Session I: Geo-information for infrastructure:
building on experience from GISNATUREM Wednesday (29 October 11:00 am – 12:40 pm)

Session II: Meeting the needs of the sector:
relevance and finance of joint course programs (29 October 14:00 am – 15:40 pm)

ITC in The Netherlands and KNUST in Ghana collaborate since several years in the execution and development of joint MSc. courses at the interface of geo-information science and application areas such as natural resources and more recently in infrastructure planning and management.

During a special thematic session at AARSE (Wednesday 29 October from 11:00 am – 15:40 pm) the idea behind these courses and the challenges and problems encountered are discussed.

In the first part of the thematic session, building on the experiences of the already well established course on geo-information science and natural resources, a new joint initiative is introduced being geo-information for infrastructure. This theme is discussed with stakeholders from three important infrastructure sectors in the country as well as with scientists from ITC as well as KNUST. In the second part of the thematic session the challenges to finance a course like the one on geo-information for natural resource management are discussed with important donors in the country.

Below some more background on the joint courses that are presented in the thematic session and contact details are given.

1. Geo-information for infrastructure: integrated planning, management and assessment of transport, water and utility infrastructure

In Ghana, like in many other countries in the region, infrastructure provisions are often inadequate and as such are a major obstacle to economic growth, and adversely affect the living standards of people, health, education, environment and the capacity of local producers to compete in national and international markets.

Recent events such as the discovery of oil in the Western Region of Ghana, high population and economic growth figures as well as major transport, water and sanitation problems have put infrastructure high on the agenda in Ghana. Next to this, several international initiatives such as the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) and the ECOWAS program on Access to Energy Services also emphasize the need for sustainable infrastructure systems in the country as well as in the region that meet economic demand and provide basic social services, especially for poor people.

By many it is felt that the country and West African region lack specialists with good integrated knowledge on infrastructure systems, their interaction as well as impact on people, land, the economy and the natural environment. GI-platforms are believed to provide a means to study these interdisciplinary and multi-disciplinary aspects.

Recent advances in GIS (particularly in the field of geospatial databases, network modeling, spatial modelling, integrated assessment, image processing etc) allow for a number of new applications that analyze, optimize and visualize infrastructure systems in their local geographical, social and physical (thus environmental) context. In addition, GIS has become an important means to link and relate infrastructure systems to one another and to communities.

In a special thematic session to AARSE in Accra on Wednesday 29 October (11:00am – 12:40pm, see conference website for details) several key-note speakers from Ghana’s infrastructure sectors, together with scientists from KNUST and ITC will present and discuss the interface of integrated planning, management and assessment of infrastructure with recent advances in geo-information science for the transport, water and utility infrastructure sectors. Building on experiences with another, yet successful program, Geoinformation science and natural resources the lay-out and scope of the new program will be presented. The discussions are expected to contribute to the further refinement of a Master of Science Program on Geo-information for Infrastructure, which is currently being developed by KNUST and ITC.

Everyone with an interest in geo-information, infrastructure and its’ impacts is cordially invited to attend this special session.

2. Geoinformation Science and Natural Resources

In many developing African countries, the desire to meet the livelihood needs of its people has led to unsound exploitation and management of natural resources. The ensuing environmental problems are numerous and commonly known: deforestation, land degradation, depletion of resources and pollution. Climate change and its direct causes, previously mostly a concern of industrialised countries, is now showing its effects world-wide and African countries are not exempted. This has brought management of natural resources to a higher level; it is no longer a matter of local or even national concern only but the international community is keeping a close watch on the situation as well.

To mitigate environmental problems improved natural resource management is a major task, confronting planners and decision makers at all levels. At international level, a framework of policies and strategies exists; mechanisms have been put in place. However, in order to adapt national policies to this framework and to develop national strategies, a good understanding of the complex factors, driving the environmental changes, is equally important as sound knowledge of the international environmental agenda.

Up-to date information is at the basis of sound policy making, planning and management. In recent years, there is increasing awareness of the importance of spatial information to support decision making in most developing regions of Africa. Organisations at national, regional and district level realise that knowing where and when changes in the state of the resource base took place, how fast and in which direction they spread, is important. More and more they are in need of staff, capable of providing up-to-date spatial information.

To react to this need in African countries, the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) in Kumasi, Ghana, and the International Institute for Geo-Information Science and Earth Observation (ITC) in Enschede, the Netherlands, have jointly developed an MSc degree course in Geoinformation for Natural Resource Management, GISnaturem. The course combines knowledge of management of natural resources, in compliance with the international environmental agenda, with skills in the use of geo-information and earth observation tools. The course has been running successfully for three years and produced 16 graduates, while 6 more are on their way. Part of the course is taught in the Netherlands, part in Ghana.

Although an increasing number of applicants from various organisations show their interest, a bottleneck is often the financial aspect of the course. Few applicants are able to pay the fees.

In a special thematic sessions to AARSE in Accra on Wednesday 29 October (11:00am – 15:40pm, see conference website for details) several course graduates, who excelled in their research, will present their work, together with staff from ITC and KNUST. They will demonstrate the relevance of geo-information for decision making and planning in NRM in the national and international context, but also dwell on the  lessons learned for the geoinformation for infrastructure course that is being developed.

In a round-the-table session with stakeholders and donors the question will be raised how courses such as geoinformation for natural resources and geoinformation for infrastructure meet the explicit needs of potential clients and how it can be better embedded in on-going and new projects. Also the financial aspect will be addressed:
Would organisations and donors be willing and able to invest in staff by sending them to the course? What could be solutions to this financial bottleneck.

Everyone with an interest in geo-information, and its application in natural resource management is cordially invited to attend this special session.

3. Further information

For more information on the thematic session:

Mr. Foster Mensah
AARSE conference organizer
Accra Ghana
Email Mr. Foster Mensah

Dr. Mark Zuidgeest
ITC – Department of Urban and Regional Planning and Geo-Information Management
Enschede The Netherlands
Email Dr. Mark Zuidgeest

Ir. Louise van Leeuwen
ITC – Department of Natural Resources
Enschede The Netherlands
Email Ir. Louise van Leeuwen

On geo-information for infrastructure:

Mr. Charles Adams
KNUST – College of Engineering
Kumasi Ghana
Email Mr. Charles Adams

On geoinformation science and natural resources:

Dr. Samuel Oppong
KNUST – College Agriculture and Natural Resources
Kumasi Ghana
Email Dr. Samuel Oppong