11 October 2012
Dakar, Senegal
The
Senegal National Geomatics Plan (SNGP), is an initiative that supports the Senegalese government in achieving optimal and sustainable management of its land and human resources through the use of location-based, or “geospatial”, information. Under the five-year initiative, the Canadian International
Development Agency provided funding of $5.6 million from 2009-2013, while Natural Resources Canada and the Senegalese Government provided $1.2 million and $1 million in in-kind support respectively. Canadian and Senegalese private sectors were also engaged in the development of the Plan.
Specifically, the SNGP is helping:
- Develop uniform standards for geospatial data collection, sharing and storage;
- Establish models for cost-sharing of responsibilities,
- Expand existing data infrastructure and technologies to develop topographic databases,
- Provide training on use and implementation of geomatics technologies,
- Promote awareness among the Senegalese private sector and operational management on the capabilities and applications of geospatial information and models, and
- Demonstrate to West Africa the value of Canadian geomatics organizations.
As a world leader in geospatial information and technology, Natural Resources Canada is leading collaborative efforts with the Senegalese Government and the Canadian private sector to develop the SNGP and its associated implementation strategy.
Natural Resources Canada is also directly involved in the creation of a series of training materials demonstrating how geospatial data can be developed into powerful tools to assist in a variety of economic, social and environmental issues such as tracking malaria outbreaks, standardizing emergency management and response systems, and reducing the cost of engineering and scientific projects. Technical training sessions have taken place in the district of Saint-Louis to explore the opportunity of geospatial technology to identify flood zones and clean drinking water, examine soil erosion and develop an emergency fire system. Further training sessions are planned for the upcoming year.
Another highlight of the SNGP is the June 2012 launch of a continuously-operated system to monitor Global Navigation Satellite Systems, the first of its kind in West Africa. This system links Senegal to a worldwide network of 400 stations which monitor satellites to provide precise global positioning references. For surveyors in Senegal, this means that they can do their work efficiently and accurately, reducing costs for all applications including engineering and science. For the people of Senegal, a solid reference network supports positioning, map-making and property rights system that provide the foundation for economic and social development.
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