes d'Information Environnementale (Madagascar). [ARSIE is an inter-institutional association facilitating the sharing of environmental information; ARSIE recently published the first newsletter (of three) for 2003 (in French), as well as their workplan for 2003]. L'ARSIE regroupe des utilisateurs ou dépositaires d'informations relatives à l'environnement: - organismes internationaux, - sociétés privées, - Institutions nationales publiques ou para-publiques, - associations à Antananarivo et dans les Provinces. L'objectif de l'ARSIE est a faciliter la circulation et la diffusion des informations pour une vision globale des problématiques environnementales liées au développement durable. http://www.pnae.mg/arsie/bul/Fehy2.PDF FEHY - Le bulletin de l’Association du Réseau des Systèmes d’Information Environnementale N°2, 1er trimestre 2003 http://www.pnae.mg/arsie/statut.htm Statuts de l’Association du réseau des Systèmes d’information environnementale http://www.pnae.mg/arsie/pv/Pta2003.pdf ARSIE plan de travail 2003 http://www.pnae.mg/arsie/rapports%20réunion.htm Rapports des réunions http://www.gsdi.org/SDIA/Presentation_TBE_pour_EIS-Africa.doc Le Tableau de bord environnemental de Madagascar L'Office National pour l'Environnement (ONE) de MAdagascar par le biais de son Département des Informations Environnementales et avec l'appui des institutions productrices et/ou utilisarices d'informations environnementales a mis en place un instrument de suivi de l'état de l'environnement devant contribuer à améliorer la gestion de l'environnement et faciliter l'intégration de la dimension environnementale dans les autres secteurs d'activités à Madagascar. Il s'agit du tableau de bord environnemental (TBE). Pour de plus amples informations, voir http://www.pnae.mg http://www.gsdi.org/docs/SDIA/EC-Grant.doc The Liberia Forest Re-assessment Project is a joint initiative between Conservation International (CI) and Flora and Fauna International (FFI) (funded by EU and Critical Ecosystem Protection Fund). The project has three main emphases: (1) a remote sensing/ GIS/computer mapping/data management component, (2) a policy review and reform component, and (3) a ground-truthing component. The project responds to explicit government priorities and provides a mechanism for decision-making and setting conservation priorities. The end products are to be (1) a coherent, updated policy framework for forest management, (2) a detailed and updatable GIS database (with Liberians trained to update it and manipulate the data) available to all Government agencies, international agencies, development agencies, private companies and individuals, and others with a valid reason to need the information, (3) precise recommendations for an integrated protected forest network, and (4) preliminary management plans for priority forest areas. CI is responsible for the remote sensing and GIS outputs while FFI is leading the field studies, and three studies pertaining to forest management, while overseeing the GIS activities in country. See the link above for a more detailed project description. In terms of the technical elements with respect to data, thus far CI has focused on the following : -updated Liberia's national forest boundary data; -updated other administrative data (roads, towns,logging concessions, cities, counties-two new counties were added in 2001. etc); -completed change detection analysis showing forest cover in (roughly) mid 1980s and 2000 using Landsat 7 30 m resolution and thereby showing deforestation over that time period; -completed aerial survey in March 2002 of southeast liberia used to validate the change detection analysis; -integrated field survey data (socio-economic surveys June - Novemember 2002) into the GIS database; -completed rough vulnerability analysis for liberia's forests and existing/proposed protected areas in particular. An information-sharing policy is under discussion in Monrovia. The projects main partners are Forest Development Authority (FDA), Ministry of Planning and Economic Affairs (MPEA), and National Environmental Commission (NECOLIB). They have trained 1 technician from each institution for 3 weeks in Ghana, 5 weeks in DC, and the training continued in Monrovia for another 7 weeks during which CI set up and managed a GIS lab in the Liberia Forest Re-assessment Project office. This lab is continuously gathering field data and is managed by the technicians. For more information, contact Tyler Christie . -------------------------------------------------------------------- GIS TOOLS, SOFTWARE, DATA -------------------------------------------------------------------- http://www.sadc-fanr.org.zw/rrsu/rrsu_data/default.htm The SADC Regional Remote Sensing Unit (RRSU) produced a first version of the RRSU CD in May 1997. Since that time changes have been made, based on contributions of many countries, organisations and individuals. This is the 4th release of the RRSU CD, named Version 2.0. Almost all data being managed by the RRSU is available on this CD, including a complete Meteosat CCD and NOAA NDVI archive. It also includes a unique vector data set for the whole SADC region. All data is georeferenced and the WinDisp software, also available on the CD, can be used to view and analyse raster, vector and tabular data. WinDisp can also convert the data into other software formats, while the standard format used by the RRSU can be imported into a wide range of GIS software products. BNAFormatter, a RRSU product, can be used to convert the vector files into a numerical format for use in IDRISI. http://www.ilri.cgiar.org/gis/ http://www.ilri.cgiar.org/gis/search.asp Over the last ten years, research at the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) has generated an extensive range of spatial data layers. A number of these layers are related to livestock distribution and livestock health and production. Others cover more general topics such as population density, climate and infrastructure. The database published here is a result of a major effort to collect and catalogue these GIS layers. So far, the main focus has been on collecting all that is available for Kenya. But the work is ongoing and data layers for other countries within Africa as well as coverage with a continental or global extent will be forthcoming. The GIS layers can be downloaded directly from this site. Users who do not have access to full GIS software but would like to view the data, may use a public domain browser like ArcExplorer which provides basic GIS functionality. ILRI is also working on an on-line interactive mapping interface. http://www.gsdi.org/docs/SDIA/SEIS.doc CEDARE has developed a model to be a strategic environmental information system (SEIS) that can help countries managing their environmental information. SEIS consists of the following databases and information systems: · Environmental Experts and Human Resources Database · Environmental Institutions Profile Database · Environmental Institution Activities Database · Bibliographic Database · Sustainable Development Indicator Information System. The above systems are developed with the concepts of easy and standard graphical interface to increase user performance. SEIS needs an ORACLE database engine to be installed and run. The SEIS is developed to be highly portable between computer platforms, the system can be easily transferred from Windows environment to Unix or Apple environment. http://www.gsdi.org/docs/SDIA/sdis.doc The Sustainable Development Indicator information System (SDIS) is designed to assist decision-makers to easily retrieve relevant and accurate information on the state of the environment and development at country and regional levels. . The SDIS allows retrieving and saving of sustainable development indicators for countries or cities. The SDIS is designed to have Multi-language interface, English, French, and Arabic. http://www.tcddm.org/ Tools for Community Design and Decision Working Session V: Information Technology in Action, 24-26 April 2003. San Francisco, California, USA. The 5th Annual Working Session on Tools for Community Design and Decision-Making (TCDDM V) will explore how the application of new technological and non-technical visioning and planning tools can improve local decision-making about growth and development. Planners and decision-makers will get a chance to review and work with a variety of tools that are currently available to develop and visualize design options, more fully inform and involve stakeholders in the planning process, analyze the impacts of policy, development scenarios, and build consensus among the stakeholders. The event will include a review of tools and their appropriateness, tools demonstrations, training opportunities, and case studies of local governments that are successfully using design and decision tools to solve urban and environmental problems. http://www.placematterstools.org/index.php Different tools support different stages of community decision making. This website provides a list of some of the different stages of a typical planning process. Click any of the links to see which tools support that stage of the process. -------------------------------------------------------------------- GEOSPATIAL RESEARCH / APPLICATIONS / REFERNECE MATERIAL -------------------------------------------------------------------- http://www.kcl.ac.uk/kis/schools/hums/geog/mw/lake_page.htm Remote Sensing and Modelling of the African Great Lakes http://www.kcl.ac.uk/kis/schools/hums/geog/mw/fire_page.htm Remote Sensing of Biomass Burning (includes an example from Central Africa). Dr M.J.Wooster, Department of Geography, King's College London. http://www.rics-foundation.org/publish/download.aspx?did=3110 Adoption of GIS in the Accra Lands Commission Secretariat Author Issac Karikari, John Stillwell and Steve Carver, University of Leeds. Publisher: RICS Foundation Summary Whilst Geographic Information Systems (GIS) provide public organisations with opportunities to automate and streamline administrative practices, their introduction into land agencies in the developing world will require the capacity to manage change and, most particularly, to sustain this process over a considerable period of time. The Lands Commission Secretariat (LCS) is the agency primarily responsible for managing public lands in Ghana. The LCS is on the threshold of adopting 'geotechnology' and is considering different organisational models for GIS implementation. It is important to establish the GIS model most appropriate for adoption by this agency and that might be replicated in other land agencies under the Ministry of Lands and Forestry in Ghana. In this paper, we consider which model might be appropriate for the Accra LCS and examine those factors that would facilitate or inhibit the success of GIS implementation under the adopted model environment. The paper argues that the widely used 'enterprise model' for GIS may not be appropriate following an empirical study conducted during the summer of 2001, and recommends a synthesis of ideas from various approaches. It suggests that the success of this approach will depend on how effective the LCS will be in its quest for autonomy and on how amenable certain practices within the culture of the LCS are to change. The research below was conducted by students, staff, and partners of the ResearchLab GIS, Department of Geography, Philipps-University Marburg, Germany Dr. Karl-Heinz Muller, AOR, muellerk@mailer.uni-marburg.de http://137.248.191.13/p/nr/Olaf/soils0.htm Analysis and Ecological Valuation of Soils and Land Use in Mauritius using Geographical Information Systems http://137.248.191.13/p/nr/REINHOLD/full_version.html Ecological Assessing of Landscapes for Natural Conservation Scenarios in Mauritius using GIS, submitted by Reinhold Hill in October 2001 http://137.248.191.13/gl/data/Mauritius/mauri_land_use/land_use_classification.htm Land Use Classification with SPOT_XS and RADARSAT in Tropical Areas (Mauritius, Indian Ocean) http://137.248.191.13/gl/data/Mauritius/martin/Web_diplom.htm Investigation of the Spatial Distribution of Precipitation in Mauritius http://137.248.191.13/gl/data/Mauritius/Olaf/Olaf_start.htm Analysis and Ecological Valuation of Soils and Land Use in Mauritius http://137.248.191.13/gl/data/Mauritius/Mona/Mona_start.htm Modelling surface runoff and soil erosion in catchments of Mauritius http://www.glowa-volta.de/general/pubs/fabio.pdf Use of remote sensing for land use and natural resources investigations in the Volta Basin. The use of different sensor data and several image processing techniques is now providing the first current information on the principal factors driving land use and land cover change within representative areas of the Volta Basin. - produce current (2000) and historical (1990) land use and land cover maps of the Volta Basin of Ghana; - apply suitable methods for detection and quantification of the land use / cover changes throughout the Basin at various scale. Fabio D. Vescovi, Steve Duadze & Gunter Menz Remote Sensing Research Group (RSRG) Department of Geography, University of Bonn, fabio@srg.uni-bonn.de http://www.glowa-volta.de/ The GLOWA Volta Project: Sustainable Water Use under Changing Land Use, Rainfall Reliability and Water Demands in the Volta Basin Data availability: http://www.glowa-volta.de/website/databases/databases.htm http://www.glowa-volta.de/website/databases/oldcd/index.htm Volta Basin Data CD-ROM Version 2.1 (public domain) All datasets produced during the lifetime of the project will be stored at a FTP server. The main reasons for this are to ensure continuity of the project and to provide easy back-up for all project members. Tape back-ups are made once per week and CD back-ups once per month. Tapes and CD's are stored in our fire proof safe. There are three access levels for the files. The first level contains data that are public domain to which everybody has access. The second level contains data that are available to all GLOWA Volta project members. Second level documents are either data that we bought and are not allowed to share outside the project or internal documents that we do not yet want to share. The third level are data owned by the individual scientists which can only be used by other people with permission of the owner. By default, each produced dataset is exclusively owned by the scientist(s) that produced the data. After two years, the data will be made available to other project members. After a total of five years, the data are made available in the public domain. Earlier releases are of course possible if the owner chooses. -------------------------------------------------------------------- FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES / AWARDS / SUPPORT -------------------------------------------------------------------- http://www.britishecologicalsociety.org/grants/research/obf.php (application form) http://www.britishecologicalsociety.org/articles/news/fellowship/ The BES Overseas Bursaries and Fellowships It is often very difficult for ecologists to pursue their research in developing countries. Many obstacles are encountered, including those of transport and access to sites, lack of contact with other ecologists, and the difficulty of obtaining and maintaining the necessary equipment. Although modest in terms of the amount of money on offer, we think we can target the funds in such a way as to make all the difference to those individuals who want to build a research programme. The new scheme will target post-MSc scientists, assisting them to carry out research programmes in their own country. We want to encourage indigenous and innovative work in areas such as plant-animal interactions, restoration ecology, microbial ecology, ecological processes and community ecology. The Bursaries (first stage) will provide up to £9k to assist people for periods of about 18 months. The Fellowships (second stage) will provide larger sums to enable fully-fledged projects to grow from the work completed in the Bursaries. An important objective is to foster linkage with scientists in the UK and other parts of Europe. see also Small Ecological Project Grants: http://www.britishecologicalsociety.org/articles/grants/research/sepg/ http://www.thecommonwealth.org/whoweare/cftc/cftc.html http://www.thecommonwealth.org/pdf/CFTC.pdf The Commonwealth Fund for Technical Co-operation The CFTC enables technical co-operation between member countries. Largely demand-driven, it responds to requests from governments for technical assistance in strategic areas of comparative advantage: the provision of experts to fill specific development needs in the short or long term, programmes of training, capacity-building and public-sector reform, consultants to assist in trade, export and enterprise development, and confidential advice on such economic and legal matters as debt management and encouraging inward investment. Requests for CFTC assistance must come from Commonwealth governments or from regional organisations with a substantial Commonwealth membership, and be channelled through the designated CFTC point of contact, who is normally in the Planning, Finance or Establishment Ministry. Requests should include: .a concise statement of the problems faced, and of the type of assistancesought; .a description of the project, its background, objectives and terms of reference; .details of the organisation responsible for the project and of counterpart staff; .job description and title of post to be filled, if appropriate; .qualifications and experience required of an adviser, consultant or trainer; and .when assistance is needed and for how long. Address correspondence to Deputy Secretary-General (Development Co-operation), Commonwealth Secretariat, Marlborough House, Pall Mall, London SW1Y 5HX, United Kingdom. Fax: +44 (0)20 7930 0827 E-mail: cftc@commonwealth.int http://www.consecol.org/ads/announcements/ry2003.html 2003 Conservation Ecology Ralf Yorque Memorial Prize "Novel Approaches of Integrative Science for the Future" Conservation Ecology invites our 10,000+ subscribers and all other readers to participate in a manuscript competition that exploits novel ways of performing integrative science and policy research. Beginning in 2003, an annual 'Ralf Yorque Memorial Prize' of 5,000 Euro will be awarded to the most novel paper that: 1) integrates different streams of science to assess fundamental questions in the ecological, political, and social foundations for sustainable social-ecological systems, and 2) employs unique advantages of electronic publishing and facilities of the WEB to help communicate complex ideas simply. Full details for submission to this competition can be found at http://www.consecol.org/submit/rysubmit.html. The deadline for submissions is June 30, 2003. http://www.ossrea.net/announcements/senior03-main.htm Senior Scholars Research Grant The Organisation for Social Science Research in Eastern and Southern Africa (OSSREA) is a regional non-governmental research organisation based in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Its mission is to develop and promote the emergence of a distinctive African tradition in the study, research and training in the social sciences. The senior scholars research grant program was initiated to retain the research capacity built in the Eastern and Southern African region and to redirect the contribution of senior scholars from consultancy work to high quality research that has both policy relevance and academic significance. Themes for Research Proposals: Conflict management, resolution and post conflict reconstruction Information technology, culture and society; Gender roles, democracy and development; Resource management and food security; Poverty, economy and society; Health, economy and society; Regional integration; Religion and society; Environment; Governance issues in multi-ethnic societies. OSSREA plans to award the grant to five successful scholars during the current year. The total budget of each candidate’s research proposal should not exceed USD 20,000. Candidates who wish to apply for the grant should be an academic researcher holding a senior rank or position, have a PhD degree in the social sciences, and have 10 years of university level teaching and research experience. The application and research proposal should reach OSSREA headquarters not later than 30th June 2003. http://www.refer.sn/article689.html http://www.refer.sn/IMG/pdf/2004_pcsiu_presentation.pdf (Dossier de présentation) http://www.refer.sn/IMG/rtf/2004_pcsiu_dossier.rtf (Dossier de candidature) Coopération scientifique inter-universitaire (Date limite : 30 mai 2003) Cette action du programme "Renforcement institutionnel et scientifique des universités", s'adresse aux enseignants et aux chercheurs des institutions membres de l'Agence universitaire de la Francophonie (AUF). Les projets de coopération scientifique inter-universitaire ont pour objectif principal le développement au Sud. Les projets doivent être multilatéraux. Ils sont menés par un réseau d'un minimum de trois universités de pays différents, dont au moins une du Sud. Deux types de projets peuvent être proposés pour l'année 2004: Les projets partagés de recherche et/ou de formation à la recherche Ces projets doivent impliquer de jeunes doctorants ou post-doctorants du Sud. Les projets de conception en commun de formations Le soutien apporté par l'AUF est limité à deux années. Le montant de la subvention demandée ne peut excéder 15.000. http://www.refer.sn/article620.html CRESA Forêt/Bois de Yaoundé (Cameroun) (date limite : 15 septembre 2003) Le CRESA FORET-BOIS (Centre Régional d'Enseignement Spécialisé en Agriculture/Forêt-Bois) de Yaoundé (Cameroun) est un programme mis en place par l'Agence universitaire de la Francophonie en partenariat avec l'Université de Dschang. Il propose une formation de 15 mois sanctionnée par un diplôme de MASTER/DESS dans les 2 filières suivantes: Valorisation industrielle du bois Aménagement et gestion participative des ressources forestières -------------------------------------------------------------------- TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES -------------------------------------------------------------------- http://www.ictp.trieste.it/~twas/TWOWSPostgrad.html Postgraduate Training Fellowships for Women Scientists in Sub-Saharan Africa and Least Developed Countries (LDC) at Centres of Excellence in the South. The fellowships are open to qualified young women science graduates (generally below 40 years of age) from countries in Sub-Saharan Africa and/or LDCs to pursue postgraduate training leading to a doctorate degree at a centre of excellence in the South outside their own country. The minimum qualification of applicants is an M.Sc. degree (or equivalent), or an outstanding B.Sc. honours degree, in the following fields of natural sciences: agriculture, biology chemistry, mathematics, physics, medicine, earth & environmental resources, engineering & technological sciences. Deadline for submission of applications is 31 May 2002. Application form with information: http://www.ictp.trieste.it/~twas/PGAppForm.pdf http://www.ossrea.net/announcements/methodology03-main.htm Training in Social Science Research Methodology The Organisation for Social Science Research in Eastern and Southern Africa (OSSREA) is a regional non-governmental research organisation with its headquarters based in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. OSSREA has recognised the need for upgrading the research skills of its members so as to build the research, teaching and research capacity of institutions in Eastern and Southern African countries. To this end, OSSREA’s Research Methodology Institute has started offering short-term training in social science research methodology. The training will be conducted from 13-24th October 2003. OSSREA will cover travel, accommodation and subsistence expenses during the training period for a limited number of the short-listed candidates. The application and supporting documents should reach OSSREA headquarters not later than 30th June 2003. -------------------------------------------------------------------- TRAVEL GRANT OPPORTUNITIES -------------------------------------------------------------------- http://www.comsci.org/grants/g-docs010.htm http://www.comsci.org/grants/g_doc004.htm (application form) Commonwealth Science Council (CSC) Travel Grants The purpose of the travel grant is to help scientists from member countries of the Commonwealth Science Council to attend international conferences, major meetings and short technical in-service training which relate to fields of CSC interest. Current CSC activities include projects and networks in biodiversity, genetic resources, eco-efficiency, renewable energy, water, mineral resources, information exchange, environmental pollution, waste management, cleaner production, remote sensing, scientific techniques and industrial support. -------------------------------------------------------------------- EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES -------------------------------------------------------------------- http://www.concern-universal.org/Job%20Descriptions/JDCFFSPCGamMar03.rtf Project Coordinator, Concern Universal, Fajara, The Gambia Data centre management and coordination support of crop failure response to the Government of The Gambia (National Task Force on Crop Failure). Deadline for receipt of completed application forms is Friday 11 April 2003. Interviews for shortlisted candidates will take place mid/late April 2003. http://www.unops.org/web_forms/vacancy_view.asp?pmode=1&VacancyNo=260 Regional Project Manager for the Nile Transboundary Environmental Action Project (Vacancy Code: ENVP/RAB/01/G31/02) Division for Environmental Programmes, Khartoum, Sudan 1 year, renewable. Closing date: 30 Apr 2003 The United Nations Office for Project Services, Executing Agency for the United Nations Development Programme Global Environment Facility The Regional Project Manager (RPM) will provide the overall leadership for and management of this project of the Shared Vision Program (SVP), within the overall framework of the Nile Basin Initiative (NBI). The RPM will have overall responsibility for ensuring the successful attainment of the project objectives; the coordination and integration of the project within the SVP; and for the effective financial management and administration of the Project Management Unit (PMU) based in Khartoum, Sudan. The RPM will preferably originate from the Nile Basin Countries and have the following qualifications: at least 15 years of working experience in environmental management or related fields with recognized technical expertise. A Masters level degree, or PhD, in natural resource management, geography, water resources or related field. See URL for more detail. Africa Programme Manager, Open Knowledge Network OneWorld International, Zambia The Open Knowledge Network, www.openknowledge.net , is an initiative of the G8 Digital Opportunity Taskforce (DOTForce) linking together existing grassroots information and knowledge-sharing initiatives to promote both the creation and the exchange of local content as widely as possible across the South, supported by a range of different information and communication technologies (ICTs). The programme is coordinated by OneWorld International and its network of southern offices. The Africa Programme Manager will lead the development of the OKN, managing programme planning, coordination and implementation. In order to deliver the vision of a sustainable network located in independent organisations the post-holder will need to develop collaborative relationships within Civil Society, the Private sector and Government in at least three separate African sub-regions. For more information and to apply: email jobs@oneworld.net for an application pack. No CVs. Application packs will be sent by email. Deadline for completed application forms: 5pm, 18th April 2003. Interviews: early May, by phone for overseas candidates. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. http://www.cdc.info Programme Officer, Conservation Development Centre, Nairobi, Kenya CDC is now recruiting a natural sciences graduate to join their programme team and to take responsibility for developing and supporting a portfolio of projects covering one or more of the Centre's theme areas. Minimum qualifications include at least 2 years' work experience in conservation, natural resources management and/or community development in Africa (among other required skills). For details of the position and instructions on how to apply, contact jobs@cdc.info. Deadline for applications: April 11, 2003 http://www.msh.org/employment/positions/039clm03.html Technical Advisor, Monitoring and Evaluation, Maputo, Mozambique The primary responsibility of the Technical Advisor is to design and implement an effective, easy-to-use system for compiling, monitoring, and analyzing information for decision making by the National Malaria Control Program of Mozambique (NMCP). This monitoring and evaluation system must capture, tabulate, and assess data from various NMCP-directed activities, including insecticide residual house spraying, malaria diagnosis and case management, and health education. Key outputs of the system are (1) outcome indicators, such as number of households receiving residual spraying, and percentage of patients with uncomplicated malaria receiving appropriate and timely treatment at a health facility and (2) impact indicators, such as malaria death rates, and number of probable and confirmed malaria cases. In collaboration with directors and experts of the NMCP, the Technical Advisor selects additional indicators. The Technical Advisor also evaluates the sources and reliability of data generated by NMCP activities and helps devise measures to enhance the collection, quality, and utilization of data. One of a number responsibilities is to develop a plan and prototype for Geographic Information System (GIS) mapping applications to support the analysis and use of data by the NMCP, and assess the feasibility of GIS methodologies in a pilot study. [position posted March 17, 2003; deadline not specified] https://jobs.un.org/release1/vacancy/display_vac.asp?lang=1200&vacid={EEC892C1-0AF0-4DDE-9A55-8BC1BAF50E2D} Scientific Affairs Officer Under the overall supervision of the Director of the Sustainable Development Division (SDD), the incumbent contributes to the promotion of science and technology management in the 53 African member States, particularly in the areas of food security, health, natural resources, and the environment; provides advisory services on issues relating to the uses of science and technology for sustainable development; ensures constructive interaction with ECA’s other Divisions, UN bodies, specialized agencies, NGOs and intergovernmental organizations; develops, implements, monitors and evaluates programmes/projects; provides well-reasoned written contributions including background papers, analyses, reports and studies, and inputs to publications; develops and maintains effective working relationships; advocates for ECA policies; and carries out other assignments as required. Vacancy Announcement No.02-SCI-ECA-300316-R-Addis Ababa. Deadline for applications: 29 April 2003. -------------------------------------------------------------------- OTHER -------------------------------------------------------------------- All papers published in Landscape Ecology from its origin in 1987 through 1997 are now available for free downloading as PDF files. This includes all 156 articles published prior to the journal being acquired by Kluwer Academic Publishers (KAP). The journal Landscape Ecology was established in 1987, marking the beginning of new growth and synergy within the field. The journal particularly linked the emerging North American strain of landscape ecology with the more established European traditions. The early years of the journal contained many key papers that have helped form the development of landscape ecology in many sub-areas. To make these key papers more available, the current publisher, Kluwer Academic Publishers, (KAP) has funded a project to electronically scan these early papers, convert them to digital form,and create a web site for their viewing and downloading, free of anycharge. The goal is particularly to increase availability for students and as a service to the International Society for Landscape Ecology. The site can be accessed directly, through links with the Landscape Ecology journal home page http://www.kluweronline.com/landscape> at KAP, through the Society web sites, or directly where hosted in my lab, all listed below. Issues since 1997 are available at the regular journal web page. http://www.codesria.org/Links/News/aaps%20workshop.htm CODESRIA/OSSREA/AAPS : Inventory of the Role of the Regional Research Organisations in Africa/Dissemination Workshop, 10-11 April 2003, Douala, Cameroon. Three - regional social science research organisations - CODESRIA, OSSREA, and AAPS - launched a study in 2001 to carry out an inventory of their role in social knowledge production and dissemination in Africa. The aim of the study is to establish, in a systematic manner, the ways in which by their work, the regional organisations contribute to the evolution of the African knowledge system especially at a time of crisis, reform and transformation in African higher education. The researchers who undertook the studies were requested to focus on four broad issues: the contribution of regional scientific organisations to social science knowledge production in and on Africa, their role in the dissemination of this knowledge, their input into the valorisation and use of their research results, and their relationships with the universities. A Methodological Workshop, as well as a Review Workshop were organized as part of the process leading to the finalisation of the study. They are now at the point of disseminating the findings of the researchers to a wider, select group of scholars. E-mail: codesria@codesria.sn -------------------------------------------------------------------- CONFERENCES - YOU'RE INVITED! -------------------------------------------------------------------- Deadline for submissions for AfricaGIS '03 has been extended! (AfricaGIS will be held November 4-8, 2003 in Dakar) 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 31 May. Les parties intéressées par une présentation sous l’une des formes suivantes : document imprimé, poster, atelier ou démonstration , sont invitées à en envoyer un résumé ou un condensé (pas plus de 3 paragraphes de 50 à 100 mots) en version électronique au Comité chargé du Programme de la Conférence, vers le 31 Mai. April 7-9, 2003, Nairobi, Kenya http://www.kengen.co.ke/geothermalcon/geothermal_conference.htm 2ND KENGEN Geothermal Conference on "Sustainability of Geothermal Energy and Strategies for its Development in the East African Rift" UNEP Headquarters, Gigiri April 9 to 11, 2003, Nairobi, Kenya http://www.bcse.org/bcse-eagmac.html Eastern Africa Geothermal Market Acceleration Conference April 10, 2003, Herakleion, Greece http://www.ec-gis.org/ginie GINIE Workshop on Geographic Information in the Mediterranean Region. [Note from Kate: representatives from North Africa will be participating] April 13-16, 2003, Kwa Maritane, Pilanesberg, South Africa http://www.acacia.org.za/programme.htm http://www.acacia.org.za/frames_events-outlineProg.htm Acacia Conference: Networking Africa's Future -- Lessons of Empowerment from Communities. This conference is for decision-makers concerned with information and communication technologies (ICTs) in Africa’s development. The event marks the launch of the new Connectivity Africa programme sponsored by Canada. Overall, proceedings deal with what has been learnt during five years of research in Africa in Mozambique, Senegal, South Africa and Uganda. Participants will reflect on Acacia’s major research publications - to be launched at the conference - covering the effects of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in development. Five plenary theme sessions will interrogate ICTs and poverty, education, access, policy and innovation. After debate, the conference will propose an agenda for continuing research and development. April 13-17, 2003, Paris / Marne-la-Vallée, France http://www.figww2003.com The 125th Anniversary of the International Federation of Surveyors (FIG) FRAME regretably has needed to postpose the FRAME Contact Group Meeting (April 28 and May 2, 2003, Jinja, Uganda). FRAME hopes to be able to reschedule the Contact Group meeting later in the year (perhaps November?) and would like to keep the venue in Jinja.  April 28-May 2, 2003, Jinja, Uganda (postponed) The next meeting of the FRAME Contact Group to be held April 28 - May 2, 2003 in Jinja, Uganda. Please notify FRAME of your interest in attending as soon as possible by contacting both the FRAME Senior Policy Advisor, Laurel Neme (e-mail: LaurelNeme@aol.com ) and Boubacar Thiam (email: bthiam.tdy@irgltd.com). FRAME is an activity that facilitates the use of up-to-date information by environment and natural resource management professionals in Africa and encompasses:  a web gateway to analytical tools and information, mechanisms to share lessons and experiences, a Contact Group and networks of experts, and linkages to enhance collaboration among partners.  Funding for FRAME is provided by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Africa Office of Sustainable Development. For more information about FRAME, visit http://www.frameweb.org/ April 30, 2003 http://www.gisig.it/coastgis/call_for_papers/callforpaper_def.pdf Call for papers: Submission of abstracts due by beginning of April 30, 2003. Submission of papers due by August 31, 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 May 6-9, 2003, Kampala, Uganda (postponed) The FRAME Contact Group meeting (see notice above, April 28-May 2) will be followed by a Training Workshop on economy/environment modeling for sustainable development. This four-day event will be held in Kampala from May 6 through May 9, 2003. The purpose of this Workshop is to introduce African mid-level natural resource management professionals to systems dynamics modeling as a tool to support the preparation of strategy, policy and investment decisions. This event will focus on Anglophone African countries, and an equivalent workshop for Francophone countries will be held in July, 2003 in a West African Francophone country which is yet to be determined. For more information on these Workshops, contact Juan Seve at jseve@irgltd.com 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 20, 2003, Brussels, Belgium Measuring the Impact of Povert Maps on Poverty Reduction Specifically the workshop will: Present case studies on where and how poverty maps have been used to analyse poverty-environment linkages, and how effectiveness they have been in targeting development projects at the most needy areas; Present ways of improving the availability and quality of poverty-environment information to decision makers in development agencies and in developing countries; Discuss way of integrating such information into processes such as Poverty Reduction Strategies. For further information, or to make a presentation, please contact: Anna Ballance, UNEP/GRID-Arendal Tel: +47 3703 5758, Fax: +47 3703 5050 E-mail: ballance@grida.no http://www.povertymap.net 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. June 2-7, 2003, Nairobi, Kenya http://www.etfrn.org/etfrn/workshop/degradedlands/index.html VITRI (Univ. of Helsinki), IUFRO-SPDC and ETFRN In view of the overlapping objectives of both the GFIS Africa synthesis initiative on rehabilitation of degraded lands in sub-Saharan Africa, and the workshop on Trees, Agroforestry and Climate Change in Dryland Africa (TACCDA), efforts are being combined for these two initiatives to be conducted together for a greater impact in the sub-region. VITRI, IUFRO-SPDC and ETFRN Coordinating Unit will integrate these activities, pooling resources to organize an E-discussion (17 March - 25 April) and a workshop in Nairobi, Kenya 2 - 7 June, 2003. ICRAF and KEFRI have kindly agreed to co-host the workshop in Kenya. The final TACCDA workshop is planned as a side event to the Tropical Savanna Conference, 15 - 20 September 2003 in Edinburgh, hosted by IIED, the main organiser [http://www.geo.ed.ac.uk/bblza/sav2003/]. ETFRN will be providing the web and E- discussion platform for TACCDA and the GFIS-Africa project of IUFRO-SPDC. See for more information also the letter to participants from Atse Yapi, IUFRO-SPDC Deputy Coordinator for Africa & FORNESSA Secretary: http://www.etfrn.org/etfrn/workshop/degradedlands/documents/letterintroduction.doc (English) http://www.etfrn.org/etfrn/workshop/degradedlands/documents/letterintroductionfr.doc (French) The IUFRO-SPDC commissioned three background papers for the purpose of the e-discussion. These background papers can be downloaded from this website: http://www.etfrn.org/etfrn/workshop/degradedlands/documents.html June 5-6, 2003, Pretoria, South Africa Expert Meeting for Southern African Countries SAC/CSIR is hosting an Expert Meeting on "Low to Medium Resolution Satellite Sensors and Disaster Monitoring" on the 5th and 6th of June in Pretoria, South Africa. It will be a closed meeting bringing together representatives from 25 institutions that are developing or are interested in developing projects in the area of space technology and disaster management. If your institution is interested in participating please get in touch with Helena Bosman hfbosman@csir.co.za or David Stevens david.stevens@unvienna.org. 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 June 15-17, 2003, Antananarivo, Madagascar http://www.scgis.org Asa Soa Ara Jeografika Madagascar (MSCAR) Organizer: MSCAR; Theme: Environment Conservation/GIS June 23-25, 2003, Nairobi, Kenya http://www.atpsnet.org Progress Workshop on "Strengthening ICT Policy in Africa: Governance, Equity & Institutional Issues 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 20-24, 2003, Maputo, Mozambique http://www.pitt.edu/~icpm/icpm.html The Fourth International Conference on Public Management, Policy, and Development (The President of Mozambique is a confirmed speaker at the conference) http://www.pitt.edu/~icpm/pressreleasefrench.html (francais) Conférence Internationale sur la Gestion Publique, les Politiques et le Développement. The Mozambique conference is sponsored by the International Consortium on Public Management, Policy and Development. Its mission is to strengthen and promote public sector involvement in sustainable community development. This mission is achieved via a forum to facilitate institutional linkages, research, dialogue, and cooperative activities among professionals in government, academia, business, and nonprofit groups. http://www.pitt.edu/~icpm/tracks.html Track 4: Natural Resources and Food Security Reviewing policy innovations in forests and water management, policy and effect of international trade in achieving food security. Track 5: Infrastructure and Public/Private Partnerships Integrating physical and social infrastructure needs and priorities, leveraging resources, investing, privatization, and joint ventures. Track 6: Technology and Development Utilizing science and computers, evolving skills and training person to achieve societal sustainable development. Registration/payment due by May 16, 2003. 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 8-10, 2003 IC WG II/IV, Durban, South Africa http://geo.haifa.ac.il/~icaupdt/meetings/durban/durban.htm 4th Joint ICA/ISPRS/EuroGeographics Workshop on "Incremental Updating and Versioning of Spatial Data Bases" Dr. Ammatzia Peled(Co-chair IC WG II/IV): peled@geo.haifa.ac.il CC: rjb@rjb-3d.com. Antony Cooper(Co-chair ICA WG on IU&V): accoper@csir.co.za 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 14-20, 2003, Edinburgh, Scotland http://www.geo.ed.ac.uk/bblza/sav2003/ International Conference on Tropical Savannas and Seasonally Dry Forests: Ecology, Environment and Development. The aim of this meeting is to bring together leading researchers in savanna and dry forest formations throughout the tropics. The conference will focus on five principal themes: Plant Biodiversity; Animal Biodiversity; Palaeo-ecology and Environmental Change; Environment and Environmental Processes; and Human Ecology and Development. The conference is linked to the June workshop in Nairobi (June 2-7) and the E-discussion (March 17 - April 25) 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 21 - 25, 2003, Brno, Czech Republic http://digitalearh03.geogr.muni.cz 3rd Symposium on Digital Earth September 29 - October 3, 2003, Weimar, Germany: http://www.eumetsat.de/en/area2/conf_work/Weimar/1Ann_Draftrev-2.pdf The 2003 Eumetsat Meteorological Satellite Conference September 29 - October 3, 2003, Moscow, Russia http://wccc2003@mecom.ru World Climate Change Conference. Executive Secretariat (scientific issues): Yu.Izrael@g23.relcom.ru Oct 1-2, 2003, Paris, France http://www.esrifrance.fr/actu/SIG2003/accueil_sig2003.htm SIG 2003 de la Conférence Francophone ESRI PACI (Palais des Congrès d'Issy les Moulineaux) Email: sig2003@esrifrance.fr October 1-3, 2003, South Africa South Africa's ESRI User Conference 2003 Contact: GIMS, Patrick McKivergan, pmckivergan@gims.com, http://www.gims.com October 6-8, 2003, Sun City, South Africa http://www.saoug.co.za/conference/2003/index.asp Oracle User Group Conference Call for Papers --if you wish to present a paper at the Conference or recommend a potential speaker, you must submit an abstract by 17 April 2003. October 16-18, 2003: 2003. Montreal, Canada http://www.ihdp.uni-bonn.de/html/other/open%20_meeting_2003.htm http://www.ihdp.uni-bonn.de/word_docs/other/5thOpen%20Meeting.doc 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 October 27-29, 2003, Cape Town, South Africa http://www.nrf.ac.za/saeon/globalchange/saglobal.htm http://www.nrf.ac.za/saeon/globalchange/announcement.htm Global Change and Regional Sustainability in South Africa Symposium The South African Scientific Committee on Global Change (SASCGC) announces a national symposium on the implications of important drivers of global change for national and regional sustainability of human and ecological systems in South Africa. The SASCGC is a national committee of the International Science Union (ICSU), functioning under the auspices of the National Research Foundation. Complete the registration form in full and submit to e-mail before 30 April 2003 if your wish to present at the symposium and on or before 29 August if you wish to attend only. Complete the abstract form and submit to e-mail before 30 June 2003. 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 thème principal retenu pour GIS Afrique ’03 est 'vers une satisfaction des besoins informationnels du NEPAD' The deadline for submissions for AfricaGIS '03 has been extended until May 31, 2003. 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://isrse.pdc.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 8-12, 2003, Tunis, Tunisia http://www.uaps.org/cap2003/cap2003eng/indexcap2003en.htm http://www.uaps.org/cap2003/cap2003eng/appelcom.htm (call for presentations) 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 10-12, 2003, Geneva, Switzerland http://www.itu.int/wsis/ World Summit on the Information Society, First Phase. Feb 2-6, 2004, Bangalore, India http://www.gsdi.org 7th Global Spatial Data Infrastructure Conference 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.). 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 -------------------------------------------------------------------- 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/