The Ocean Data and Information Network for Africa (ODINAFRICA)
brings together marine institutions from twenty-five Member States of
the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO from Africa
(Algeria, Angola, Benin, Cameroon, Comoros, Congo, Cote d'Ivoire, Egypt,
Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, Madagascar, Mauritania, Mauritius, Morocco,
Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Senegal, Seychelles, South Africa, United
Republic of Tanzania, Togo, and Tunisia).
The earlier phases of ODINAFRICA
enabled the participating member states to get access to data available
in other data centres worldwide, develop skills for manipulation of
data and preparation of data and information products, and develop infrastructure
for archival, analysis and dissemination of the data and information
products.
The goal of
the current phase of ODINAFRICA is to improve the management of coastal
and marine resources and the environment in participating countries
by: enhancing data flows into the national oceanographic data and information
centres in the participating countries, strengthening the capacity of
these centres to analyse and interpret the data so as to develop products
required for integrated management of the coastal areas of Africa, and
increase the delivery of services to end users.
The focus will be on preparing
data and information products to enable the Member States to address
the key issues identified in the African Process: (i) coastal erosion,
(ii) management of key ecosystems and habitats, (iii) pollution, (iv)
sustainable use of living resources, and (v) tourismrepare and maintain
a metadata database of all national data holdings.
The government of Flanders, Belgium
has provided US$2.5 million to support the implementation of ODINAFRICA-III.
The following thematic work packages
will be implemented to achieve the objectives of ODINAFRICA-III:
-
Coastal Ocean Observing System:
will focus on upgrading and expanding African network for in-situ
measurements and monitoring of ocean variables (e.g. sea-level,
temperature, salinity, currents, winds, etc), provision of near
real-time observations of ocean variables, and building adequate
capacity for collection, analysis and management of sea-state variables.
About 15 tide stations will be installed or up-graded and some of
them equipped with sensors for other meteorological and oceanographic
parameters.
- Data and Information Management:
will focus on further development and strengthening of National Oceanographic
Data Centres (NODC) to manage data streams from the coastal ocean
observing network, upgrading infrastructure in the NODCs (including
internet access and computer systems), Integrating biogeographic and
hydrological data steams into NODC systems, Building capacity for
data and information managers for new NODCs established as part of
this project, and Rescue historical data (especially sea level data)
- Product Development and end user
communication and information delivery will focus on identification
of end users of marine/coastal data/information products and their
requirements, identification and development of set of core products
to be prepared by each NODC, development of Regional and National
Marine Atlases, improvement of atmospheric and oceanic monitoring
databases, promotion and dissemination of outputs of the project to
all stakeholders, and assessment of the impacts of products on the
end-users.
Mauritius Meteorological Services
Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC)
ODINAFRICA
Government of Flanders
International Oceanogrphic Data and Information Exchange