Free satellite images for Africa

China and Brazil together have decided to give Africa free satellite imaging of its landmass, in order to help the continent respond to threats like deforestation, desertification and drought.

A land imaging satellite launched by the two governments at a cost of some 100 million dollars recently would relay images, updated monthly, to four ground stations for dissemination to African states.

“How much is it worth for (Africa) to have an up-to-date mapping of its agricultural areas? It is priceless,” said Gilberto Camara, director general of Brazil’s National Institute for Space Research. He was attending a gathering in Cape Town arranged by the Group on Earth Observations (GEO) on new ways to monitor and share information on the Earth’s ailing health.

China and Brazil announced their plan on the sidelines of the conference, saying they wished to contribute to sustainable development and risk management in Africa. The data would be made available to environmental and research institutions, as well as public and private bodies responsible for land management. China and Brazil would also sponsor the software needed by the four ground stations to read the satellite data.

The first ground station, in South Africa, would start receiving satellite data immediately, said Camara. The station in Kenya would follow early next year, and those in the Canary Islands and Matera, Italy, by next June.

Source : http://www.thetimes.co.za