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North Africa Workshop, Cairo:
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GEOSS Support for Decision-Making in the Coastal Zone: Managing and Mitigating the Impacts of Human Activities and Natural Hazards in the Coastal Zone

A workshop series organized by the GEO Coastal Zone Community of Practice

NORTH AFRICA WORKSHOP
Supporting Decision Making for an Integrated Coastal Zone Management along the Southern Mediterranean Coast
2010, Cairo, Egypt.

The CZCP Series of Regional Workshops

The CZCP employs a regional approach to engage users and potential users through GOOS Regional Alliances (GRAs) and regional activities of GTOS. One of the ways that the CZCP is implementing this approach is by organizing a series of regional workshops in partnership with GOOS, GTOS, regional organizations, and GEO member countries (for more information on the Workshop Series, see here ...). A first regional workshop in the series was held at the National Observatory of Athens, Athens, Greece, on 9-13 June 2008. The workshop focused on the specific coastal observing needs, challenges and capabilities in the Mediterranean region. Other regional workshop are anticipated for Africa, Asia, and the Americas in 2010.

One of the conclusions of the Athens workshop was that the large region-scale differences in observational capabilities hinder progress in the development of basin-wide observing and decision support systems. Considering the importance of a basin-wide approach to monitoring, modeling and assessment, it was recommended that a pilot project be developed to address and promote the minimization of the North-South differences in observational capabilities in the Mediterranean. In order to follow up this recommendation, it was decided to organize a smaller regional workshop addressing the situation at the southern Mediterranean coasts with the goal to bring together decision makers, agencies responsible for coastal monitoring infrastructure, and experts involved in decision support, and to initiate a pilot project as recommended.

Focus of the Cairo Workshop

This regional Workshop for the North African Mediterranean Coastal Countries will take place in Cairo, Egypt. The workshop will address the specific problem of the large North-South differences in observational capabilities, data availability and data exchange, and capacity in decision support based on Earth observations. Although the workshop will be specific to the Mediterranean, a similar gradient also exists globally between large parts of the Northern and Southern hemispheres, and the results of the workshop will likely have model character for other areas. In order to address and reduce the North-South difference, it will be necessary to get a better understanding of social, political and economic conditions that hinder and promote the development of spatially more homogeneous monitoring, data processing and modeling, and decision support capacities in the southern Mediterranean.

Objectives

The workshop aims to bring together the stakeholders from the States in the North African Mediterranean Region involved in the value chain from observations to decision support and decision making in the coastal zone. Emphasis will be placed on observations in support of the Barcelona Convention and Integrated Coastal Zone Management. The workshop will address the regional conditions impacting the value chain that connects Earth observations to decision making. Based on an improved understanding of the regional conditions, realistic goals for improvements in all areas mentioned can be developed together with the relevant stakeholders. A roadmap can be developed indicating how progress from the presence situation can be made towards these goals. Key elements of the roadmap will include pilot projects aiming at increased cooperation across the Mediterranean and a bridging of the current differences andgaps in the value chain mentioned above for informed decisions.

Specific objectives of this regional workshop on decision support for integrated coastal zone management will include:

  • Establishment of a common understanding of GEO perspective and products and their use in decision support.
  • Inventory of what is available in the region in term of Earth observation products and their uses for decision support in the coastal zone.
  • Assessment of current decision support in the southern Mediterranean countries based on Earth observations.
  • Assessment of present observing system capacities for providing the data and information required for improved decisions related to coastal zone management.
  • Identification of ways to integrate Mediterranean observing systems between southern and northern coastal States.
  • Pilot project designs, with the goal to integrate southern and northern decision support in the coastal zone.