• World Vision Ghana
• Ministry of Works and Housing Ghana
• University of Ghana's Center for Geographic Information Systems (CERGIS).

• C-Core (Canada)
• World Vision

Golder Associates has put together an integrated and diverse team with strong foundations in remote sensing, geographic information systems, hydrogeology, and sustainability for groundwater exploration. Remote sensing has recently been proven to lower the number of unsuccessful drillings for groundwater. Thus, it is a cost- and time-effective tool for groundwater exploration.

Golder will enhance existing methods of groundwater exploration in northern Ghana with approaches based on remote sensing. With RADARSAT-1 imagery as the primary synoptic view, complementary information will be added from optical satellite data. Operational protocols developed to extract groundwater parameters from satellite imagery will be integrated with an existing hydrogeological analysis data model. These, too, will work from the synoptic view of remote sensing and through careful analysis to obtain information that improves the success rate of water drilling operations. World Vision Ghana and the University of Ghana Centre for Remote Sensing and Geographic Information Services are project partners and will help in transferring expertise to the communities.

The lack of adequate potable and agricultural drinking water inhibits the progress of many developing countries and is the cause of human suffering Worldwide. This project focuses on the use of optical and radar satellite imagery to identify the most optimum drilling locations for adequate groundwater resources in Northern Ghana. Creation of digital elevation models (DEMs) will be perform to obtain the relative topography of the area in order to do the identification of geological lineaments and land cover classification. The final product will be an Integrated Hydrogeological Exploration Model to determine optimum drilling locations for ground water.

Members of the Golder Associates Ltd project team recently completed a site visit to Ghana to review available hydrogeological datasets for the project area as well meetings with end users. Golder has started to produce maps of groundwater probability in order to increase the success rate of well drillings done by World Vision Ghana.

• Nile Transboundary Environmental Action Project (NTEAP) based in Khartoum
• Sudan and the Nile Basin Initiative (NBI) based in Entebbe, Uganda.

• Strata360 (Montreal),
• FAO (Rome).

The goal of the Nile RAK project is to promote sustainable management and use of the environment and resources within the Nile Basin. The Nile RAK project supports the objectives of NTEAP for addressing high-priority transboundary environmental issues through an improved understanding of the relationship between water resources and the environment, achieved through the following:

• Develop a self-learning tool to improve understanding and knowledge amongst regional stakeholders regarding river and lake ecology and science;
• Enhanced tools and information to enable regional monitoring of the basin through developing Earth Observation (EO) applications for improved water and environmental management;
• Promotion of environmental education and awareness raising to a cross-section of stakeholders, including NBI stakeholders, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), line agencies, and the general public; and
• Strengthening capacity within the Nile Basin for improved water and environmental management through implementing a capacity building and sustainability plan.

The Nile RAK Project is designed to demonstrate the potential of EO-based data to support core activities of the NTEAP. The goals in support of this are to:

1. Demonstrate the potential for EO to improve environmental and water resource management in the Nile River basin;
2. Develop a series to EO-based training and awareness material to increase the capacity of regional stakeholders to utilize EO for water and environmental management in the Nile River basin;
3. Integrate EO applications, including flood monitoring, into decision-making processes within the Nile Basin; and
4. Strengthen capacity within the Nile Basin and ensure that the project activities are sustained after the duration of the contract is complete.

The main deliverable of the project is a multimedia and interactive CD-ROM learning tool (Nile RAK CD-ROM) that encourages knowledge and awareness regarding the environmental resources and management of the Nile Basin. Earth Observation-based applications, training programs and maps are integral components of the project and provide decision makers with an improved capability to understand and manage the environment within the basin.

In April 2006, a major project milestone was achieved with the completion of the beta version of the CD-ROM. Following this milestone, the Nile RAK CD was presented to the Nile Council of Ministers (Nile COM) and the Nile Basin Trust Fund Committee. This was followed by a regional workshop, as well as three national-level workshops. In all, over 200 participants were exposed to the Nile RAK project or directly involved in training and awareness raising activities. As well, a 'Remote Sensing for Flood Mapping and Management' workshop was held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia with a dedicated focus on Earth observation technology for water resources management and radar remote sensing for flood mapping.

The final version of the CD-ROM has been completed and is being reviewed by the Nile Basin Initiative, prior to the CD being translated into French. Discussions are being held with the Nile Basin Initiative and other donors to translate the CD-ROM into other languages used in the Nile Basin.

• Université du Québec à Montréal
• Royal Center for Remote Sensing, Rabat, Morocco

The project will develop a Decision Aid System for water resource management based on a Geographic Information System (GIS), satellites data and auxiliary data (geology, land use, land cover, topography, lineaments etc.) for the Sous-Massa basin in Morocco.

The 27,000 square kilometres of the Sous-Massa basin are bounded to the north by the Haut-Atlas Mountains and to the south by the Anti-Atlas Mountains. Since 1975, the area has seen extraordinary economic growth. Agriculture, tourism, and population expansion contribute to increased demand for water and overexploitation of groundwater resources. Updating information on the water system will help with sustainable management of these resources. The project will integrate, in a geographic information system, an approach that uses satellite images and traditional information as an analysis tool for better management of the water resources and mapping of the groundwater potential and evolution. Partners include Morocco's Royal Centre for Remote Sensing, the Université du Québec à Montréal, and the Sous-Massa Watershed Authority, based in Agadir.

• Hydrogeological map
• Geological map
• Piezometric map
• Hydrographic network

• Digital Elevation Model (DEM)
• Lineament and Geological Fracture map
• Land Use map
• Land Use change map
• Ground Water Potential map
• Mapping of the ground water usage and exploitation

• Ighrem a mountainous area,
• Agadir an urban area and
• Oulad Berhil an irrigated area.

Databasing of observation data: wells, drilling, piezometers, rain and flow measurements, surface and ground water quality, ground water model projection. Integration in a GIS based system for decision making Training and seminars in Canada and Morocco.

The Info-Electronics Systems project team assessed user needs, made an inventory and gathered the existing data and exchanged on the conceptual model of the database with the end user. The data acquisition plan was finalized and approved, image ordering and programming were completed for optical and SAR data. Managers from the Sous Massa basin have begun setting up a groundwater database and started to give training in remote sensing and GIS. Seminar held in Montreal (May 2006) for the Project Team on integrated watershed management at the Université du Québec à Montréal.

• Gartner Lee Limited (Canada)
• The World Conservation Union- IUCN Mozambique Office

The Southern Africa region is experiencing a variety of environmental stresses imposed by human induced pressure forces (dams, land use change, etc.) as well as natural ones (erosion, cyclones, etc.), exarcerbated by the impacts of climate variability. The region is, therefore, marked by high variation in terms of vulnerability levels, indicating that certain areas might be more sensitive to climate change related impacts then others and in some cases with irreversible damage. Although the use of planning and analytical capabilities provided by remote sensing technology and geomatics can improve planning, management and decision making, no project has been so far validated at the landscape level. Therefore, a vulnerability assessment and formulation of adaptation strategies in the Zambezo Delta and Medium Limpopo Basin, through the use of Radarsat imagery, will test and demonstrate the effectiveness of improved remote sensing and GIS applications in integrated river basin management. This initiative will take place within the context of the CIDA-funded Zambezi Basin Program, Phase II, led by IUCN.

The key objectives of this project include:

• Documented parameters, data and information concerning the Vulnerability levels of the Zambezi Delta system and medium Limpopo basin for both the natural and human dimensions
• Adaptation/ mitigation strategies in response to observed or projected climatic/hydrological (flood drought events) and anthropogenic stresses over the basin systems are formulated
• A methodological approach to assess vulnerability levels and formulation of adaptation/mitigation strategies making use of remote sensing and GIS technologies as a decision support tool is developed

Local capacity and awareness raised on the importance of remote sensing and GIS technologies for integrated river basin management

This project will have direct benefits for Southern Africa in the context of sustainable water management through the following results:

• Enhanced understanding of vulnerability levels of the zambezi delta system and medium limpopo basin for both the natural and human dimensions
• Lower/reduced impacts of natural events and anthropogenic activities on basin systems
• Tools and strategies are available for better vulnerability assessment and decision making
• Future policies and programmes take into consideration remote sensing and gis technologies

Vulnerability assessment will aim at providing insights on the extent to which natural and social systems are susceptible to sustaining damage from human or natural induced stimulus, under the three critical dimensions of sustainability: ecosystem, socio-economic, and human-health. On-line portal for integrating and analyzing geospatial data will be used for the development of a decision support system.

The project entitled Vulnerability Assessment and Formulation of Adaptation Strategies in the Zambizi Delta and the Medium Limpopo Basin was signed in April 2006. While still in its early stages, the project is expected to be finalized in fall of 2007. The inception phase and a visit to Mozambique took place in June of the same year. This resulted in a signature of an MoU with CENACARTA the local partner in Mozambique. This first contact involving all project partners was also an opportunity to readjust the workplan and finalize the related objectives. Presently, a website and a portal are being developed, interviews are being conducted with major users to determine the main requirements. Finally, data is being gathered and a general assessment of the user needs relative to the Zambizi Delta and the Medium Limpopo Basin is underway to determine the type of applications to be developed and products (maps, satellite images, etc.) to be acquired.

• C-Core (Canada)
• Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI)

The project is part of Kenya's National Malaria Control Program that involves an interdisciplinary team in insect ecology, human health and tropical diseases, and ecologists. The objectives of this project are to provide detailed maps, monitor changes to mosquito habitats (wetlands), and develop malaria risk maps using data on topography, larva ecology, human health, households, and habitats. This information will be an integral part of an overall larva-control strategy to identify larvicide-application practices that would reduce the mosquito population.

Detailed space-based data on wetlands and mosquito control are not available for the region but can be obtained for reasonable cost by high-resolution Earth-observation sensors. Data acquired over time can monitor the change and provide a more accurate resource map. Continuous cloud cover during wet seasons and the cumulus clouds caused by heat during the dry season means that an all-weather satellite with high spatial resolution modes, like RADARSAT, will provide a reliable source of multi-temporal imagery.

The project builds upon the team's work on establishing appropriate use of EO technology for vector-borne disease mapping in Kenya in close collaboration with African Agencies. The datasets to be produced will include:

• Accumulative runoff map for identifying drainage channels (likely habitats for Mosquitoes) and for input to predictive modeling,
• Improved general land cover map,
• Mosquito habitat classes, and
• Mosquito and human distribution information.

These datasets will be used to establish causal relationships, risk maps, and the latter information to predict where outbreaks are likely to occur. Watershed boundaries and drainage networks will be derived from digital elevation models. Each segment of a tributary can be assigned a likelihood of containing a mosquito habitat based upon the size of water basin contributing to the drainage segment (accumulated upstream sub-basins), slope of the surrounding water basin /drainage feature, and soils. Specific mosquito habitats will be identified using SAR and optical imagery. Multi-temporal SAR imagery will be used to identify ephemeral and permanent water bodies and identify moist soils. Medium spatial resolution optical data will be used to identify green vegetation during the dry season.

Noetix has completed the first of a series of ground confirmation surveys identifying and characterizing mosquito larval habitats with follow on surveys planned during the wet season and subsequent dry down period. The habitat and environmental data will become part of a larger information system that includes detailed demographic data for the Kilifi district. Image analysis and map production are ongoing.

Burkina Faso

• Programme National de Gestion du Terroir 2 (PNGT2)
• Institut Géographique du Burkina Faso (IGB)
• Institut National de l'Environnement et de Recherches Agricoles (INERA)
• Programme National de Gestion de l'Information >sur le Milieu (PNGIM)
• Ministère de l'Eau, Direction Générale des Inventaires et des Ressources Hydrauliques (DGIRH)

Western Africa

• École Nationale d'Ingénieurs (ENI) - Mali
• Centre de Suivi Ecologique (CSE) - Sénégal
• Programme d'Action Communautaire (PAC) - Niger

• University of Sherbrooke
• GéoImage Solutions Inc.
• Hegyi Geomatics International

ARBRE is partnering with the World Bank's Community Based Rural Development Project and the Global Environment Facility (GEF) program on Sahel Integrated Lowland Ecosystem Management to develop a series of Earth observation products. These products are designed to complete biophysical inventories and to study the dynamics of water in small watersheds managed by communities in Burkina Faso. They complement Burkina Faso's National Community-Based Rural Development program by introducing a landscape dimension and an integrated ecosystem management approach to local development planning.

The ARBRE project will use Earth Observation technology to monitor aquifer and river basins in Africa, specifically, land cover, land cover change, water extents (rivers, lakes, small water bodies) and water extent change. The land cover will identify changes in forest cover, agricultural areas and irrigated regions. An increase in the number of agricultural areas in regions where there is little or no surface water implies that aquifers are being used as the water source. These aquifers have limited recharge capability and are vulnerable to overuse. Monitoring the land cover will identify any new areas that use aquifers as the water source. The water extents will permit end-users to identify changes in water supply (or the availability of water) and thus predict any potential water shortages that may be caused by seasonal changes or longer term trends.

The ARBRE project has completed the needs assessment and has proposed a number of activities to help monitor IWRM in some provinces of Burkina Faso. The Canadian project team carried out fieldwork activities in the 4 areas that are part of the ARBRE project. Training sessions, conferences and workshops have been offered to the African partners from Burkina, Mali, Niger and Senegal to help build the capacity to process the EO based information and build the required layers of information to support decision making by the community leaders and the representatives of the state.

• Direction Générale des Ressources en Eau (DGRE) Burkina Faso
• Water Resources Commission (WRC) Ghana

StereoSat Africa project promotes the use of satellite images to meet geospatial data requirements for the West African region. Through innovative use of synthetic stereoscopy methods and satellite image processing, this project optimizes topographical and thematic data for ecosystem analysis and water resource management. Key players in the region obtain current and accurate information on paper and in digital format to assess ecosystem vulnerability, the impacts of weather and climate, and the results of human activities, for example erosion, silt deposits in riverbeds, and water contamination from pesticides and other agricultural sources.

StereoSat Africa will establish an operational methodological process for the production of multi-scale topographic and thematic data from stereoscopic radar and optical satellite data in order to demonstrate the feasibility and the advantages to use the spatial technologies for a sustainable development of water resources.

The objectives are:

• Adapt and optimize the production of topographic data;
• Support the extraction of required data for the management of the water resources;
• Realize a temporal analysis of the elements in the dry season and in the rain season;
• Develop a methodology for the production of impacts maps;
• Evaluate the advantages and the limitations of the proposed solution;
• Technological transfer

In addition to project meetings, which took place in Canada and in Burkina Faso, the Viasat project team carried out several field campaigns in order to coordinate with the local resources, establish the calendar of activities and the methods of participation, collect ground data for positioning and observations necessary to initiate satellite image processing. Training workshops and courses on VIASAT StéréoSat technology also took place on multiple occasions to reinforce the technical capabilities of the local personnel implied in the PAGEV project. Topographic and planimetric maps showing the Bagré dam area in 1989, 1999 and 2004 were produced. These are thematic maps showing landuse for the same period. As documents are produces, they are evaluated by PAGEV personnel who communicate their needs for the next stages of the project.