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Supporting and Enhancing Access to Earth Observation Data on the African Continent

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Space Fostering African Societies

Part of the book series: Southern Space Studies ((SOSPST))

Abstract

Earth observation represents a key space application to support the development of the African countries. Indeed, satellites provide spatial information in a wide range of areas including for instance the management of natural resources, climate’s effects on soils, and water scarcity which are essential for farming production, cartography of infectious disease locations as well as coastal zones monitoring. The access to satellite technology, data and information is paramount to drive the socio-economic growth of the African society, and to respond to the challenges that the continent has to face according to the African Union Agenda 2063. The contribution examines the various operational services, in particular  online platforms and programmes that support and facilitate the access to Earth observation data, as AfriGEO and GMES&Africa. Finally, the contribution highlights the necessity of a common approach on Earth observation data access and use amongst States by taking into account the concepts of availability, accessibility, transformability and dissemination.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    African Union, Agenda 2063: The Africa We Want: https://au.int/en/agenda2063/overview. (All websites cited in this publication were last accessed and verified on 12 February 2021).

  2. 2.

    African Union Agenda 2063, April 2015: www.un.org/en/africa/osaa/pdf/au/agenda2063.pdf.

  3. 3.

    S. Ospina, The Digital Divide and Space Activities in the Southern Hemisphere(s): a General Overview of Africa and South America, 54 Proc. Int’l Inst. Space L., 266–283 (2011); see also A.S. Martin, Internet by Satellite for Connecting the African Continent: A Glance on the Partnership between Rwanda and the Private Company OneWeb, in A. Froehlich (ed), Space Fostering African Societies, Part I, 61–70 (Switzerland: Springer, 2020).

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    T. Aganaba-Jeanty, Towards Realising a Regional African Space Programme, AfricaPortal, 26 March 2019: http://www.africaportal.org/features/towards-realising-regional-african-space-programme/#:~:text=The%20African%20space%20policy%20and,within%20the%20next%2050%20years; O. Adebola, S. Adebola, Roadmap for Integrated Space Applications in Africa, NewSpace, 9(1), pp. 12–18.

  5. 5.

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    See Unlocking the Potential of Earth Observation to Address Africa’s Critical Challenges, Insight Report World Economic Forum, January 2021; see also Space in Africa, Earth Observation Datacan Help Africa’s Economy to Recover Post Covid-19, February 2, 2021: https://africanews.space/earth-observation-digital-africa/.

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    A. A. Oprong, V. Rwehumbiza, Glance at the Earth Observation Policies and Regulations and the Impact on Developing Countries: Focusing on the African Continent, 54 Proc. Int’l Inst. Space L. 251 (2011); see also Space in Africa, How African Countries Used Space Technologies to Solve Developmental Challenges in 2020, 1 January 2021: https://africanews.space/how-african-countries-used-space-technologies-to-solve-developmental-challenges-in-2020/; DailyMail Online, Conservationists track elephant populations from SPACE using Earth observation satellites and AI that can spot the animals even when they are camouflaged by their surroundinds, 21 January 2021: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-9171837/Space-satellites-equipped-machine-learning-count-elephants-Earth.html.

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    United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, Geospatial Information for Sustainable Development in Africa, African Action Plan on Global Geosptial Information Management 2016–2030, 2017: https://repository.uneca.org/bitstream/handle/10855/23834/b1186459x.pdf?sequence=3&isAllowed=y; see also Africa Regional Data Cube (ARDC): www.data4sdgs.org/initiatives/africa-regional-data-cube.

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    La Tribune, Space Forum: la filière spatiale ‘migre vers une économie de la donnée’, 21 Septembre 2020: https://toulouse.latribune.fr/evenements/2020-09-21/space-forum-la-filiere-spatiale-migre-vers-une-economie-de-la-donnee-857758.html.

  18. 18.

    T. Brisibi, Africa and Common Interests in Outer Space, Innovation in Outer Sapace: International and African Legal Perspective, 217–229 (Baden Baden: Nomos, 2018).

  19. 19.

    UNGA Res. 41/65, Principles relating to remote sensing of the Earth from outer space, 3 December 1986: www.unoosa.org/pdf/gares/ARES_41_65E.pdf.

  20. 20.

    G. Arangio-Riuz, The Normative Role of the General Assembly of the United Nations and the declaration of Principles of Friendly Relations, Collected Courses of The Hague Academy of International Law, Vol. 137, 419–742 (Leiden-Boston: Brill, 2008).

  21. 21.

    F. Von der Dunk, Advanced Introduction to Space Law, 59–63 (Edward Elgar Publishing: 2020).

  22. 22.

    SpaceWatchGlobal, EU to Invest €82.5 Million in Pan-African Programme, 19 January 2021: https://spacewatch.global/2021/01/eu-to-invest-e82-5-million-in-pan-african-programme.

  23. 23.

    For example Digital Earth Africa: www.digitalearthafrica.org/; see also DigitalGlobe EarthWatch: www.geospatialworld.net/news/digitalglobe-introduces-earthwatch/; NASA Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODUS): https://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov/data/; Copernicus Open Access Hub provides complete, free and open access to Sentinel satellites user products: https://scihub.copernicus.eu/; Earth Observing System Data and Information System (EODIS): https://earthdata.nasa.gov/eosdis. NASA's Earth Observing System Data and Information System (EOSDIS) is a key core capability in the Earth Science Data Systems (ESDS) Program. It provides end-to-end capabilities for managing NASA Earth science data from various sources—satellites, aircraft, field measurements, and various other programs.

  24. 24.

    Centre for Training in Aerospace Surveys: https://un-spider.org/links-and-resources/institutions/regional-centre-training-aerospace-surveys-rectas#:~:text=The%20Regional%20Centre%20for%20training,Advisory%20Services%20in%20Geo%20informatics.

  25. 25.

    Regional Centre for Mapping of Resources for Development: www.rcmrd.org/.

  26. 26.

    African Organization of Cartography and Remote Sensing: https://uia.org/s/or/en/1100004655.

  27. 27.

    African Association of Remote Sensing of the Environment: https://africanremotesensing.org/.

  28. 28.

    African Resources Management Constellation: www.sansa.org.za/2019/08/13/pan-african-satellite-constellation-in-the-works/.

  29. 29.

    AfriGEOSS Brochure, Strengthening the use of Earth Observations and Bringing GEOSS to Africa, May 2017: www.earthobservations.org/documents/publications/201705_AfriGEOSS_brochure.pdf.

  30. 30.

    See for instance FANFAR Project, Reinforced Cooperation to Provide Operational Flood Forecasting and Alerts in West Africa, an European Union-financed project: https://fanfar.eu/about/.

  31. 31.

    Group on Earth Observation (GEO): https://earthobservations.org/geo_community.php.

  32. 32.

    GEO, RCMRD to host AfriGeo Secretariat, 10 May 2019: https://earthobservations.org/article.php?id=357.

  33. 33.

    Space in Africa, RCMRD Hosts 54th Governing Council, 25 November 2020: https://africanews.space/rcmrd-hosts-54th-governing-council-shares-resolution/.

  34. 34.

    AfriGEOSS Brochure, 26

  35. 35.

    GEO, RCMRD to host AfriGeo Secretariat, 10 May 2019: https://earthobservations.org/article.php?id=357.

  36. 36.

    UNGA Doc., Report on the United Nations/Kenya Conference on Space Technology Applications for Wildlife Management and Protecting Biodiversity (A/AC.105/1126), 27 October 2016

  37. 37.

    Agreement Between the Government of the Republic of Kenya and the Government of the Italian Republic on the Luigi Broglio—Malindi Space Centre, Kenya, Gazzetta Ufficiale della Repubblica Italiana, 19 December 2019, n. 297, 52; see also Italian Space Agency, “Luigi Broglio” Space Center: http://www.asi.it/en/the-agency/the-space-centers/luigi-broglio-space-center/https://www.asi.it/en/the-agency/the-space-centers/luigi-broglio-space-center/.

  38. 38.

    NASA, Earth Observation, NASA Data Aid Food Security Assesmments in Kenya, January 2021: https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/147831/nasa-data-aid-food-security-assessments-in-kenya.

  39. 39.

    AfriGEOSS Brochure, 7.

  40. 40.

    Earth Observation for Africa, AfriGEO, GEO Symposium 2019, 29 May 2019, Geneva, Switzerland: www.earthobservations.org/documents/me_2019_wps/S10_01_wps_AfriGEO%20Presentation.pdf.

  41. 41.

    Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS): https://earthobservations.org/geoss.php.

  42. 42.

    See GEOSS Portal: www.geoportal.org/?m:activeLayerTileId=addsat&f:dataSource=dab.

  43. 43.

    GEO Community: https://earthobservations.org/geo_community.php.

  44. 44.

    AfriGEOSS Brochure, 7.

  45. 45.

    Mexico City Ministerial Declaration, November 2015: www.earthobservations.org/documents/ministerial/mexico_city/MS3_Mexico_City_Declaration.pdf.

  46. 46.

    The Lisbon Process on ‘GMES and Africa’, Lisbon, 7 December 2007: https://mundiconvenius.pt/eventos/2007/gmes/docs2/PT_Presid_GMES_Africa_Lisbon_process_EN.pdf; see also The Lisbon Declaration on ‘GMES and Africa’, Lisbon, 7 December 2007.

  47. 47.

    African Union, GMES and Africa—Making Development Sustainable: https://africa-eu-partnership.org/en/success-stories/gmes-and-africa-making-development-sustainable; see also Capacity4dev (the European Commission’s knowledge sharing platform for International Cooperation and Development) on GMES&Africa: https://europa.eu/capacity4dev/africa-eu-part-gmes.

  48. 48.

    African Union, GMES&Africa: https://au.int/GMESAfrica/background.

  49. 49.

    Copernicus Website: www.copernicus.eu/en.

  50. 50.

    Study on the Copernicus DataPolicy Post-2020, 2 April 2019: www.copernicus.eu/sites/default/files/2019-04/Study-on-the-Copernicus-data-policy-2019_0.pdf.

  51. 51.

    African Union, GMES&Africa: https://au.int/GMESAfrica/background.

  52. 52.

    Space in Africa, 2020 in Review—GMES&Africa Project, 17 December 2020: https://africanews.space/2020-in-review-gmes-africa-project/.

  53. 53.

    Regulation (EU) 2021/696 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 28 April 2021 establishing the Union Space Programme and the European Union Agency for the Space Programme and repealing Regulations (EU) No 912/2010, (EU) No 1285/2013, and (EU) No 377/2014 and Decision No 541/2014/EU: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=uriserv:OJ.L_.2021.170.01.0069.01.ENG. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/resource.html%3Furi%3Dcellar:33f7d93e-6af6-11e8-9483-01aa75ed71a1.0003.03/DOC_1%26format%3DPDFhttps://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/%3Furi%3DCELEX:52018AP0520%26from%3DEN.

  54. 54.

    GMES&Africa Digital Learning Platform which focuses on the development of skills and expertise in Earth Observation (EO) applications in Africa: http://gmestraining.africa-union.org/.

  55. 55.

    European Space Agency, Africa Focuses on GMES: www.esa.int/Applications/Observing_the_Earth/Africa_focuses_on_GMES.

  56. 56.

    See AfriGEOSS Brochure; see also W. Turner, et al., Free and Open-Access Satellite Data Are Key to Biodiversity Conservation, Biological Conservation, 182, 2015, 173-176.

  57. 57.

    AfriGEOSS Brochure, 14.

  58. 58.

    African Union Convention on Cyber Security and Personal Data Protection: https://au.int/sites/default/files/treaties/29560-treaty-0048_-_african_union_convention_on_cyber_security_and_personal_data_protection_e.pdf; see also AU/STC-CICT-2/MIN/Decl.(2), 20–24 November 2017: https://au.int/sites/default/files/newsevents/reports/33025-rp-addis_ababa_declaration_of_the_stc-cict-2_en.pdf.

  59. 59.

    Personal Data Protection Guidelines for Africa, A Joint Initiative of the Internet Society and the Commission of the African Union, 9 May 2018, online: https://www.internetsociety.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/AUCPrivacyGuidelines_2018508_EN-1.pdf.

  60. 60.

    P. P. Sekhula, Right to Satellite Remote Sensing Data: Impact of Multilateral Cooperation on International Space Law, 54 Proc. Int’l Inst. Space L., 228–244 (2011).

  61. 61.

    AfriGEOSS Brochure, 20–21.

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  1. Department of Political Sciences, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy

    Anne-Sophie Martin

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  1. SpaceLab, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch, South Africa

    Annette Froehlich

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Martin, AS. (2022). Supporting and Enhancing Access to Earth Observation Data on the African Continent. In: Froehlich, A. (eds) Space Fostering African Societies. Southern Space Studies. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-89887-8_3

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