Education in space technologies and their applications for Disaster Management: an essential element

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Education in space technologies and their
applications for Disaster Management an
essential element of the Action Plan for Africa

• M. A. TRACHE
• Deputy Director CRASTE-LF
• trache_at_emi.ac.ma - craste_at_emi.ac.ma

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• Developing countries face increasing difficulties
  to
  cope with disasters
• The increase in their vulnerability to the risks
  
• Growth of population
• Concentration in high risks areas
• Pressure on natural resources
• Difficulty to apply a preventive urban planning
• Space Technologies a very high potential and
  significant contribution in the process of risks
  prevention and disasters management
• Meteorological satellites prevision and early
  warning for weather phenomena
• Earth observation satellites, positioning
  satellites, GIS strategy of risky zone
  determination, preventive planning of land use
  and regional planning, disaster management
• satellites communications essential during
  catastrophes

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Regional Workshop of the United Nations on the
Use of Space Technologies for Disaster Management
in Africa, Addis-Ababa 1 - 5 July 2002
Regional Plan-of Action Capacity Building
constitute one of the cornerstones of an
effective strategy of disaster management.
Human Factor considered as the most important
resource, during a crisis
Emphasis on education in spatial technologies
and adaptation to the specific conditions
of use
Regional Network provide coordination and
sharing experiments and expertise
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UN-affiliated regional centres for space science
and technology education (CRASTE-LF in Morocco
Held in 1998) Suitable Solution for
implementing educational programs, sharing
Information, Experience and Competency
Centres in India, Morocco, Nigeria, Brazil,
Mexico, Jordan

• Validated and regularly updated training programs
  in
• Remote sensing and GIS,
• Satellite Communications,
• Space Meteorology and World Climate.

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• Programs intended to scientists at engineer
  level, university educators, professionals, and
  managers
• Lead to a diploma of "Master in Space Sciences
  and Technology" in the selected speciality.
• Two phases
• Phase I nine-months period held in the Centre
  and during which the trainees get theoretical and
  practical courses of approximately 1000 h.
• Phase II 12 to 15 months-period, devoted to a
  personal research project, held in the home
  country of the trainees
• By the end of phase II, a jury evaluate the final
  research thesis at the Centre.

The details of the training curricula can be
consulted at www.oosa.unvienna.org/SAP/centres/c
entres.htm
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More than 70 trainees in Remote Sensing and GIS
(RSGIS) Satellite Communications (SC)
Satellite Meteorology and Global Climate (SMGC)
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" Mastère" research thesis presentations at
CRASTE-LF Examples of research topics

• Extraction and analysis of urban areas by
  statistical and textural approach based on
  satellite imagery.
• Application of the wavelettes transformation to
  textural multi-resolution classification of the
  satellite imagery.
• Contribution of remote sensing and the GIS to the
  follow-up of the dynamics of land occupation in
  Tunisian arid environment. Case of the Haddej Bou
  Hedma Observatory.
• Compression and Transmission of the images by
  VSAT
• Contribution of ETM of Landsat 7 to the
  cartographic update (1/200000). Case of the sheet
  of MSila(High lands, Algeria)
• Evaluation of the contribution of the Ikonos
  images to the topographic cartography -
  Application to large scales cartography.
• Feasibility study of a Moroccan nano-satellite
  dedicated to the transmission of the seismic
  signal.
• Integration of multi-source data for the
  delimitation of the vulnerable zones to
  desertification in the National park of Arguin
  (Mauritania).
• Proposal for a decisional model integrating the
  systemic approach and the space analysis for the
  efficient management of natural resources in
  Morocco.
• Geographical Data and Integrated Management of
  the Littoral of Togo Procedures of Multi-source
  Data Integration of the land occupation.

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Various Activities

• July 2001 International Workshop on the
  Regulation and the Management of the Frequencies
  Spectrum"
• June 2003 International Workshop on "Space
  Technologies and Telemedicine" with the support
  of OOSA, ESA, Canadian Space Agency, CNES
  (France), ISESCO, Eutelsat, WHO, ...
• July 2004 training workshop on RIPI (Ranet
  Internet Presence Initiative) on request of NOAA
  USA.
• NAFREF Unified Geodetic Reference Frame for
  North Africa - training component
• GCOS (WMO) development of an Regional Action
  Plan for Western and Central Africa - a capacity
  building project in relation to the use of space
  data.
• TIGER initiative capacity building in Africa.

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Multiform actions for the Regional Action Plan

• Academic Training and Research initiation
• (to ensure a long-term durability of the Action
  Plan) emergence of a regional network of experts
  in the field of the space tools and their use
  for risk management.
• continuation of the academic trainings (with
  recognized diplomas) and research initiation.
• adding specific modules on the major risks
  aspects.

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Multiform actions for the Regional Action Plan

• Experts Workshops for the implementation and the
  follow-up of the actions of training and
  animation
• dedicated to the design and the validation
  of the programs and
  topics
• Training programs elaborated in a close
  cooperation with specialized centres in order to
  elaborate the most illustrative pedagogical
  packages of the potential of space technologies,
  for all the range of risks concerned the region.

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Multiform actions for the Regional Action Plan

• Seminars for decision makers
• to present the advantages of space observation
  with respect to the current challenges
• a permanent effort to demonstrate of the
  cost-benefit ratio of the use of remote sensed
  data and other space technologies.
• Actions based on real ground data, appropriates
  studies, attractive
  presentations and demonstrative effect.
• Training courses (short duration) for the
  professionals
• giving to the technicians knowledge and tools
  for
  the operational exploitation of the space data
• short trainings (3 to 4 weeks) targeting specific
  subjects showing the use of space technologies
  through realist examples.

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Design and maintenance of a Web site
Multiform actions for the Regional Action Plan

• informing the user's community of space data and
  technologies on the most recent developments,
  experiments and projects
• On line courses, useful information.

Information and experience sharing, sensitizing
actions, appropriation of these technologies
constitute the basis of the preventive activity
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Multiform actions for the Regional Action Plan

• The identification, reinforcement and
  exploitation of the resources and the existing
  training structures in the region and their
  networking are essential to realize substantial
  savings and to achieve the goals assigned by the
  Action plan.

The reinforcement of the co-operation and the
establishment of interfaces with the space data
producing centres of and with the centres of
expertise will permit to accelerate the
implementation of the Action Plan (ex. Landsat
workshop)
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Conclusion

• Training , education and information guarantee
  of effectiveness and durability.

• Conditions for implementation of this Action
  plan consolidation of the partnerships and
  mobilization of the suitable financing.

• CRASTE-LF fully committed in the
  concretization and the success of the Action Plan