BRAGMA Bridging Actions for GMES & Africa NEWSLETTER 8 DECEMBER 2013 The BRAGMA project, coordinated by IICT is a Coordination and Support Action to GMES and Africa, supported by the European Commission. Copernicus, formerly GMES (Global Monitoring for Environment and Security) is the European Programme for the establishment of a European capacity for Earth Observation: http://www.copernicus.eu This final BRAGMA newsletter focuses on presenting the context in which the project developed its activities during the two years of its duration (2012-2013), revising BRAGMA s main achievements, in connection with those of the GMES & Africa process and its future. Origins of GMES and Africa The BRAGMA Project was launched in January 2012 with the object of supporting the GMES & Africa process. The GMES & Africa process emerged in 2007 in response to the request from African Stakeholders to extend GMES to Africa (Maputo Declaration, 2006) and as an important constituent of the Space component of the 8th Africa-EU Partnership, Science, Information Society and Space. The Joint Africa-EU Strategy (JAES) aims to build long-term cooperation on the jointly identified, mutual and complementary interests of Africa and Europe. GMES & Africa, GAAP and BRAGMA Timeline PROMOTE Lisbon December 2007 AWARENESS Lisbon December 2007 Accra October 2008 2nd Africa-EU Summit 8th Partnership of the Joint Africa-EU Strategy Lisbon Declaration Coordination Team establishment Terms of Reference for GAAP draft At the Africa-EU Summit in 2007 a consensus was reached on the need to define a common programmatic view for Earth Observation (EO) activities in Africa, calling upon the extension of Copernicus (formerly GMES) to Africa. The Lisbon Declaration on GMES and Africa and the Lisbon Process proposed the guidelines to launch the partnership and described the actions to be undertaken to produce the GMES & Africa Action Plan (GAAP). Ispra March 2009 May 2010 Addis August 2010 Hammamet November 2010 Brussels November 2010 Lybia November 2010 Brussels July 2011 Lisbon January 2012 2012/2013 Brussels April 2014 Start of GAAP baseline Study GAAP Baseline study e-consultation GAAP Frameworks and Thematic Areas validation Hammamet High Level Document Submission of BRAGMA proposal 3rd Africa-EU Summit Implementation of Space Troika BRAGMA project is launched Development and endorsment of 3 thematic areas chapters of the GAAP (Marine and Coastal Areas, Water Resources and Long Term management of Natural Resources) and plenary discussion on Infrastructure and Governance 4th Africa-EU Summit Figure 1 COPERNICUS/GMES Global Monitoring for Environment and Security (GMES), now called Copernicus, is the European Earth Observation Programme which aims to provide reliable and up-to-date information on how our planet and its climate are changing. As an essential part of the Space component of the 8th JAES Partnership on Science, Information Society, and Space, GMES & Africa contributes to the fulfilment of the objectives of the JAES Action Plan. Figure 1 summarises the main steps taken since the launch of the process in December 2007 until the next Africa-EU Summit in April 2014. A baseline study for the GMES & Africa Action Plan was drafted in 2009, following the composition of a Coordination Team in 2008 that established the terms of reference for this Action Plan. In 2010 the themes and cross-cutting issues of the Action Plan (Figure 2) were validated, and the guidelines and roadmap to finalise the Action Plan were drafted and endorsed at the Hammamet side event to the 3rd EU-Africa Summit.
NEWSLETTER 8 DECEMBER 2013 CROSS CUTTING ISSUES Figure 2 In 2011, the Space Troika proposed a modular approach to pave the way to validating the overall GMES & Africa Action Plan. Three thematic areas were identified as early deliverables, and were to be addressed through pan-africa workshops, where the thematic chapters would be discussed and endorsed by experts in the thematic field, as well as EO specialists. The three thematic areas chosen as early deliverables are highlighted in Figure 2. BRAGMA The BRAGMA Project was launched in January 2012, following the adoption of the new roadmap for the development and validation of the GMES & Africa Action Plan. Monitoring and Evaluation Financial Health Management Issues Conflicts and Political Crises Food Security and Rural Development Infrastructure and Territorial Development THEMATIC AREAS Natural Disasters Long-Term Management of Natural Resources Impacts of Climate Variability Change Marine and Coastal Areas Water Resources Management Governance Infrastructure Amongst its objectives the BRAGMA Project aimed to support the development of the GAAP by organising workshops in Africa to endorse each of the three thematic chapters identified as early deliverables (Fig. 2). Capacity Building Figure 3 BRAGMA Main Objectives 1. Support the development and endorsement of the GMES & Africa Action Plan (GAAP) 2. Support the Coordination of the GMES & Africa Process 3. Support a coherent joint strategy between Europe and Africa Endorse priority chapters of the GAAP through a pan-african consultation process Invest on the connection with governance: > Space Troika > Joint Expert Group of the 8th Partnership (JEG8) > GMES & Africa Coordination Team Organise key meetings and facilitate the participation of key stakeholders Build synergies between GMES & Africa related projects Identify possible contributions of GMES services to GMES & Africa This objective was steadily achieved with the organising of 3 Pan- African Thematic Workshops: Marine and Coastal Areas Workshop in Mombasa, Kenya, October 2012; Water Resources Management Workshop in Abuja, Nigeria, May 2013; Long-Term Management of Natural Resources in Sharm el-sheikh, Egypt, June 2013. These workshops were a combined effort involving the EC and AUC, with the support of BRAGMA. These Workshops were carried out in the framework of the JAES Support Mechanism, and co-financed by the European Commission under the 10th European Development Fund (EDF) to contribute to the 2010-2013 JAES Action Plan. BRAGMA s two other main objectives are linked to supporting the coordination of the GMES & Africa process, in which several entities and organisations are involved (Figure 4), and supporting a coherent overall strategy between Europe and Africa. This last objective gave rise to different deliverables of the BRAGMA project for building synergies with related projects, such as a newsletter dedicated to this theme, a deliverable on synergies with other projects, and a survey to international cooperation project coordinators. The projects DevCoCast, EAMNet, GARNET-E, MALAREO, MESA-AMESD, Recover, REDDAF, REDD-FLAME, SAGA-EO, TIGER and WATPLAN participated in this survey and BRAGMA consortium is thankful for their valuable collaboration.
NEWSLETTER 8 DECEMBER 2013 The following diagram illustrates the GMES & Africa mechanism, where the BRAGMA Project has had an important role over 2012-2013, albeit a transient one. The Coordination Team was established in 2008 and the Space Troika in 2011. The Consultation Team of experts were involved in the thematic workshops that took place throughout the BRAGMA project, being the major contributors to the content of the chapter, as well as leading the consultation process through the establishment of working groups at the workshops, and compiling the outputs of these. Funding mechanisms available to the GMES & Africa process include European Development Funds (EDF), Horizon 2020, the JAES Support Mechanism, the European Space Agency, as well as African funding programmes. Space Component of the 8th Partnership of the JAES Space Troika GMES & Africa Coordination Team BRAGMA Project Consultation Team Funding Mechanisms DG ENTR /DG DEVCO /AUC-HRST & Stakeholders African and EU Member States AUC (HRST, REA, PS, IE), UNECA, AMCOST, AMCOW, AMCEN EC (ENTR, DEVCO, JRC, EEAS), ESA, EUMETSAT 5 African and 5 European Member States Experts on Thematic Areas & Cross Cutting Issues EDF, Horizon 2020, JAES SM, JRC, ESA, African Programmes... Figure 4 Outputs of the BRAGMA Project (2012-2013) Figure 5 Provided Support to the Coordination of GMES & Africa S u p p o r t t o t h e G A A P 3Thematic Workshops and 1 Consolidation-Validation Workshop Organising and participating in Key Meetings 3 Coordination Team Meetings 2 Space Troikas, 3 JEG8, 3 EU-AUC Task Force Meetings Supported a Coherent Joint Strategy Between EU and Africa Identification of Focal Points Recommendations on relevant synergies of initiatives /projects Recommendations on how GMES could fulfill GMES and Africa Contributions and Long-Term strategy of Cross Cutting Issues Working Groups and Thematic Working Groups Analysis of successful projects and benchmarking Promoted Awarness Bragma Portal www.bragma.eu E-Platform http://bragma.mixxt.eu Capacity4dev http://capacity4dev.ec.europa.eu/africa-eu-part.gmes Organised 2 GMES & AFRICA Roundtables at AARSE Conference and AFRICAGIS 8 Newsletters http://www.bragma.eu/home/default.asp?page=newsletters Video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6b6gvxlqek&feature=youtu.be Publication http://www.research-europe.com/magazine/environment/env17/index.html The GMES & Africa workshops were the basis to derive the information which was essential to fulfilling the main objectives of the project and producing the foreseen deliverables. Four GMES & Africa workshops took place in total. These included the three thematic workshops on the themes identified as early deliverables, as well as a fourth Consolidation-Validation workshop, where the final validation of the three thematic chapters took place and where the cross cutting issues Governance and Infrastructure were discussed in a plenary for the first time.
NEWSLETTER 8 DECEMBER 2013 BRAGMA Deliverables The BRAGMA Project is composed of four Work Packages (WP), with WP1 composing the Project Management work package. While WP 2 focused on organising the main GMES & Africa events, which took place between 2012 and 2013, WP 3 (Joint Cooperation Platform) and WP 4 (Support to the Development of the Action Plan) contributed with analyses on GMES & Africa networks, synergies between projects, and the issue of implementation. Most of the results obtained in the deliverables of these two Work Packages were directly derived from the experience and outcomes obtained at the workshops. Work Package 3 Deliverable 3.1: List of Focal Points Deliverable 3.2: Report on synergies and linkages of GMES & Africa and similar initiatives along the BRAGMA thematic areas Deliverable 3.3: Reports on how GMES fulfils GMES & Africa Deliverable 3.4: Contributions and Long-Term Strategy of Crosscutting issues working groups (CCIWG) and Thematic Working Groups (TWG) to the Initiative Work Package 4 Deliverable 4.1: Contributions to GAAP priorities and their implementation and dissemination Deliverable 4.2: Database End-User Forum Resources for 2014 and beyond BRAGMA web site: www.bragma.eu News + Events 8th Africa EU Strategic Partnership overview with Space Priority and 2nd Action Plan Library BRAGMA project and partners description Project E-platform: http://bragma.mixxt.eu/ Information for the Workshops and Thematic Documention Thematic groups and generic information Discusion forums Expert Member s list and messaging / networking functions Files repository (extended library with BRAGMA public DLs and background information) Overview of Copernicus/GMES Projects, particularly FP7cooperation projects related with Africa Design by Tiago Ribeiro - Instituto de Investigação Científica Tropical Capacity4dev web site: http://capacity4dev.ec.europa.eu/africa-eu-part.gmes/ Central Workshop repository documentation Hosting of the 4 Workshop web minisites Blog and members list List of focal points GMES & Africa Experts GIS tool with mapping and contacts of experts Current database lists experts in Marine & Coastal environment, Water and Natural Resources, and Validation experts
NEWSLETTER 8 DECEMBER 2013 Marine and Coastal Area: GMES and Africa Priority Products Operational coastal sea level, coastal circulation and coastal sea state Operational biological productivity (data, analysis, imagery and mapping) Coastal sensitivity and vulnerability Atlases and state of environment reporting Ship traffic situation and maps Regional weather forecast systems Real-time Disaster Warning Systems Mapping of coastal Land use and nearshore coastal and marine habitats Mapping marine and coastal ecosystem services Water Resources Management: GMES and Africa Priority Products First priority is the continental scale level: Provision of a core set of continental scale EO-derived products covering different components of the water cycle at low spatial (approx. 1 km) but higher temporal resolution (once per day) e.g.: Precipitation, potential and actual Evaporation, Soil moisture, Rivers and (ephemeral) stole water levels Basic meteorological products and short-medium range outlooks; Water quality monitoring in large lakes: Temperature, suspended sediments, chlorophyll; Integration of some products to: Derive regional scale water balances; Facilitate regional scale hydrological modelling. Management of Natural Resources: GMES and Africa Priority Products Land Cover & LCC maps for Africa (Standardised format/different scales) DSS for long-term NRM strategies in Africa (Integrated approach (satellite, in-situ); GIS-based system for biodiversity monitoring management and environmental law enforcement (habitats maps, LC/LCC maps, environmental gradients, disturbance assessment, resource zonation etc.) Consolidation Validation Workshop The consolidation-validation Workshop closed this cycle of 3 thematic workshops to provide the final outputs related with the 8th Partnership of the JAES Action Plan (2012-2013). This workshops endorsed the priority actions, discussed during the thematic worksops and provided the opportunity to elaborate for a first time in a plenerary on two main cross cutting issues essential for the future implementation of the GMES & Africa: Insfrastructure and Governance. At the end of the workshop a Call for the Implementation of GMES and Africa was discussed and adopted by all present (see below). This document outlines the basis for future actions for the GMES & Africa process as well for Earth Observation in Africa and will be submitted at the EU-Africa Summit in 2014, in order to encourage and strengthen cooperation in the framework of the GMES & Africa Initiative.
The outputs of the first three GMES & Africa thematic workshops influenced the Call for Implementation, as well as BRAGMA deliverables. The Call for Implementation is shown below. CALL FOR IMPLEMENTATIONof GMES and Africa Johannesburg, 24th - 25th October 2013 Delegates from the African Member States, the African Union Commission, the European Commission and specialised organisations present at the GMES and Africa Consolidation-Validation Workshop, held in Johannesburg, South Africa from the 24th to 25th October hereby:. Recognise the strategic role that Earth Observation (EO) can play in supporting national, regional and continental policies for sustainable socio-economic development, and its importance in providing services and products that will help attainment of Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in Africa and other socio-economic objectives.. Reiterate Africa s Commitment to the GMES & Africa initiative as a framework to take into account African EO initiatives and activities, and recognise the added value of EO for the sustainable development of the continent.. Acknowledge the strategic importance of the Maputo Declaration (2006), the Lisbon Declaration (2007) and the Hammamet High Level Strategic Document (2010), all calling for increased cooperation between Europe and Africa and in particular the development of the GMES and Africa initiative, which is a fundamental element of the JAES.. Adopt the three thematic chapters (marine, water and natural resources) endorsed by the thematic and validation workshops, as they succeed in capturing the priority actions in each of these areas for Africa, and call upon the AUC to take the necessary action for implementation of the initiatives.. Underline the need for GMES & Africa to build on existing infrastructure and to concentrate on facilitating access to existing and future European, African and Global EO data.. Request the AUC to put in place an institutional arrangement, involving RECs for the present coordination of GMES & Africa initiative and EO projects, while developing the final AU governance of the African Space Policy and Strategy to be adopted by AMCOST.. Call upon Member States and RECs to participate in the GMES & Africa Process and to nominate their Focal Points.. Further Call upon the African Union Commission and European Commission to seek the necessary financial, technical resources and partnerships for the implementation of the priority actions identified and capacity development.. Note the importance to finalize, validate and set in place implementation mechanisms for the overall GMES and Africa Action Plan through an adequate participatory, multi-stakeholder consultation process.. Call upon the next EU-Africa Summit in 2014, to highlight the long term cooperation on Earth Observation between Europe and Africa, and to encourage and strengthen this cooperation in the framework of the GMES & Africa initiative which forms part of Africa s contribution to the Group on Earth Observations (GEO). Relevant Events - 2014 4th EU-Africa Summit, 2-3 April, Belgium 11th EUMETSAT Forum, 8-12 September, Tunisia AARSE 2014, 27-31 October, South Africa Links: http://www.bragma.eu http://bragma.mixxt.eu/ http://capacity4dev.ec.europa.eu/africa-eu-part.gmes/