Projects |
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The eStation is currently developed through a number of initiatives and international funded projects.
Current projects |
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GMES & Africa:
The Global Monitoring for Environment and Security and Africa (GMES & Africa) Support Program is the continuation of the longstanding cooperation between Africa and Europe in the area of space science & technology, which is one of the key priorities of the long-term EU-Africa Joint Strategy. The Maputo Declaration of October 2006 provided the necessity for the Africa-EU partnership to confirm the commitment to avail the European infrastructure and facilities, under the Copernicus programme to Africa, Caribbean, and Pacific (ACP) countries. This commitment led to the launch of GMES & Africa process in Lisbon, Portugal, on 7th December 2007 during the 2nd EU-Africa Summit. The rationale of this long-term and strategic cooperation is to address the growing needs of African countries to access and use of Earth Observation (EO) data for the implementation of sustainable development policies on the continent through the integration and deployment of African requirements and needs in Copernicus Services. This will, in the long run, enable the two continents to jointly solve and address global challenges and contribute to the attainment of their overarching development goals that include the AU agenda 2063 and the Sustainable Development Goals.
Duration: 2017 - 2021
Overall budget: 21 M€
Link: GMES & Africa
Past projects |
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MESA:
The MESA program (Monitoring of Environment and Security in Africa) covers the period 2013-2017, and involves 48 ACP countries, with a budget of 37 M€ from the 10th European Development Fund (IntraACP budget line and five Regional Indicative Programmes). (ACP: African, Carribean and Pacific Countries, the five Regional Economic Commissions are ECOWAS for Western Africa, IGAD for Eastern Africa, IOC for the Indian Ocean, CEMAC for Central Africa and SADC for Southern Africa). It builds on the heritage of the previous AMESD program, using Earth Observation (EO) data and information products for environment and sustainable development, specifically designed for African users at continental, regional and national levels.
Infrastructure support, including upgrading and maintenance of PUMA and AMESD receiving stations is continued under MESA in all Sub-Saharan African countries. The program also consolidates and further develops information services in the thematic areas addressed by AMESD, and also expands to new thematic areas and services (such as climate services and forest management). Moreover, systematic efforts are devoted to promote cross-fertilisation among the five partner regions and to pursue the continentalisation of services, where appropriate.
The MESA steering structure is similar to that of AMESD: the seven thematic Actions are implemented through Regional Implementation Centres (RICs) located in each of the above-mentioned regions.
JRC has contributed to the technical implementation of the MESA program in the same way it contributed to AMESD, with scientific and technological support, training sessions in Africa and Europe and Institutional support.
Duration: 2013 - 2017
Overall budget: 37 M€
AMESD:
The African Monitoring of the Environment for Sustainable Development (AMESD) progran was developed as a successor of the PUMA project to address a range of environmental monitoring activities based on the use of Earth Observation (EO) data for the sustainable management of natural resources in five regions of sub-Saharan Africa that cover 48 ACP countries (ACP: African, Carribean and Pacific Countries). The purpose of the program was to increase the information management capacity of African regional and national institutions in support of decision makers. AMESD was implemented by the African Union Commission (AUC) in partnership with the European Union (EU). It involved five Regional Economic Commissions (ECOWAS for Western Africa, IGAD for Eastern Africa, IOC for the Indian Ocean, CEMAC for Central Africa and SADC for Southern Africa) and the ACP Secretariat which availed the funding (€21 millions) from their European Development Fund budget and are also the direct beneficiaries of the activities. AMESD Operational monitoring services were established by Regional Implementation Centres to provide information in support to decision makers at national and regional levels in the following thematic areas (i) water resources management; (ii) crop and rangeland management; (iii) agricultural and environmental resource management; (iv) mitigation of land degradation (including forest exploitation) and conservation of natural habitats and; (v) marine and coastal management. Besides this key result, AMESD also improve access to Earth Observation data by providing, maintaining and updating data receiving stations, training personnel, and establishing the use of environmental information in the decision making process.
JRC contributed to various aspects of the implementation of this programme and in particular through the development and provision of the eStation 1.0 and various training activities, both in Europe and in Africa.
Duration: October 2007 - July 2013
Partners: AUC, ACP, CEMAC, ECOWAS, IGAD, IOC, SADC and EUMETSAT
Overall budget: €21 millions