China, Europe, US agree to provide observation data to developing countries

ITRealms:

The 12^th session of the inter-governmental Group on Earth Observations (GEO) ended in the city of Mexico city at the weekend with renewal of pledges by the trio of China, Europe and the United States to provide critical earth observation data to developing countries, reports ITRealms.

Highlight of the session made available to ITRealms by the Senior External Relations Manager, Group on Earth Observations, Robert J. Samors, stated that the three countries have renewed commitment to GEONETCast, an initiative of these countries to this effect.

Samors also quoted the South Africa´s Minister of Science and Technology, Naledi Pandor, pointed out that the responsibility before African leaders is to ensure the targets of the global goals for Sustainable Development are met.

“We should not take science for granted. We need to provide adequate funding for scientific research and global collaboration,” Pandor said.

Chinese Vice Minister of Science and Technology, Dr Jianlin Cao, noted that the promotion of open access data, knowledge and information has become imperative.

“… Data sharing is key for the Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS). As Co-Chair of the Asia-Pacific region, we will implement more activities to enforce GEO cooperation with other countries, such as capacity-building, data sharing, eco-environment, disaster monitoring and climate change observing,” the minister assured.

ITRealms recalls that the intergovernmental Group on Earth Observations (GEO) is comprised of some 100 member states, including the European Commission, and 92 Participating Organizations, whereas GEO strives to improve the world’s observation systems and provide policy makers and scientists with accurate and useful data that could be used to make informed decisions.

GEO’s primary focus is to develop a Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS) to enhance the ability of end-users to discover and access Earth observation data and convert it to useable and useful information.

+Remmy Nweke (ITRealms) +ITRealms DSA  +Nnenna Nwakanma +Open Data Center Alliance 
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ECOWAS assists Nigeria with observation data

ITRealms:

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) is assisting Nigeria to monitor her territorial waters through the Earth Observation Data (EOD), NaijaAgroNet reports. 

The Permanent Secretary to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (FMARD), Architect Sonny Echono disclosed that the monitoring would include the marine waters, provision of security for fishing vessels and their operators and also to ensure the protection of the environment in the coastal waters of Nigeria and West Africa.

Earth observation data is the information about planet Earth's physical, chemical and biological systems via remote sensing technologies supplemented by earth surveying techniques, NaijaAgroNet learnt.

Echono, NaijaAgroNet gathered, stated this while addressing stakeholders recently in Abuja at the opening ceremony of the 2nd Regional Steering Committee Meeting of ECOWAS on Monitoring for Environment and Security in Africa (MESA) with the Theme “Enhancing the Use of Earth Observation to support Fisheries Management and Safety at Sea in Western Africa”

Represented by the Ministry’s Director of Fisheries, Aderemi Abioye, Echono said  “The partnership through ECOWAS was to build platforms for collaborations and partnerships with other African countries in the West African regions to harmonize our regulations and monitor the operations of fishing vessels across the region,” NaijaAgroNet reports.

He added that as part of efforts to meet the nation’s fish demands “the federal ministry of agriculture is promoting aqua -culture, accommodating new investment in fish production, encouraging and empowering artisanal fishermen  to be able to produce fish from rivers, lagoons lakes and all inland waters in the country”

Another keynote, NaijaAgroNet learnt, came from the Provost, University of Ghana Prof. Ebenezer Owusu who said “the goal of the workshop is to help curb illegal unregulated and unreported fishing activities using satellite imagery as global losses due to IUU or pirate fishing which are estimated to be between USD $10b, about N199billion  and US $23.5b about N4.67trillion annually.

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“West Africa waters are estimated to have the highest levels of IUU fishing in the World, representing up to 37 per cent of the regions catch. Adding that in addition to economic losses pirate fishing in West Africa severely compromises the food security and livelihoods of coastal communities,” he said

Cyriacus Nnaji/GEE

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