Top Scientists from across the world are set to put their heads together in Nairobi next week to find solutions to challenges facing the earth through the use of earth observation technologies.
Regional Centre for Mapping of Resources for Development Director General Dr Emmanuel Nkurunziza told journalists that over 1,000 delegates are expected.
“The conference provides an excellent platform for how geoscience can effectively be used to inform policy. Over the last six years, our conference has hosted over 4,000 delegates from Ministers, Principal Secretaries, Government Officials, Scientists, Development Partners, Researchers, Academic and Media groups,” Nkurunziza said.
The theme of this year's Conference will be "NEXT LEVEL: Space to Community".
Land Management, Policy and Development, Innovations and Data, agriculture and food security and biodiversity Conservation and Blue Economy will be discussed during the conference.
Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua is expected to grace the opening ceremony of the conference that will be held from August 8 to 10 at the Regional Centre for Mapping of Resources for Development in Nairobi.
Nkurunziza said the conference provides an excellent platform for how geoscience can effectively be used to inform policy.
He said Earth Observation is contributing toward meeting the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.
Earth Observation refers to the use of remote sensing technologies to monitor land, marine (seas, rivers, lakes) and atmosphere.
The UN’s 17 SDGs are aimed at eradicating poverty, ending hunger, enhancing gender equality and climate action.
RCMRD was established in 1975 under the auspices of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa and the AU.
The Centre specializes in GIS and Cartography Section, Land Management Section, Photogrammetry Unit, Remote Sensing, Servicing and Calibration, Spatial Data Supply, Surveying and Mapping and Application and Dataset.
Member states served by the Centre include Botswana, Burundi, Comoros, Ethiopia, Eswatini, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Mauritius, Namibia, Rwanda, Seychelles, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
The conference is coming at a time the earth is grappling with a myriad of challenges popularly known as the ‘triple planetary crisis.
The challenges include climate change, pollution and biodiversity loss.
Scientists have already sounded an alarm after predicting that El Nino has a 90 per cent chance of occurring in the country.
It is expected that El Nino occurrence will only become clear toward the end of next month, or in September.
During the positive phase of the Indian Ocean Dipole, which typically peaks in September–November, there is a warmer-than-normal sea surface near Eastern Africa and more rain here.
Indian Ocean Dipole refers to the fluctuation of temperatures in the western (eastern African) and the eastern shores of the Indian Ocean.
Scientists have already said there is a need to put anticipatory actions in place in preparation for El Nino.
These include providing early warning and education to communities about the flood risks of El Niño.
It also includes pre-positioning emergency response resources, such as food, water, and shelter, and working with communities to develop contingency plans for dealing with the likely impacts of El Niño.
The Conference is also coming at a time when studies have shown that if the world continues with the current emission trends of harmful gases, glaciers on Mt. Kenya and Mt. Kilimanjaro are set to disappear in less than 10 years.
Nkurunziza said the conference will bring together various user domains within and beyond Earth Observation to understand the science-policy interaction and policy formulation.
“It will spur ideas around the efficient and effective utilization of information accessible for various decision-making levels,” he said.
The conference will also enhance partnership, collaboration, learning, layering, communication and evaluation approaches for societal benefits.
The upcoming Conference seeks to ensure that communities at all levels access information to guide them in decision-making.
The information on the earth's systems such as the Atmosphere, Hydrosphere, Biosphere, Cryosphere, and Geosphere and the relationship and interaction among them has been generated and shared through various platforms and initiatives focusing on an interdisciplinary approach, learning and adaptation.
The impacts of these interactions have formed the core of most research, data and technologies all geared towards improving the quality of life not only for the present generation but for the future generation as well.
