From klance_remote at yahoo.com Mon Sep 1 07:46:10 2008 From: klance_remote at yahoo.com (Kate Lance) Date: Mon, 1 Sep 2008 04:46:10 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [SDI-Africa] PhD opportunity: Biomass for biofuels production options on family farms Nampula province, Mozambique Message-ID: <712692.80465.qm@web53602.mail.re2.yahoo.com> http://www.wi.wur.nl/NR/rdonlyres/4261187D-F0D8-4F0B-B242-086575E50E42/66653/CallPhDWotroIPbiofuelsMZ.pdf PhD opportunity: Biomass for biofuels production options on family farms Nampula province, Mozambique Deadline: 15 September 2008 The PhD will develop and apply an operational farm model that allows quantification of the effects of introducing bio-energy crops on farms and their agro-ecological and socio-economic performance. He or she will identify the major factors determining the risks and opportunities for producing bio-energy crops related to different farm configurations and organisation forms in Nampula Province and regions with similar agro-ecological and socio-economic conditions. Farm level results will be scaled up to regional level to assess implications for food availability and affordability, as well as positive or negative externalities. This project refers to the Mozambican PhD-position of the WOTRO-programme. The research will be carried out in close collaboration with the other team members and in particular with the Universities of Eduardo Mondlane and Wageningen (Plant Production Systems and Animal Production Systems) Qualifications: The candidate has completed an MSc in a relevant field (e.g. Plant Sciences, Agronomy, Animal Sciences, Biology, Resource Ecology). He/she has proven capabilities in systems analysis, simulation modeling and other quantitative methods, has experience with literature research, computer programming languages and data searching, is fluent in English and Portuguese and has good writing skills. The candidate should be able to communicate well with colleague researchers in similar and other relevant disciplines. The offer: A sandwich PhD position, which is a grant to complete a PhD thesis, while being employed at his/her home institute. He/she will spend the first and last 6-8 months of a 4 year period at Wageningen University, preparing his/her research proposal and finalizing the thesis. He/she will graduate at Wageningen University. In between he/she will perform research in Mozambique. Expenses as agreed upon in the contract are covered by the grant. To apply,?send a letter, noting the vacancy title, describing why you are suited for this position together with a CV and provide the names of two referees, before 15 September 2008. For more information on the vacancy,?contact Prof. A. Sitoe, asitoe at uem.mz, tel. +258-823195410, Dr G.W.J. van de Ven, Gerrie.vandeVen at wur.nl, tel +31(0)317-482696. Information on Sandwich PhD-requirements is available on the website of the research school PE&RC: www.dpw.wageningen-ur.nl/PEenRC/. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://lists.gsdi.org/pipermail/sdi-africa/attachments/20080901/45f4426f/attachment.htm From klance_remote at yahoo.com Thu Sep 4 08:18:54 2008 From: klance_remote at yahoo.com (Kate Lance) Date: Thu, 4 Sep 2008 05:18:54 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [SDI-Africa] International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme (IGBP) Newsletter No. 71 (May 2008) Message-ID: <806154.84865.qm@web53606.mail.re2.yahoo.com> http://www.igbp.net/documents/resources/NL_71.pdf International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme (IGBP) Newsletter No. 71 (May 2008) This issue of the Global Change Newsletter profiles global research and modelling efforts by researchers in the IGBP network. Their work is aimed at assessing environmental changes and forming the basis for possible adaptation and mitigation strategies, on a global level but in particular for the developing world. - Air pollution in South America: a global change driver and a global connector - A scientific and technological revolution for the Amazon - Global environmental change and food security - Earth systems modelling: new insights into the future of water, land and their interactions - Establishing high altitude climate observatory systems in the Ethiopian Highlands -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://lists.gsdi.org/pipermail/sdi-africa/attachments/20080904/e1333101/attachment.htm From klance_remote at yahoo.com Mon Sep 8 13:24:16 2008 From: klance_remote at yahoo.com (Kate Lance) Date: Mon, 8 Sep 2008 10:24:16 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [SDI-Africa] A scramble in Africa Message-ID: <378585.2407.qm@web53611.mail.re2.yahoo.com> ** this news story speaks of aid in general and the consequences of?aid fragmentation.? It holds true for the many scattered geospatial investments made in a country, rather than more thoughtful investment strategy?contributing to a nation's data infrastructure.? ? http://www.economist.com/world/international/displaystory.cfm?story_id=12060397 A scramble in Africa The development-aid business is a shambles. Privately, most of the 1,200 delegates at the grandly titled High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness, which met in Accra, agreed on that. The meeting was the first big follow-up, involving 100-odd countries, international agencies and non-governmental organisations (NGOs), to an accord on making aid more effective, reached in Paris in 2005. The main problem is not the one poor countries and NGOs usually complain about: too little aid. In fact, official development assistance has been rising modestly since the mid-1990s, in real terms and as a share of donors? national incomes. Rather, the problem is that aid is fragmenting: there are too many agencies, financing too many small projects, using too many different procedures. ?Fragmentation is the opposite of effectiveness,? says Lennart Bage, head of the International Fund for Agricultural Development.? .... the best way of coping with the fragmentation of aid is for recipient countries to lay down a set of national development priorities and ask donors to fit in with their plans. [Source: The Economist, 6 September 2008] -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://lists.gsdi.org/pipermail/sdi-africa/attachments/20080908/ec57fab5/attachment.htm From klance_remote at yahoo.com Wed Sep 10 12:52:24 2008 From: klance_remote at yahoo.com (Kate Lance) Date: Wed, 10 Sep 2008 09:52:24 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [SDI-Africa] Satellite images show Africa on fire Message-ID: <330217.78026.qm@web53602.mail.re2.yahoo.com> Satellite images show Africa on fire? [Source: ?http://www.treevolution.co.za/?p=889?] A?global fire map (for the period between?August 28 and September 6) has Southern Africa ablaze with fire. Colour ranges from red where the fire count is low to yellow where number of fires is large. http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/firemaps/ Each fire map accumulates the locations of the fires detected by MODIS on board the Terra and Aqua satellites over a 10-day period. http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/images.php3?img_id=18139 A river of smoke several hundred kilometers wide flowed off the southeast coast of Africa in early September 2008. The smoke was coming from hundreds, probably thousands, of fires burning in Mozambique, South Africa, and Swaziland. September is near the end of southern Africa?s dry season, and intentional agricultural fires as well as accidental forest fires are common. According to BBC news, at least 20 people had been killed by out-of-control fires in South Africa as of September 2. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7591950.stm South Africa bush fires 'kill 20' - BBC News,?1 September 2008 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://lists.gsdi.org/pipermail/sdi-africa/attachments/20080910/267c5da3/attachment.htm From klance_remote at yahoo.com Thu Sep 11 10:35:06 2008 From: klance_remote at yahoo.com (Kate Lance) Date: Thu, 11 Sep 2008 07:35:06 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [SDI-Africa] FOSS4G workshop programme finalized Message-ID: <267802.67470.qm@web53609.mail.re2.yahoo.com> 2008 Free and Open Source Software for Geospatial (FOSS4G) Conference incorporating GISSA 2008, September 29 - October 3, Cape Town , South Africa FOSS4G organizers have?finalized the workshop program. FOSS4G is renowned for its hands-on workshops, so REGISTER NOW TO SECURE YOUR PLACE! Visit http://wiki.osgeo.org/wiki/FOSS4G2008_Workshops_and_Technical_Visits where you will be able to view the topics, presenters and time slots. Instructions are on the website. If you are already registered and paid, you will receive preference. If not, then first register for the conference here http://conference.osgeo.org/index.php/foss4g/2008/schedConf/registration and choose your workshops during the registration process through e-mail correspondence with the conference organisers. OpenStreetMap mapping party: If you?re in Cape Town on Sunday 28th September, warm up for the conference by walking the streets of Cape Town with a GPS! ?See here for details or if you want to give some input: http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/index.php/OpenMappingAfrica2008or http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/index.php/WikiProject_South_Africa -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://lists.gsdi.org/pipermail/sdi-africa/attachments/20080911/7d32092e/attachment.htm From info at isnet.org.pk Thu Sep 11 23:54:22 2008 From: info at isnet.org.pk (Administrator ISNET) Date: Fri, 12 Sep 2008 08:54:22 +0500 Subject: [SDI-Africa] International Seminar on Space Technology & Applications for Sustainable Development - Rescheduled Message-ID: <003301c9148b$3dcca040$430aa8c0@suparcoint.gov.pk> Dear Colleagues, Inter-Islamic Network on Space Sciences & Technology (ISNET) is a network under the OIC Standing Committee on Scientific & Technological Cooperation (COMSTECH). ISNET and the North African Center for Remote Sensing (CRTEAN) are jointly organising a Seminar on Space Technology and Applications for Sustainable Development from 24 - 27 November 2008 at Hotel Diplomat, Tunis, Tunisia. The Seminar will comprise lectures by experts, scientific papers by researchers and country papers by delegates from more than 12 countries in the OIC. Scientists, researchers and decision makers from OIC countries are invited to attend the Seminar. For registration and further details please contact: Mr Neji Fekih Director General, CRTEAN 55, Av Mouaouia ibn abi sofiane El Menzah 6 - 1004 Tunis Tunisia Tel : 216 71 236575 - 71 Fax: 216 71 238 882 Email: dg.crtean at crtean.intl.tn Seminar announcement attached. Regards, Tasleem Arfeen Administrator, ISNET -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://lists.gsdi.org/pipermail/sdi-africa/attachments/20080912/17dda589/attachment.htm -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: New Seminar Announcement Tunis.doc Type: application/msword Size: 60928 bytes Desc: not available Url : http://lists.gsdi.org/pipermail/sdi-africa/attachments/20080912/17dda589/attachment-0001.doc From klance_remote at yahoo.com Fri Sep 12 09:14:55 2008 From: klance_remote at yahoo.com (Kate Lance) Date: Fri, 12 Sep 2008 06:14:55 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [SDI-Africa] This Land is Your Land? Message-ID: <390308.82624.qm@web53608.mail.re2.yahoo.com> http://www.mcgill.ca/headway/spring2008/infocus3/ This Land is Your Land? As migration, a burgeoning ecotourism industry, and even the growing international conservation movement have stepped up pressure on the land and its people, concern over environmental fallout in Zambia and Kenya is increasing?but a solution may lie in a new way of thinking about land tenure. [Source: McGill Headway,?Volume 3, Number 1, Spring 2008] -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://lists.gsdi.org/pipermail/sdi-africa/attachments/20080912/647b5c0b/attachment.htm From klance_remote at yahoo.com Mon Sep 15 08:46:29 2008 From: klance_remote at yahoo.com (Kate Lance) Date: Mon, 15 Sep 2008 05:46:29 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [SDI-Africa] Invitation to KNSDI seminar IV to be held at AICAD, 30 Sept 2008 Message-ID: <203141.74162.qm@web53603.mail.re2.yahoo.com> The 4th Kenya National Spatial Data Infrastructure Seminar is being held?on Tuesday, 30 September 2008, at the?African Instituite of Capacity development (AICAD), at Juja, JKUAT. Attached is the invitation letter and tentative programme. If you would like to attend, contact:?? KNSDI Secretariat, Survey of Kenya, Ruaraka P.O.Box 30046 - 00100? NAIROBI Tel???????????? +254 20 8560620 Fax??????????? +254 20 8562619 Email???????? knsdi_secretariat at yahoo.com Website:???? www.knsdi.go.ke -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... 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Name: Tentative timetable.pdf Type: application/pdf Size: 27338 bytes Desc: not available Url : http://lists.gsdi.org/pipermail/sdi-africa/attachments/20080915/082f00c5/attachment-0003.pdf From jharrison at thecarbonproject.com Wed Sep 10 14:45:43 2008 From: jharrison at thecarbonproject.com (Jeff Harrison) Date: Wed, 10 Sep 2008 14:45:43 -0400 Subject: [SDI-Africa] YouTube channel features OGC SDI on ArcGIS Message-ID: <0MKp8S-1KdUhK3qdK-0005mB@mrelay.perfora.net> A new YouTube channel launched last week featuring OGC SDI on ArcGIS - http://www.youtube.com/thecarbonproject Easy-to-understand WFS, WFS-T, Filter Encoding and GML examples are included. - Jeff From klance_remote at yahoo.com Tue Sep 16 07:50:51 2008 From: klance_remote at yahoo.com (Kate Lance) Date: Tue, 16 Sep 2008 04:50:51 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [SDI-Africa] ICT Africa 2008 Doctoral Consortium, Yaounde, Cameroon Message-ID: <189595.1913.qm@web53612.mail.re2.yahoo.com> ICT Africa 2008 Doctoral Consortium December 18, 2008 9a.m.-3p.m. Djeuga Palace Hotel,?Yaounde, Cameroon ? The ICT Africa 2008 Doctoral Consortium is an international workshop for PhD students working in the areas of ICT and development as it especially relate to Africa. The workshop will offer Ph.D. students the opportunity to present, discuss, and receive constructively and critical feedback on their research in an interdisciplinary and international atmosphere. This feedback will be provided by internationally renowned ICT researchers, most of who are journal editors and/or serve on editorial boards of major research journals.? We also encourage students that are just thinking about enrolling into a doctoral program to submit to this workshop. The goals of the Doctoral Consortium include: ????????? To encourage more doctoral students in the area of ICT and Development ????????? To provide fruitful feedback and advice to the Ph.D. students on their research thesis. ????????? To provide the opportunity to meet experienced colleagues in the area of ICT and development ????????? To foster interaction between PhD students and prospective students and stimulate an exchange of ideas and suggestions among participants. ? Submissions must address the student?s PhD research area and therefore should have: ????????? A clear formulation of the research question. ????????? An identification of the significant problems in the field of research. ????????? State why the research work is being conducted, and what benefits the research will bring ????????? An outline of the current knowledge of the problem domain, as well as the state of existing solutions. ????????? Details of the research methodology. ????????? A presentation of any preliminary results and the state of the research work ????????? A description of the Ph.D. project's contribution to the area of ICT and development in general. ????????? A discussion of the implications for research, practice and policy making; i.e.? how is it different, new, or better than the existing solutions. Submitted papers will be reviewed by at least three members of the doctoral consortium committee. Accepted papers will be published in the workshop proceedings. Papers will also be made available on the conference website before the date of the workshop conference and notice will be sent to the participants. Details about the presentation format shall be communicated to the participants upon the acceptance of the paper. Important dates Submission deadline: October 1st, 2008 Notification to the participants: November 1st, 2008 Deadline for final papers: November 15th, 2008 Deadline for early registration: November 30th, 2008 Workshop date: December 18, 2008 Submission Instructions To apply for participation at the Doctoral Consortium, please send a short paper describing your doctoral work to Prof. Adekunle Okunoye at the following email address: okunoye at xavier.edu.? In all submissions and correspondences the author should copy the emails to: ICTAfrica2008 at icitd.com. ?Submissions must be made electronically by the deadline stated above. ? Adekunle Okunoye, PhD, CITP Assistant Professor of MIS Williams College of Business Xavier University Cincinnati, OH 45207 513 745 3052 (Phone) 513 745 3692 (Fax) -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://lists.gsdi.org/pipermail/sdi-africa/attachments/20080916/f820db09/attachment.htm From klance_remote at yahoo.com Wed Sep 17 08:30:14 2008 From: klance_remote at yahoo.com (Kate Lance) Date: Wed, 17 Sep 2008 05:30:14 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [SDI-Africa] Next Generation Digital Earth Position Paper Message-ID: <310231.23359.qm@web53601.mail.re2.yahoo.com> fyi - editorial in current issue of?International Journal of Spatial Data Infrastructures Research, http://ijsdir.jrc.it http://ijsdir.jrc.ec.europa.eu/index.php/ijsdir/article/view/119/99 Next-Generation Digital Earth:?a position paper from the Vespucci Initiative for the Advancement of Geographic Information Science This position paper is the outcome of a joint reflection by a group of international geographic and environmental scientists from government, industry, and academia brought together by the Vespucci Initiative for the Advancement of Geographic Information Science, and the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission. It argues that the vision of Digital Earth put forward by Vice-President Al Gore 10 years ago needs to be re-evaluated in the light of the many developments in the fields of information technology, data infrastructures, and earth observation that have taken place since. It focuses the vision on the next-generation Digital Earth and identifies priority research areas to support this vision. The paper is offered as input for discussion among different stakeholder communities with the aim to shape research and policy over the next 5-10 years. Keywords: Digital Earth, spatial data infrastructures, Earth Observation, GEOSS, geobrowsers, voluntary geographic information. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://lists.gsdi.org/pipermail/sdi-africa/attachments/20080917/2960230d/attachment.htm From klance_remote at yahoo.com Mon Sep 22 08:03:58 2008 From: klance_remote at yahoo.com (Kate Lance) Date: Mon, 22 Sep 2008 05:03:58 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [SDI-Africa] 5th Urban Research Symposium - Call for papers Message-ID: <775367.28284.qm@web53601.mail.re2.yahoo.com> http://www1.tu-darmstadt.de/fb/arch/trialog/ Trialog ? A Journal for Planning and Building in the Third World: Call for Papers Trialog, a journal for architects, planners, sociologists, geographers, economists and development planners published in Germany has sent out a Call for Papers for its No. 99 issue. The focus of the issue will be on East African region --?Ethiopia, South Sudan, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania and Malawi. The objective is to present experiences from the region in the areas of: urban planning, informal urban development, urban-rural linkages, innovative architecture, housing and infrastructure supply. Authors from East Africa are especially welcome. The issue will be published in English. Articles should not exceed 18,000 characters and must include graphics and photographs as separate files (not only in the WORD text file). Contributors are invited to send a short one page proposal of the topic of their articles via email to Scholz.Wolfgang at web.de. Deadline for the receipt of all proposals is October 5th. The Journal will be published by end of 2008. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://lists.gsdi.org/pipermail/sdi-africa/attachments/20080922/afadf2a0/attachment.htm From klance_remote at yahoo.com Fri Sep 26 08:43:58 2008 From: klance_remote at yahoo.com (Kate Lance) Date: Fri, 26 Sep 2008 05:43:58 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [SDI-Africa] USAID FEWS NET Weather Hazards Impacts Assessment for Africa, September 25-31, 2008 Message-ID: <93957.21476.qm@web53604.mail.re2.yahoo.com> http://www.fews.net/docs/Publications/afr_Sep25_2008.pdf USAID FEWS NET Weather Hazards Impacts Assessment for Africa, September 25-31, 2008 ? Above-average precipitation across western Africa has benefited crops, pastures, and water resources; however, it has also resulted in localized flooding and flood-related damage to bridges, roads, railways, and other infrastructure. ? Within the next month, it is anticipated that rainfall will return to many areas of East Africa that are currently drought affected. Climate outlooks favor moist conditions across much of Kenya and Uganda during these short rains (October ? December). FEWS NET is a USAID-funded activity whose purpose is to provide objective information about food security conditions. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://lists.gsdi.org/pipermail/sdi-africa/attachments/20080926/d6e1c404/attachment.htm From klance_remote at yahoo.com Sat Sep 27 10:15:16 2008 From: klance_remote at yahoo.com (Kate Lance) Date: Sat, 27 Sep 2008 07:15:16 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [SDI-Africa] job: Knowledge Sharing Officer, Accra, Ghana Message-ID: <321610.95630.qm@web53610.mail.re2.yahoo.com> http://www.fara-africa.org/news-events-opportunities/positions/#KSO Knowledge Sharing Officer, Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa, Accra, Ghana Ref: FARA/adv/KSO/08 The Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa in partnership with Environment and Development Action in the Third World (ENDA-TM) based in Senegal, IGAD Climate Predictions and Applications Centre (ICPAC) based in Kenya and the Institute of Development Studies (IDS) based in the United Kingdom is seeking to recruit a Knowledge sharing Officer to lead the Climate Change Adaptation in Africa project or the AfricaAdapt project. The selected candidate will strengthen communication between users of climate change model output (e.g. decision makers, practitioners and researchers) and producers of data (climate scientists). The AfricaAdapt project is a three-year project funded by IDRC and DFID. The overall aim of the project is to ?improve the livelihoods of vulnerable people in Africa through increasing access to and use of knowledge assets by all stakeholders on climate change adaptation?. By linking with a variety of stakeholders, particularly those already engaged in climate adaptation research, the project intends to create a knowledge-sharing network of climate change adaptation actors across Africa. Deadline for receipt of applications:?1 October 2008. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://lists.gsdi.org/pipermail/sdi-africa/attachments/20080927/90a4033e/attachment.htm