2 new FP7 projects lead by EUROSENSE, Malareo and Reddiness, have started in February 2011. Both have a duration of two years and are dedicated to the international cooperation between several European and African partners.
MALAREO
| Malareo is focusing to develop technology and implement earth observation data that contributes to the fight against malaria in southern Africa. MALAREO compiles a mixed European-African consortium that combines years of experience in malaria control with GMES Earth Observation (EO) capacity. |
The project aims to build the fundaments of a malaria EO monitoring cell that will support a more efficient, effective and wider malaria vector control programme in South-Africa, Swaziland and Mozambique and at the same time contributes to research on malaria and EO. The consortium is well-equipped and highly skilled to achieve the MALAREO project objectives. It is a good mixture of SME’s, universities and administrations uniting remote sensing experts with epidemiology experts and public health specialists from 3 European partners and three Southern African partners. Project partners are the Medical Research Council and the University of KwaZulu-Natal from S-Africa, the National Malaria Control Program of Swaziland, Remote Sensing Solutions from Germany and the Schweizerische Tropen- und Public Health- Institut from Switzerland. The consortium will work in very close collaboration with the local end-users which are the Lubombo Spatial Development Initiative and the Malaria Control Programme of Mozambique.
REDDINESS
| As part of international efforts to combat global warming, preserving Africa’s forest is a part of the solution to the climate change challenge. Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation (REDD) negotiations for climate change mitigation aim to better manage our global forest resources. |
The European Commission project called Reddiness, led by Eurosense, helps monitoring Gabon and the Republic of Congo in their commitment to reducing the annual rate of deforestation from 0.19 to 0.10 percent. Reddiness relies on Central African regional actors to assist Gabon and the Republic of Congo in improving their readiness to join potential carbon payment schemes. The project responds to the EC call for increased collaboration between African and European partners through Specific International Cooperation Action (SICA).
Project partners are the Faculty of Geo-Information Science and Earth Observation of the University of Twente(The Netherlands), Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (France), Observatoire Satellital des Forêts d’Afrique Centrale (Republic Democratic Congo), Centre National d’Inventaire et d’Aménagement des Ressources Forestières et Fauniques (Republic of the Congo) & Ministère des Eaux et Forêts (Gabon).
| Main office: EUROSENSE Nerviërslaan 54, B-1780 WEMMEL, BELGIUM Tel.: +32 2 460 70 00 – Fax.: +32 2 460 49 58 info@eurosense.com |
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