More than 200 scientists from across the world are set to attend a three-day international conference on space science in Nairobi next week, organizers said on Wednesday.

The Sept. 27-29 conference, organized by the Regional Centre for Mapping of Resources for Development (RCMRD), is expected to offer opportunity for countries in fast tracking decision making in their application of earth observation and geo-spatial technologies in developing their decision making policy briefs.

"The conference will provide a platform for science and policy deliberations in various services offered by geospatial domain," RCMRD Director General Emmanuel Nkurunziza said in a statement issued in Nairobi.

Nkurunziza said the scientists will make recommendations on how to help farmers who face problem of invasive species affecting fragile ecosystems and those losing tea crop due to frequent frost occurrences as well as others affected by frequent floods.

He said that the discipline could help many people who are currently struggling to empower themselves economically and socially in the face of a changing climate, especially in the drought-ravaged horn of Africa where lack of water and pasture precipitates conflicts and loss of lives.

"Since the use of earth observation information is currently gaining acceptance globally in addressing problems that impact livelihoods, we intend to explore the possibility of prioritizing space science to help spur growth in Africa," he added.

RCMRD was established under the auspices of the UN Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) to help promote sustainable development in the member States through generation, application, and dissemination of geo-information and allied ICT technologies, products, and services.

Botswana, Burundi, Comoros, Ethiopia, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Mauritius, Namibia, Rwanda, Seychelles, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe are members of the organization.

Source: Xinhua News

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Earth through different eyes
Paris (ESA) Sep 19, 2017
In the 1960s, photographs of Earth taken by the first astronauts captured the imaginations of people across the world. The pictures not only became icons for space exploration, but also the fragility of our planet. But astronauts were not the only ones with their eyes on Earth. Satellites flying hundreds of kilometres above our heads continually capture images of our planet and deliver a w ... read more

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