English 
SDI & EO Education and Training for North Africa
Human society is facing a number of global challenges (e.g. climate change, population growth and migrations, food and energy security). In an effort to solve those challenges decision makers must rely on spatial data (SD). An efficient use of SD requires that they are well structured and directly available. Spatial Data Infrastructure (SDI) as frameworks to share and re-use SD by public authorities, private sector and citizens, and Earth Observation (EO) as one of the main sources for SD, are key elements for different application domains. Precondition for a successful use of SD are the relevant knowledge and skills in SDI and EO technologies amongst professionals. This means also that institutions of higher education must have the knowledge and capacities to provide modern education to their students and offer professionals the right VET programmes to raise the overall level of expertise in SDI & EO. The region of Northern Africa (NA) is also exposed to the above mentioned global challenges, but is currently facing a lack of SD and EO use in decision and policy making, which is directly related with the lower level of SDI development and the sub-optimal use of EO data. It is therefore essential that academic institutions in NA countries raise their capacities regarding SDI & EO.
The SEED4NA project aims to: 1) develop the required knowledge, skills and competencies on SDI & EO within partner universities; 2) help introducing modern SDI & EO courses in engineering and agriculture/forestry studies; 3) implement supporting VET programmes; 4) help partner universities to support the development of SDI in their country and 5) promote a European approach to SDI & EO. SEED4NA will result in the establishment of capable, well trained pools of experts within academic institutions which will introduce in their turn a modern approach in academic and VET education on SDI & EO in their respective countries, thereby becoming promotors of SDI development and EO use.
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Principal Investigator
Hany M. Ayad
Professor of Urban Planning
Department of Architectural Engineering – Faculty of Engineering
Alexandria University
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