Regional
GIS Workshop to build human capacity and to strengthen the
common knowledge base in the Nile Basin
A
regional GIS training workshop was organized by the project,
which ran from 3 to 11 October 2005. It was attended by
two participants each from all Nile riparians, as well as
by two GIS specialists from the Northern Uganda Data Centre
(NUDC) project.
The
aim of the 9-day workshop was to illustrate general trends
concerned with the availability and allocation of the scarce
Nile resource in cartographic products by using a GIS. The
training approach was hands on and the participants received
practical knowledge in developing information products.
Major focus areas were:
•
Use of the AFRICOVER land cover layer to assess current
agricultural water use in the Nile Basin.
•
Use of ArcView for visual explanation to support communication
with stakeholders.
•
Use of IDRISI, an alternative GIS toolkit to ArcView, for
geo-referencing of scanned spatial data sources.
•
Satellite imagery processing for Agro-Meteorological assessments.
•
MODIS vegetation time series analysis for the Nile Basin.
Ms.
Jacqueline Nnam, a computer expert at NUDC, commented: “I
was able to appreciate the use of GIS products as an information
and communication tool. As we combined multiple data sources
to produce meaningful information in the form of maps, charts,
images and even videos, the saying that “a picture
is worth a thousand words” was manifested. Through
graphical representation of data, concepts like changes
in agricultural land use over the year in relation to rainfall
patterns were easy to understand. The training also enhanced
my basic knowledge of GIS and, with a fair amount of practice,
I should be able to make considerable use of computerized
GIS, use satellite imageries and international data sets
combined with climatological time series. With the acquired
knowledge and skills I will complement the GIS technical
team at NUDC. I look forward to participating in the follow-up
training workshop to further ameliorate my skills and expand
my knowledge in GIS.”
The
trainees, going back to their respective countries, are
strengthening the national capacity to take informed decisions.
The joint workshop also contributed to the project objective
to strengthen the common Nile knowledge base.
Capacity
building program
A
key objective of project “Information Products for
Nile Basin Water Resources Management” is to build
the technical and human capacity for informed decision making
in the Nile basin. The training program includes national
and regional workshops. The project increasingly uses the
services of qualified local training institutes, in particular
to build basic and intermediary computer skills. National
training centres also provide courses on negotiation skills,
English writing skills, and remote sensing.
The
program has a particular focus on training in Geographic
Information Systems (GIS). Accurate and accessible information
is essential for informed decision making. The nature of
the water resources issues requires combining information
from multiple sectors of society. GIS has proven a powerful
tool to integrate technical water resources data and socio-economic
and environmental information. Cartographic products and
geo-reference illustrations are an intuitive means for information
dissemination to a broad spectrum of society.
Being
a shared resource, it is of paramount importance that the
Nile riparians develop a common understanding of the Nile
water resources issues and the trade-offs and consequences
of basin wide development options. This is an essential
prerequisite for the co-basin states to achieve their shared
goals. Regional workshops bring Nile experts together and
cement the emerging Nile community.
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