ABSTRACT

Case Studies on the Role of EOs in Environmental Policy Support — A Synthesis

Senay Habtezion Global change SysTem for Analysis, Research and Training (START)

As part of the GOFC-GOLD project partnership effort to promote use of earth observations in advancing scientific knowledge, START has been leading an effort to explore priority knowledge and capacity needs related to the utilization of EOs in environmental policy and governance support in Africa. To this effect, START coordinated 6 case studies from 5 countries in Africa on current use and future potential of EOs in advancing ecological and socioeconomic policy in the region and beyond.

Focusing on varied sectoral themes such as natural resources management, forest fire monitoring, water policy and urban growth, the six case studies highlight data, knowledge and capacity gaps associated with EOs and assess the current and potential role of geospatial technology and knowhow in supporting livelihoods and ecological systems in the region. The need for enhancing the collection, preservation, sharing and dissemination of in-situ data; developing research and technical and institutional capacity and geospatial infrastructure across countries in the region as well as the need for assessing the state of enabling factors on data sharing and the various applications of EOs across the policy cycle feature prominently in these case studies.