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23 - 26 September 2024 ESA-ESRIN

EO for Africa Symposium 2024

Preliminary Programme

Background

ESA is pleased to announce the organization of the 2024 EO for Africa Symposium in partnership with the African Union Commission (AUC), African Association of Remote Sensing of the Environment (AARSE), the European Commission (EC), the European Organization for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT), and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The symposium is scheduled to take place from 23 to 26 September 2024 at ESA-ESRIN in Frascati, Italy.

Collaborations between Africa and Europe in Earth Observation (EO) have a rich history spanning decades. ESA has been a leader in various initiatives and is currently implementing the EO African Framework for Research, Innovation, Communities, and Applications (AFRICA) Initiative. This initiative aims to build an African-European R&D partnership and facilitate the sustainable adoption of Earth Observation and related space technology in Africa, following an African user-driven approach with a long-term (>10 years) vision for the digital era in Africa.

Under the auspices of the Africa Union Commission (AUC), ESA has established longstanding and fruitful collaborations with numerous African entities holding local, regional, and continental responsibilities.
In this framework, ESA is honored to co-organize this Symposium and invites all interested parties to submit their abstracts and/or participate.

Objectives

The aim of the Symposium is to:

  • Showcase the latest R&D EO Science and Applications achievements relevant for the African continent;
  • Further facilitate international EO R&D collaborations across Africa and Europe;
  • Continue the user-driven process of capturing EO high-priority topics for future R&D and capacity development joint efforts;
  • Share information about future EO missions, digital technology, and the related opportunities;
  • Discuss the challenges and opportunities to accelerate the integration of downstream services in operational solutions.

Themes

Science into application and policy making 
International/Development cooperation (AUC/EU/US/….) 
EO at African Space Agency 
Digital transformation and innovation 
Data and tool exchange
Copernicus services use (products used in Africa) 
EO private sector in Africa  

Topics

Biodiversity

Water, energy and food security
nexus

Urbanization

Resource management

Marine & coastal resources

Vulnerability, health,
and livelihood

Climate Change &
disaster resilience

Pollution

Preliminary Programme

AUTHOR GUIDELINES

A dedicated ppt conference template (in 16:9) is available HERE (not mandatory) for the download in support to the oral presenters

ORAL PRESENTERS

Presenters are allocated a 15-minute slot each, which inclusive of Q&A at the end of the presentation. We therefore expect that your presentation does not exceed 12 minutes. Given the high number of presentations, the chairs will have to be extremely strict with the schedule. Please check the online programme for the date/time of your presentation and the title of the session.
During the symposium, the presenters are kindly requested to upload their presentations on a dedicated laptop of the speaker ready area located in the conference room. A technician and a member of the Organising Team will be present to assist during the process. Presentations will have to be uploaded via USB memory stick during the breaks and up to 30 minutes before the session starting time.
For each accepted contribution you can upload one file (max 230MB) as ppt, pptx or pdf. Presenters are advised to check prior to their session start if formulas/animations/videos are shown correctly.

File name convention and format

Please name your presentation file as follows:

  • Presentation ID number
  • Presenter Last name

AbstractID_Lastname.file eg.<“101_Brown.ppt”>
The suggested format for presentation is 16:9.

Please ensure you are in the session room at least 30 minutes before the session begins to meet with the session chairs, who will be near the stage. The presentations will be launched by a technician, the presenters should change the slides with the slide-advance remote control placed on the podium. Any presentation from personal laptops is not allowed to ensure a smooth program running and minimise the transition time between presentations.

Following the event, the presentations may be published online. Should you not want your presentation to be published, kindly inform the workshop organiser.

The Sessions are also live streamed and recorded for re-watch purpose. If you don’t want to be captured, please advise the organiser in this respect.

POSTER PRESENTERS

Content: Posters should meet the workshop objectives in the relevant thematic areas and may present research results or research plans.

Format: The required poster size is A0, portrait orientation.
Poster width should not exceed 90 cm (36″) height should not exceed 122 cm (48″).

Poster authors are expected to present their posters to the scientific community during the coffee breaks which are also dedicated as poster sessions each day during the am and pm coffee breaks from 23 to 25 September 2024 in the Marquee outside the Big Hall conference room. Lunch breaks could also be opportunities to present the posters. Please take the opportunity to read other posters and exchange contact information.

Mounting
Poster presenters should bring their posters already printed. No printing of the posters will be possible onsite.

All posters should be mounted in the morning of 23 September before the Opening Session, which starts at 10:00 or during the first am coffee break on Monday. In case the poster author arrives later, their poster can be mounted with the support of the oc team. Material for mounting the posters will be provided at the poster session area.
Please check that your poster is located on the correct board. The poster list will be available nearby the poster panels.
All the posters should be dismounted by lunch time on the 26th September.

Printing Services in the Frascati Area

The posters can also be printed through some printing services in Frascati to avoid carrying the poster on the airplane. If the poster authors would like to print their portrait A0 posters, they can refer to the shops below that offer A0 color printing services:


Abstract Submission

The abstract submissions are CLOSED!

All the presentations will be made available in the final programme published on the website after the Sympoisum.
All the authors who don’t wish to have their presentation published, are kindly requested to inform the organiser accordingly in due time.
There are no Special Proceedings foreseen for the Symposium.

Participation

Participation in the oral and poster programme will be decided by the Scientific Committee following the review of the submitted abstracts.
No participation fee will be charged. Participants are expected to finance their own travel and accommodation expenses.
The official language of the symposium is English.

All the authors and interested parties are kindly requested to contact events.organisation@esa.int for the VISA invitation letter requests.

Schedule and Deadlines

Abstract submission opening25 January 2024
Abstract submission closure – extended30 April 2024
Notification of acceptanceJune 2024
Issue of Preliminary Programme18 July 2024
Registration Opening18 July 2024
Registration Closing09 August 2024
Issue of Final Programmeat the Symposium
Symposium23 – 26 September 2024

Organising Committee

Catherine Ghyoot

European Commission – EC DG-INTPA

Solomon Gebremariam Tesfamichael

African Association of Remote Sensing of the Environment – AARSE

Mahaman Bachir Saley

African Union Commission – AUC

Andreas Brink

European Commission – EC DG-JRC

Diana Chavarro Rincon

EO AFRICA R&D Facility (UT-ITC)

Marco Clerici

European Commission – EC DG-JRC

Cecilia Donati

European Commission – EC DG-INTPA

Vincent Gabaglio

European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites – EUMETSAT

Benjamin Koetz

European Space Agency – ESA

Stefano La Terra Bella

DG DEFIS

Kamal Labbassi

African Association of Remote Sensing of the Environment – AARSE

Ashutosh S. Limaye

National Aeronautics and Space Administration – NASA

Michel Massart

European Commission – EC DG-JRC

Janet Nackoney

Bureau for Resilience, Environment and Food Security – U.S. Agency for International Development

Giuseppe Ottavianelli

European Space Agency – ESA

Tidiane Ouattara

African Union Commission – AUC

Francesco Palazzo

Serco for European Space Agency – ESA

Nancy D. Searby

National Aeronautics and Space Administration – NASA

Zoltan Szantoi

European Space Agency – ESA

Scientific Committee

Ongoing…

Riadh Abdelfattah

Université de Carthage

Hamimed Abderrahmane

University of Mascara

Ernest Acheampong

Group on Earth Observations (GEO)

Elhadi Adam

University of The Witwatersrand

Odunayo Adeniyi

European Space Agency – ESA

Matthew Adepoju

National Space Research & Development Agency (NASRDA)

Michael Aduah

University of Mines and Technology – IAHS

Justin Ahanhanzo

UNESCO

Abdelhakim Amazirh

European Space Agency – ESA

Berhan Gessesse Awoke

Ethiopian Space Science and Geospatial Institute

Erlinda Biescas

Telespazio

Elias Cherenet

Haramaya University

Moses Cho

CSIR

Chiara Corbari

POLIMI

Lacina Coulibaly

Université de Moncton

Jean Homian Danumah

Centre universitaire de recherche et d’application en teledetection (CURAT)

Timothy Dube

University of Western Cape

Rania Elsayed Ibrahim

National Authority for Remote Sensing and Space Sciences, Cairo, Egypt

Gohar Ghazaryan

Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF)

Anthony Gidudu

Makerere University

Rafika Hajji

IAV

Eliakim Hamunyela

University of Namibia

Femi Emmanuel Ikuemonisan

Lagos State University of Education

Amos Kabo-Bah

University of Energy and Natural Resources, Ghana

Mejdi Kaddour

University of Oran

Michael Kizza

Nile Basin Initiative Secretariat

Kouakou Jean-Luc Kouassi

CIV

Jide Kufoniyi

Obafemi Awolowo University

Rodgers Makwinja

University of Johannesburg

Aboubakar Mambimba Ndjoungui

AGEOS

M. T. Marshall

University of Twente (UT-ITC)

Cheikh Mbow

CSE – Centre de Suivi Écologique

Getachew Mehabie Mulualem

Bahir Dar University

Daniel Ayalew Mengistu

Bahir Dar University

Foster Mensah

University of Ghana

Amadou Moctar Dieye

Centre de Suivi Ecologique (CSE) Dakar

Kenneth Mubea

Digital Earth Africa

Janet Nackoney

U.S. Agency for International Development

Chrétien Ngouanet

National Institute of Cartography

Hector Nieto

ICA CSIC

Phoebe Oduor

SERVIR Science Coordination Office

Lonia Okhimamhe

Federal University of Technology Minna

Olayinka Simeon Oladeji

Ladoke Akintola University of Technology

Japheth O. Onyando

Egerton University

Veronika Otto

vista-geo

Chiara Pratola

e-GEOS

Solofo Rakotondraompiana

University of Antananarivo

Aicha Rochdi

Faculty of Sciences and Technics (FSTS)

Valentina Santarsiero

Planetek

Cletah Shoko

University of the Witwatersrand

Pierre Sibiry Traore

International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics

Juan Suárez

GMV

Souleymane Sidi Traore

Université des Sciences Sociales et de Gestion de Bamako

Adriaan Van Niekerk

Stellenbosch University

Anastasia Wahome

Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT

Leigh Ann Winowiecki

ICRAF – Coalition of Action 4 Soil Health (CA4SH)

Gebeyehu Abebe Zeleke

European Space Agency – ESA

Contact info

For information regarding the submissions, author instructions, scientific committee related inquiries please contact

EO4Society.Conf@esa.int
For information regarding the logistics of the venue place, support with logistics booking, registration and the VISA invitation letter requests, please contact

events.organisation@esa.int