EUMETSAT strengthens relationship with Africa

The European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites EUMETSAT, has approved further steps to continue it’s long-standing engagement in Africa.

At the end of its 74th Council meeting in Darmstadt, Germany the council approved a five-year extension of the agreement enabling the African Centre for Meteorological Applications for Development (ACMAD) to use EUMETSAT data and products and to disseminate products of its own via EUMETCast.

After being informed of the successful deployment of 111 new EUMETCast reception stations across the African continent in the framework of the AMESD (African Monitoring of the Environment for Sustainable Development) project funded by the European Development Fund, the council agreed that EUMETSAT could contribute to the follow-on MESA (Monitoring of Security and Environment in Africa) project under similar conditions.

According to the council, EUMETSAT would offer technical support for the maintenance of reception stations, use of EUMETCast for product dissemination, first-line support to users through the EUMETSAT Help Desk, and coordination of training activities.

Finally, the Council approved EUMETSAT’s participation in the space charter on disasters. This contribution will consist mainly of making EUMETSAT and other relevant data available in support of post-disaster recovery efforts via the GEONETCast dissemination partnership.

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Posted by AfricaSTI on December 6, 2011. Filed under Headlines. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry