Dr. S. Gomez, Director, ERSI

1
Dr. S. Gomez, Director, ERSI

• Southern African Regional GMES Programme
• UNOOSA/DLR STDM Workshop, Germany, Oct. 2004

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Presentation Outline

• Introduction natural disasters in region and
  management issues
• Introduction to SIRDC-ERSI, Zimbabwe
• Overview of GMES regional programme
• Model for programme development
• Conclusion - Recommendations

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Introduction

• SADC is 6.9 sq. km in area
• Dominant natural disasters
• Droughts
• Floods
• Fires (natural and induced)

4
Management of Disasters

• Main problems
• Civil Protection Units have low capacity for
  early warning management of disaster and RR
  operations.
• Drought Monitoring Centres/Early Warning
  Programmes/RRU (UN) not producing data (and at
  relevant scale) in adequate time for
  planning/mitigation.
• Lack of awareness by decision makers re the
  potential of EO for disaster management.

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Management of Disasters

• Drought not considered disaster in the
  International Charter for Disaster Management and
  yet in the most recent drought of 2002/2003, 13
  million people in southern African faced
  starvation.
• Predictions for another drought (2004/2005) in
  region due to the development of El Nino in the
  Pacific.

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SIRDC-ERSI

• The Scientific and Industrial Research and
  Development Centre (SIRDC) is a parastatal
  mandated with undertaking RD in the unpackaging
  of new technologies to assist development in
  Zimbabwe and the region.
• Established in the early 1990s and developed
  along the lines of CSIR in S.Africa.

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SIRDC-ERSI

• The Environment and Remote Sensing Institute
  (ERSI) is one of the 9 institutes at SIRDC. The
  DG is head of SIRDC and each institute has a
  Director. About 150 staff total.
• Projects are done on a commercial basis with both
  public and private sector - especially those that
  are related to national development programmes /
  and regional.
• GTZ had 10 yr programme to set up national RS
  facility at ERSI.

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SIRDC-ERSI

• Experience with providing data/maps for Cyclone
  Eline floods (2000) for Zimbabwe (and
  Mozambique)
• liaising with UNDP-RRU, Zimbabwe
• providing RS/GIS national database for UNICEF,
  Zimbabwe food-relief programme (for
  child-supplementary feeding programme).

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GMES Programme for southern Africa

• ERSI was introduced to the Global Monitoring for
  Environment and Security (GMES) programme in July
  2003 via GAF (German Remote Sensing/GIS Co.).
• The Global Monitoring for the Environment and
  Security Programme (GMES) is a joint ESA/EU
  programme initiated in 2003.

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GMES

• The main aim to develop a European (space-based)
  capacity to provide operational information
  services in support of environment and security
  policy needs ie making Earth Observation
  operational for providing data/information for
  improved environmental management.

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GMES

• The GMES has several service elements which focus
  on the delivery of policy-relevant services to
  end users.
• Global Monitoring for Forest Monitoring (GSE FM)
  programme is managed by GAF focuses on policy
  processes within the UNFCC and Kyoto Protocol,
  the EU Forest Focus Regulation, the UN Forum on
  Forests, UNCBD, and UNCCD.

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GMES Regional Programme

• Most southern African countries are signatories
  to UN International Environmental Conventions but
  are not adequately implementing them and
  furthermore not using remote sensing technologies
  for implementation.
• GSE FM has a service package for Forest Fire
  Mapping/Monitoring which has potential for the
  region as well.

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GMES Regional Activities

• ERSI noted potential for region end users to
  drive process and focus on operational systems.
• ERSI hosted an Awareness Raising Workshop in Jan.
  2004 in S.Africa. SAC-CSIR supported.
• End users identified-mainly from Namibia,
  Botswana, S.Africa, Zimbabwe.
• User Needs Analysis conducted for 4 countries.

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GMES Regional Activities

• Official support from NEPAD Secretariat.
• Presentation of of regional programme at various
  fora.
• Meetings at EU to discuss potential funding.
• GSE FM pilot project for region being drafted.
  First test case for GMES in Africa.

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GMES as Model

• Success to development of programme
• End users consulted and asked to define needs.
• Use of high resolution data and valid scale of
  products for planning.
• Interface facilitated the link between the end
  user and the technology providers as well as
  between regional partners and European partners.
  Specific character of interface. (ERSI)

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GMES Model

• Senior management of interface makes a commitment
  and also drives the process.
• European partner had experience in region.
• Project Management had to develop modes of
  operation/communication/working practices.
• Systems to investigate how to meet development
  needs with operational systems.

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Conclusion

• Recommendations
• Develop a pilot to assess the GSE FM Fire
  Monitoring service package for the region.
• Develop similar models for a Disaster Management
  programme for Africa under the auspices of GMES.
• Investigate the potential to include this in the
  EUs contribution to an African component of GMES
  African Monitoring of Environment for SD
  (AMESD).

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Conclusion

• Include drought when defining disasters in the
  Charter (to assist impending drought in southern
  African region 2004/2005).

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Acknowledgements

• Thank you to UNOOSA/DLR for invitation to STDM
  Workshop.
• ERSI would like to thank GAF-AG and Dr.
  Hausler (PM for GSE FM) for support and inclusion
  of the region in GMES. Thanks also to ESA for
  their support of regional GMES programme.