IN THIS ISSUE: Science with Africa related activities; Outcome of CODIST; Latest Findings in Biological Sciences (Global); African Science News; Upcoming Science-related events in Africa; Opinion
This e-newsletter, produced on a quarterly basis provides information and news on the follow-up to the Science with Africa conference, as well as other news items closely related to the themes and objectives of the event.
The African Science to Business Challenge is a pioneering initiative launched by the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) and RTI International (RTI) aimed at strengthening links between scientific research and business development. [more] Application Form | Deadline: 31st October 2009
Geo
Information Systems Section
Geo-information technologies enable the collection and processing of land-related
data efficiently, rapidly, and cost-effectively - using global positioning
systems, computer mapping, remote sensing, and geographic information
systems (GIS) - making it possible to relate economic and development
decisions to specific locations or markets. [more]
Within its programme of Harnessing Information for Development, ECA has undertaken major actions to strengthen the capacity of member States to set up institutional arrangements and implement national policies and programmes that reinforce the linkages within the nexus of food security, population, economy, environment and human settlements. This strategy places emphasis on the building of an African Regional Spatial Data Infrastructure for Africa (ARSDI) linked with the National Information and Communication Infrastructure (NICI) plans. This will involve negotiating coordination, interoperability and data sharing arrangements with partners, including nodes at national levels, which ECA and partners will assist in developing. [more]
Metadata Clearinghouse Systems A very important component of spatial data infrastructure is the clearinghouse system that enables users to search metadata of available data sets. As part of the work in developing Spatial Data Infrastructures at national and regional level, ECA maintains a clearinghouse system. One of the objectives of maintaining the clearinghouse system is to provide a facility for member States to publish the metadata of their available data holdings, so that decision makers can discover and use accurate data sourced from their original producers. The five Metadata nodes contain as per end of December 2008 more than 10,000 geospatial metadata records. [more]
Today, Africa faces major pressing issues: climate change impact, water scarcity, energy shortage, environmental stresses and food crisis, which affect citizens, business and the community at large. Efforts were made by African countries to work out strategies and policies coordinated in the fields of the environment and the sustainable development. A particular importance is attached to food security, management of resource water, combat against endemics diseases, ecosystems conservation and biodiversity, sustainable energy development, etc. [more]
Emphasis on security planning for UN personnel and facilities has increased since the killing of UN personnel in Iraq in August 2003, adopting military applications where appropriate. Such security plans require the mapping of UN facilities and residences of staff, detailing assembly points and possible evacuation routes in the event of emergencies. In collaboration with the Security and Safety Section, the Geoinformation Systems Section is currently developing a spatially enabled database system for security applications in Addis Ababa and elsewhere in Ethiopia. [more]
ECA has developed numerous information and knowledge resources, applications and services to improve availability and use of information for development at the national, regional and sub-regional levels. In line with ECA’s position to support regional priorities defined by the AU and the NEPAD, the Division’s Geoinformation Systems Section is building regional geospatial databases to support regional initiatives. [more]
Geoinformation technology offers a database system to organize, store and display data in harmonized format to facilitate data sharing among various agencies within a country, in order to monitor social development.
An MDG Mapping tool is being developed to enable at-a-glance visualization of the status of countries with regards to meeting the MDG targets.
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It aims at developing a comprehensive database that will enable decision makers and potential investors to determine priority PPP (Public Private Partnership) infrastructure projects with a particular emphasis on transport infrastructure in Africa. This database contains information about the types of projects, their locations, implementation, status, availability of funding, project owner/sponsor, manager, and potential beneficiaries. Fifty-six Railways and thirty-three Electricity PPP-related projects data were recorded and processed for the whole continent. The data were integrated in a geospatial database and a web-based application is being developed to allow users to identify where existing and potential PPP projects are located and to get detailed information with a click of a mouse on any of the projects. This activity was undertaken in partnership with the Infrastructure and Natural Resources Development Section of NEPAD and the Regional Integration Division (NRID) at ECA. [more]
ECA has been developing the African component of the Second Level Administrative Boundaries (SALB) geodatabase. Administrative limits data was recorded in nine countries bringing the number of countries with maps fully validated to 17, and a further eight countries awaiting final validation by the national mapping agencies.
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A major problem that Africa faces is that many countries do not have the information resources needed for economic and development planning. For coherent planning, it is necessary to develop a well-structured and comprehensive data foundation that would be consistent, comparable and compatible at the local, national, regional, and global levels. Quick reviews of the African terrain reveal that the geoinformation components of this development data foundation are generally not available, and where they exist are grossly outdated and uncoordinated. To plan remedial activities, it is necessary to identify and reconcile the common and key sets of information for development across the continent. While the thematic data needed by various development sectors may vary, it has been accepted that these key or fundamental datasets must be provided in the context of spatial data infrastructures for the community of users to base their sectoral data products on. However, there is no agreement on what should be included in these fundamental datasets. There is even no consensus on what is meant by the term "fundamental datasets." [more]
Knowing that the foundation of accurate Geospatial information starts with a uniform coordinate reference system, ECA pursued its effort to develop through the African Reference Frame (AFREF) Project, a unified geodetic reference frame for Africa so that maps and other geoinformation products can be represented on the same datum. AFREF will be based on current satellite positioning technologies, and will form the geodetic infrastructure for multinational projects requiring precise geo-referencing (e.g. three-dimensional and time dependent positioning, geodynamics, precise navigation, and geo-information). Like other continental geodetic reference frames, it will be part of the global geodetic infrastructure. As such, it is being implemented and will be maintained in close cooperation with international partners with expertise and interest in geodetic reference frames, notably the International Association of Geodesy (IAG), the International Global Navigation Systems by Satellites (GNSS) Service (IGS), the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA), among others. [more]
ICT is revolutionizing our world. One cannot think about life without computers, the Internet, satellites and mobile phones. They're turning our world into a global village. Is Africa being left out of this revolution? This 50 minute presentation highlights how Africa is making inroads into leveraging ICT for the continent's development.
The Workshop is sponsored by UNAIDS, UNECA, WHO, and a consortium of US partners including MEASURE Evaluation, USAID, and the US State Department.
The workshop seeks to promote collaborative examples of the effective use of geoinformation science and technologies that lead to more effective HIV/AIDS interventions, multi-sectoral solutions, as well as stronger spatial data infrastructures in support of national strategic plans to arrest HIV/AIDS transmission.
The main aim of the workshop is to engage the community of AFREF stakeholders in defining next steps to move the project forward. The workshop is organized by ECA in collaboration with the African Union Commission and the AFREF Project International Steering Committee.
The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names (UNGEGN) was set up by the Secretariat General of the United Nations with mandate to provide encouragement and guidance to member states to establish organization on geographic names and to produce national gazetteers.
ECA has published for decision makers, researchers, academia and other dealing with land issues in Africa, a guide on the role of information management in formulating and implementing land policies. The publication underscores the importance of geospatial technology for the collection and maintenance of data needed for sound land administration.
This publication aims to recommend a consistent definition and specify the contents of fundamental datasets for Africa’s socio-economic development. With the agreed definition and contents, it would now be possible to undertake a status study and perform gap analysis to develop strategies for providing the geoinformation resources needed for socio-economic planning and monitoring at national and regional levels. The material for the publication was collected through a comprehensive survey of African and international institutions involved in the production, management and use of geoinformation products in and related to Africa. The survey sought to establish what datasets are most commonly used as a foundation for other spatial information products and the criteria used in selecting them.
African Science to Business Challenge
Geo
Information Systems Section
Achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDG)
Second Administrative Level Boundaries
