Satellites improve African environmental decision-making
The EU-funded project 'Distribution of vegetation data in Africa through EUmetcast' (Vgt4Africa) provides data on vegetation cover for analyses by EO experts in Africa, which is then used by local policy-makers to make better-informed decisions. The user community includes all of the continent's meteorological services and regional institutions conducting environmental monitoring. The EUmetcast telecommunications system disseminates free EO data from the European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUmetsat) to all African countries. The Vgt4Africa project has also been helping to train EO experts to use the different available products in order to build capacity. This has helped African authorities to fulfil their environmental monitoring and reporting obligations. The work can also help countries improve the management of their natural resources. The Vgt4Africa project has therefore made a significant contribution to sustainable development in Africa by building on local capacity through the dissemination of data and training. The project has also built scientific cooperation and understanding between Europe and Africa who can work together to protect our common environment.
