Events

18th on the EO AFRICA R&D Facility Webinar Series is now available in our YouTube channel

2025-03-26 The 18th Webinar on the EO AFRICA R&D Facility Webinar Series is now available in our YouTube channel: Mapping Our Planet in High Resolution: Advancing Land Cover and Degradation Monitoring with Sentinel Data This webinar explores how these innovations, coupled [Read more...]

Version 3 of the MOOC on Drought Assessment and Monitoring from Space

2025-01-20 Version 3 of the MOOC on Drought Assessment and Monitoring from Space is launched. The Chapters on Cloud Computing and Earth Observations Advances have been updated. Some additional webinars are included in the MOOC v3. For the presentations, both French and English subtitles can be displayed over the presentation. [Read more...]

EO AFRICA R&D Facility – 2024 Overview

2024-12-20 2024 was an exciting year for all involved in the EOAFRICA R&D Facility. Phase 1 ended successfully with the 10th F2F course being held in Senegal jointly with Laboratoire de télédétection appliquée, Université Cheikh Anta Diop de Dakar in Dakar. [Read more...]

17th on the EO AFRICA R&D Facility Webinar Series is now available in our YouTube channel

2024-12-18 The 17th Webinar on the EO AFRICA R&D Facility Webinar Series is now available in our YouTube channel: Advances in EO Cloud Computing: OpenEO This webinar explores the growing role of cloud computing in analyzing and processing Earth Observation (EO) [Read more...]

Announcing the EO AFRICA R&D Research Projects – Awarded Proposals (Third Call)

2024-12-16 Following the successful first two rounds of calls for research proposals, the EO AFRICA R&D Facility, in coordination with the European Space Agency (ESA) and the African Union Commission (AUC), launched in July 2024 a 3rd call for proposals. The aim of this call is to extend the support to African-European collaborative research efforts in the domain of EO applications. [Read more...]

Winners of the call for African-led Training Material Design

2024-12-06 ESA EO AFRICA R&D Facility, in collaboration with the African Union Commission (AUC), are pleased to announce that: As a result of the Call for proposals: African-led Training Material Design, five competitive African universities have been selected to develop university [Read more...]

16th on the EO AFRICA R&D Facility Webinar Series is now available in our YouTube channel

2024-11-05 The 16th Webinar on the EO AFRICA R&D Facility Webinar Series is now available in our YouTube channel: Flood extent assessment in East Africa with Sentinel-2 data A few months ago, East Africa faced the consequences of weeks of heavy [Read more...]

African Research Fellowships: Call 2024/2025

2024-10-01 We are pleased to announce the 2024-2025 AUC-ESA call that will offer 1-year fellowships to 4 new African Researchers to work at the ESA-ESRIN premises in Frascati (Rome, Italy) in synergy with ESA projects and scientists. More information here: https://eo4society.esa.int/2024/09/23/african-research-fellowships-call-2024-2025/ [Read more...]

EO AFRICA R&D Facility Advisory Board

2024-08-22 The following four experts from prestigious African organizations have accepted our invitation to become members of the EO AFRICA R&D Facility Advisory Board. They will have a major role in safeguarding the quality and scope of our activities and ensure [Read more...]

EO AFRICA R&D Facility – The Second Phase

2024-06-25 Exciting opportunities for more collaboration! The EO AFRICA R&D Facility Consortium is delighted to announce that, after a positive evaluation of the first phase (2021-2024), the European Space Agency has granted the Facility an extension of 3 years, allowing us [Read more...]

5th on the EO AFRICA R&D Facility Second Phase Online Courses

The course is open for applicants from AFRICA only

PolInSAR Processing and Applications

May 26 - June 20, 2025 Online course with live-chat This online course equips participants with a fundamental knowledge of PolInSAR processing and application concepts. During the course participants will refresh their knowledge of principles and properties of SAR remote sensing and SAR images interpretation. https://www.eoafrica-rd.org/space-academy/on-line-courses-rdf2/online-course-on-polinsar-processing-and-applications/

20th on the EO AFRICA R&D Facility Webinar Series

Using the new H SAF 6.25km ASCAT soil moisture data for drought monitoring

Wednesday, 16 April 2025, 15:00 CEST (UTC + 2) Online webinar with live-chat This webinar presents the key changes in the ASCAT soil moisture retrieval algorithm and explain how they contribute to improved drought monitoring. https://www.eoafrica-rd.org/space-academy/webinars/#webinar20

19th on the EO AFRICA R&D Facility Webinar Series

Introduction to PolInSAR for agriculture monitoring and mapping

Wednesday, 26 March 2025, 14:00 CET (UTC + 1) Online webinar with live-chat This webinar introduces the fundamentals of PolInSAR technology and its possible applications in agriculture monitoring based on selected case studies in Africa. We will explore PolInSAR capabilities in estimating vegetation height and biomass, tracking phenological stages, and improving precision farming practices. Additionally, we will present tools available for accessing PolInSAR data, present and future satellite missions to provide fully polarimetric data and showcase selected case studies focused on agriculture. https://www.eoafrica-rd.org/space-academy/webinars/#webinar19

4th on the EO AFRICA R&D Facility Second Phase Online Courses

The course is open for applicants from AFRICA only

High-resolution crop monitoring for food security using EO

April 14 - May 9, 2025 Online course with live-chat The ever-increasing spatial resolution offered by the newest generation of satellite sensors allow us to monitor crops at the scale of individual parcels and to quantitatively estimate or predict agricultural production (area × yield) and water-use for applications in food security analysis. https://www.eoafrica-rd.org/space-academy/on-line-courses-rdf2/online-course-on-high-resolution-crop-monitoring-for-food-security-using-eo/

4th on the EO AFRICA R&D Facility Second Phase Face to Face Courses

The course is open for applicants from AFRICA only!

Face to Face course on Agricultural Monitoring from Space

April 7 - 11, 2025 Abuja, Nigeria A 5-day course (6h per day), including theoretical lectures and hands-on exercises to increase your understanding and skills related to the use of satellite data for agricultural monitoring. https://www.eoafrica-rd.org/space-academy/face-to-face-courses-rdf2/face-to-face-course-on-agricultural-monitoring-from-space/

18th on the EO AFRICA R&D Facility Webinar Series

Mapping Our Planet in High Resolution: Advancing Land Cover and Degradation Monitoring with Sentinel Data

Wednesday, 5 February 2025, 14:00 CET (UTC + 1) Online webinar with live-chat This webinar explores how these innovations, coupled with emerging datasets and services, are being utilized to monitor global land cover and land degradation, supporting sustainable development and environmental conservation. Specifically, the webinar will delve into experiences of producing the 100m Copernicus Global Land Cover dataset (available for 2015-2019), the European Space Agency (ESA) WorldCover Project, which has further advanced land cover monitoring by producing 10m resolution global land cover maps, and the new Copernicus Land Cover and Tropical Forest Monitoring Service (LCFM), designed to provide dynamic, high-resolution datasets on the status and changes of global land cover and pan-tropical forests. https://www.eoafrica-rd.org/space-academy/webinars/#webinar18

3rd on the EO AFRICA R&D Facility Second Phase Face to Face Courses

The course is open for applicants from AFRICA only!

Face to Face course on Satellite Atmospheric Data Validation and Application for Africa

April 14 - 18, 2025 Ben Guerir, Morocco A 5-day course (8h per day). The sessions will focus on the basics of atmospheric remote sensing, present the satellite data available and address the challenges to access them in Africa. https://www.eoafrica-rd.org/space-academy/face-to-face-courses-rdf2/face-to-face-course-on-satellite-atmospheric-data-validation-and-application-for-africa/

3rd on the EO AFRICA R&D Facility Second Phase Online Courses

The course is open for applicants from AFRICA only

EO for Marine and Coastal Resources Applications (EO4COAST)

January 27 - February 21, 2025 Online course with live-chat This online course aims to provide the participants with the competence to use Earth Observation (EO) data and products to leverage the management of marine and coastal aquatic resources and policymaking. https://www.eoafrica-rd.org/space-academy/on-line-courses-rdf2/eo-for-marine-and-coastal-resources-applications-eo4coast/

2nd on the EO AFRICA R&D Facility Second Phase Face to Face Courses

The course is open for applicants from AFRICA only!

Face to Face course on Cloud Computing and Algorithms for EO Analyses

March 10 - 14, 2025 Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire A 5-day course (6h per day), covering Cloud Computing and big geospatial data concepts, interactive computing with Python through Jupyter Notebooks, and access to EO data from DIAS platforms or via dedicated Python libraries and handling the data on the Cloud. https://www.eoafrica-rd.org/space-academy/face-to-face-courses-rdf2/face-to-face-course-on-cloud-computing-and-algorithms-for-eo-analyses/

17th on the EO AFRICA R&D Facility Webinar Series

Advances in EO Cloud Computing: OpenEO

Wednesday, 4 December 2024, 14:00 CET (UTC+1) Online webinar with live-chat This webinar explores the growing role of cloud computing in analyzing and processing Earth Observation (EO) data, with a primary focus on OpenEO. OpenEO is a relatively new and innovative initiative to connect to EO cloud back-ends in a simple and unified way. The project maintains the API and process specifications, and an open-source ecosystem with clients and server implementations. https://www.eoafrica-rd.org/space-academy/webinars/#webinar17

⏰ Last chance to register: @EOAfricaRD1 #webinar
tomorrow 🗓️March 26th!

Introduction to #PolInSAR for #agriculture monitoring and #mapping https://t.co/UjAaptZaX1 @EO_OPEN_SCIENCE pic.twitter.com/0p6hymh4sb
— EO AFRICA R&D Facility (@EOAfricaRD1) March 25, 2025

🧑🏽‍🏫 new @EOAfricaRD1 #online course:

High-resolution #crop monitoring for #oodsecurity using #EO. #data sources & techniques, #Cloudbased processing, hands-on exercises and more.

🗓️Apply before: April 3, 2025https://t.co/1CwkASnaO4 @EO_OPEN_SCIENCE @_AfricanUnion pic.twitter.com/HfDcrvHmtD
— EO AFRICA R&D Facility (@EOAfricaRD1) March 18, 2025

la semaine dernière en Côte d'Ivoire: cours en présentiel par @EOAfricaRD1 .

"Analyse des données d’observation de la terre 🛰️" : Des experts africains 🌍en formation à Abidjan https://t.co/57NanoC309 @EO_OPEN_SCIENCE
— EO AFRICA R&D Facility (@EOAfricaRD1) March 16, 2025

📰 More training opportunities 🏛️ : Version 3 of the @EOAfricaRD1 #MOOC "Drought Assessment and Monitoring from Space is launched" 🚀

*No prior knowledge of Earth Observation is required

Registrations at: https://t.co/YugNnzBE98 @EO_OPEN_SCIENCE #Droughts #EO pic.twitter.com/Nl4qIm2rYm
— EO AFRICA R&D Facility (@EOAfricaRD1) February 2, 2025

Last month @FacultyITC hosted the winners of the @EOAfricaRD1 "African-led Training Material Design" call. These African academics worked with educators from the Consortium during a productive 1week-kick-off workshop 👨🏽‍💻 👩🏽‍🏫
Looking forward to the final outcome!@EO_OPEN_SCIENCE pic.twitter.com/XKXDuFxCap
— EO AFRICA R&D Facility (@EOAfricaRD1) January 13, 2025

Registration is open for Face to Face course on Assessing vegetation dynamics from space with cloud-based EO analyses

Face to Face course on Assessing vegetation dynamics from space with cloud-based EO analyses | Date: November 19 – 23, 2023 | Cairo, Egypt | In this course, participants will get an introduction to cloud-based techniques for assessing vegetation dynamics with Earth Observation data.

12th on the EO AFRICA R&D Facility Webinar Series

Use of Remote Sensing to Insure against the Peril Drought | September 19, 2023, 14:00 CET | Online webinar with live-chat | The webinar will provide insights concerning the developed EO-based insurance model that utilizes NDVI-imagery to quantitatively assess occurring agronomic droughts. As a business model, since 2018, the Vegetation Index Crop Insurance (VICI) scheme is successfully in use by various Ethiopian organizations.

Registration is open for Face to Face course on Soil Moisture and Inland Water Monitoring with Satellite Radar

Face to Face course on Soil Moisture and Inland Water Monitoring with Satellite Radar | October 16 – 20, 2023 | Dar es Salaam, Tanzania | This course is covering the general concepts of radar remote sensing, how radar/microwaves interact with soil and vegetation, soil moisture retrieval with satellite radar, and the concept of zenith radar altimetry.

9th on the EO AFRICA R&D Facility Online Courses

Crop Monitoring and Yield Estimation from Space | September 4 – 29, 2023 | Online course with live-chat | The ever-increasing spatial resolution offered by the newest generation of satellite sensors allow us to monitor agricultural production at the scale of an individual parcel and to quantitatively estimate or predict productivity.

11th on the EO AFRICA R&D Facility Webinar Series

Surface Soil Moisture products at continental scale | June 13, 2023, 14:00 CET | Online webinar with live-chat | The webinar will give an overview of high-resolution (1 km) satellite soil moisture data sets available at continental to global scale. These data sets are either derived by downscaling coarse resolution data from passive (SMAP, SMOS, AMSR2) and active (ASCAT) microwave sensors using optical or Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) data, or by deriving the soil moisture data directly from only the SAR data.

10th on the EO AFRICA R&D Facility Webinar Series

Drought Monitoring case studies in Africa | April 11, 2023, 14:00 CET | Online webinar with live-chat | The webinar will describe ways to monitor drought events using microwave Earth Observation data. Existing methods for the calculation of climate normals, anomalies and drought indicators will be described and demonstrated over Africa. The strength and weaknesses of the indicators and an evaluation with common drought indicators such as Standardized Precipitation Index will be discussed. Furthermore, the use of soil moisture for early season yield prediction will be discussed.

8th on the EO AFRICA R&D Facility Online Courses

Assessing potential use of water resources in an African river basin | June 19 – July 14, 2023 | Online course with live-chat | This online course will show participants how to relate the water balance components (precipitation, evaporation, run-off and groundwater recharge) to identify surpluses of water and possible potential usage of those water resources in the area.

7th on the EO AFRICA R&D Facility Online Courses

Monitoring Vegetation Dynamics from Space | April 3 – 28, 2023 | Online course with live-chat | In this course, you will be exploring the potential of the temporal dimension of satellite EO data for monitoring vegetation dynamics and land cover/land use changes over longer periods of time. Aside from learning the theoretical concepts of hyper-temporal monitoring, the participants will acquire practical skills in how to acquire, pre-process and analyse long time series of satellite EO data.

Registration is open for Face to Face course on Cloud Computing and Algorithms for EO Analyses

Face to Face course on Cloud Computing and Algorithms for EO Analyses | October 17 – 21, 2023 | Kigali, Rwanda | This course introduces participants to Cloud Computing and its usage for Earth Observation (EO) data analyses. It starts with big geospatial data concepts and extends to Cloud Computing as one of the solutions for solving the problems of big EO data.

9th on the EO AFRICA R&D Facility Webinar Series

Global flood monitoring and Surface Soil Moisture anomalies | February 14, 2023, 14:00 CET | Online webinar with live-chat | The webinar will describe ways to monitor flood events and surface soil moisture on a global scale, using microwave Earth Observation data. Current research topics will be described that are relevant for use cases in Africa (e.g. subsurface scattering in arid regions). The validation of flood monitoring and of soil moisture products will be discussed.