The growth of space science in African countries for earth observation in the 21st century

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dc.contributor.authorNgcofe, Luncedo
dc.contributor.authorGottschalk, Keith
dc.date.accessioned2015-02-18T14:47:18Z
dc.date.available2015-02-18T14:47:18Z
dc.date.issued2013
dc.description.abstractThe vulnerability of Africa to the impact of climate change, which results in natural disasters and environmental degradation, accelerates hardship and poverty for millions of Africans. However, Africa still lacks the necessary scientific and technical capacity to assess fully and to monitor the possible future impacts of climate change. One of the instruments available to address the challenges of environmental monitoring (including climate change)and to provide early warnings of natural and human-made disasters for Africa's development is Earth observation satellites. Earth observation satellites record Earth's information from space and provide accurate, continuous, simultaneous measurements of our planet. The results of the application of Earth observation satellites have long term social benefits which include the early detection of hurricanes and typhoons that can lead to prompt warnings for areas predicted to be affected, thus providing crucial time to implement safety measures to mitigate the effects of such disasters. Several authors concur with this position, stating that the global view from satellite observation is unmatched in its ability to capture the dynamics and variability of Earth processes. The capability to predict weather (among other things) has led Earth observation satellites to become essential to everyday applications that improve human safety and quality of life. However, despite the many benefits of the use of Earth observation satellites, it still remains a major challenge for Africa to explore the full potential of Earth observation satellites in addressing continental needs (Figure 1). This commentary assesses the status of Africa in regard to Earth observation satellites.en_US
dc.description.accreditationDepartment of HE and Training approved listen_US
dc.identifier.citationNgcofe, L. and Gottschalk, K. (2013). The growth of space science in African countries for earth observation in the 21st century. South African Journal of Science, 109 (1/2): 1-5en_US
dc.identifier.issn0038-2353
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10566/1353
dc.language.isoenen_US
dc.privacy.showsubmitterfalse
dc.publisherAcademy of Science of South Africa
dc.rights© 2013. The Authors. Published under a Creative Commons Attribution Licence
dc.source.urihttp://dx.doi.org/10.1590/sajs.2013/a001
dc.status.ispeerreviewedtrue
dc.subjectClimate changeen_US
dc.subjectEnvironmental monitoringen_US
dc.subjectInternational monitoringen_US
dc.subjectSatelliteen_US
dc.subjectSouth Africaen_US
dc.titleThe growth of space science in African countries for earth observation in the 21st centuryen_US
dc.typeArticleen_US

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