Ocean Colour 2009 Africa course, 12 - 23 October 2009, Zanzibar, Tanzania

Within the 7th Framework Programme, the Joint Research Centre is building the observation, monitoring, modelling and analytical capacity of an ‘ACP (African, Caribbean, Pacific) Observatory for Sustainable Development’. The programme will provide ready-to-use information on environment, food security and crisis issues on which to base appropriate policy responses. The implementation of such Observatory will involve both European based activities as well as direct capacity building in ACP countries.

As a contribution to this Thematic Programme, the Global Environment Monitoring Unit (GEM) of the Institute for Environment and Sustainability (IES) and the Institute of Marine Sciences of the University of Dar-es-Salaam are offering a training course on:
"Methods and Applications of Ocean Colour Remote Sensing in African Coastal and Regional Seas"

In partnership with

• http://www.ioccg.org/
• http://www.csir.co.za/
• http://www.uct.ac.za/
• http://www.wiomsa.org/
• http://moi.gov.mu/
• http://ioc-unesco.org/
• http://www.ioc-goos.org/
  
• http://www.amesd.org/
• http://www.progeco-oi.org/

and additional support from NASA/Goddard Space Flight Centre.
This course lies within the framework of the ChloroGIN network

Objective of the Course
Coastal and marine environment plays a vital role in the economy and society of African countries. Within the last decade or two, however, the increasing rate of the urban population occupying a narrow coastal margin, the industrial development, and climate change has created negative trends on the coastal environment and marine resources. Any political commitments addressing a sustainable use of the coastal and marine environment in Africa require the development of integrated systems for research and operational use in monitoring at appropriate scales the state of the environment and its resources.

This course has been designed to provide the theoretical basis of ocean colour satellite measurements, as well as key applications in monitoring and managing the coastal zone, in protecting marine ecosystems and resources.

Target
The course is intended for a maximum number of 20 persons, scientists, environmental managers, graduate students, and post-doctoral fellows involved in any aspect of marine research, water quality monitoring, fisheries, marine and coastal management. The candidates should be fluent in English, as well as having adequate computer skills. Applications are welcome from all African and Western Indian Ocean candidates.

Date and Location
The course will take place from Monday 12 October to Friday 23 October 2009 at the Institute of Marine Sciences, University of Dar-es-Salaam, Stone Town, Zanzibar, Tanzania.

Course structure
The duration of the course will be 10 working days, each day combining:
Lecture sessions covering theory and applications of satellite ocean colour radiometry
Practical sessions including training on various image processing software packages and micro-project and application scenarios.
Lectures and technical support will be given in English by experts, scientists and professors from local and international Universities and other environmental agencies.
A detailed time table of the Course will be available shortly on this web site.

How to apply
Interested participants should complete the following APPLICATION FORM and submit it by fax (+39 0332 789034) before May 20, 2009. Participants will be selected based on their application material. Successful candidates will be notified by the end of May 2009

Fees
There are no registration fees to the course. Some scholarships will be awarded to the successful candidates to cover both travel costs and daily expenses / accommodations.

Organising committee
- Dr Nicolas Hoepffner (Course Responsible) , European Commission – Joint Research Centre, Institute for Environment and Sustainability, Italy
Tel: +39 0332 789873 / Fax: +39 0332 789034

- Dr. Margareth Kyewalyanga, Institute of marine Sciences, University of Dar-es-Salaam, Zanzibar, Tanzania
Tel: +255 24 223 0741 / Fax: +255 24 223 3050

- Dr. Mark Dowell, European Commission – Joint Research Centre, Institute for Environment and Sustainability, Italy
Tel: +39 0332 789095 / Fax: +39 0332 789034

- Dr. Stewart Bernard, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Research group: Earth Observations, South Africa
Tel: +27 21 658 2755 / Fax: +27 12 841 3909

All correspondence should be addressed to the organisation committee, at the following email address: oc2009-africa@jrc.it

Downloads
Follow this link to download the APPLICATION FORM.
Follow this link to download a PDF version of the training course ANNOUNCEMENT.

Source : http://amis.jrc.ec.europa.eu/oc2009africa.php