Satellite imaging for Africa
Europe's Global Monitoring for Environment and Security (GMES) programme (now called Copernicus) fosters European capacity in viewing the Earth from satellites, so-called Earth observation (EO). The GMES and Africa initiative aims to establish an African framework for EO applications, through partnerships, leading to support for policies on resources and security. The EU-funded 'Bridging actions for GMES and Africa' (BRAGMA) project provided support for GMES and Africa. Consisting of five African and six European partners, its broad goal was to facilitate dialogue via coordination and dissemination. Additional actions included supporting the role of the expert team, facilitating African experts' attendance at events and organising awareness events in Africa. BRAGMA's first action at its kick-off meeting was an agreement to change its objectives. The project determined that it would not be the starting point for implementation of the GMES and Africa Action Plan. Instead, the project's work would lead to that outcome after the project's completion. Much effort focused on organising the first GMES and Africa thematic workshop. The project then held two subsequent thematic workshops, of which the decision outcomes concerning GMES and Africa implementation were communicated at a fourth major meeting to consolidate/validate the three previous thematic workshops. Other work included promoting awareness via the project website, social media, newsletters, and numerous additional connectivity-building meetings and workshops. BRAGMA also engaged with organisations involved in satellite and GMES applications at country and regional levels. As part of promoting and organising thematic workshops, BRAGMA established thematic networks. The themes were Marine and Coastal Areas, Water Resources Management and Long-Term Management of Natural Resources. At the workshops, cross-cutting themes of Infrastructure and Governance were identified and made a priority. BRAGMA has helped GMES and Africa achieve its aim of using EO to support sustainable development and related policies. BRAGMA's outreach activities, and the networks it has created, raise awareness of GMES applications for Africa and Europe.
Keywords
Satellite imaging, GMES, Copernicus, Earth observation, sustainable development, Joint Africa-EU Strategy (JAES)
