ABOUT ODINAFRICA PROJECT

1 - ODINAFRICA-II

Creation

During many IOC meetings, representative of coastal African countries expressed the need to reinforce their capacity building on the domain of ocean data and information management, notably within the following areas:

      Internet access

      Creation and support of national Oceanographic Data

      Training on data and information management

      Support to maintain national and regional data bases

      Support to elaborate data and information products which can satisfy users needs

      Reinforce Regional Cooperation on Scientific information Exchange in the IOCEA Region (RECOSCIX-CEA) and Regional Cooperation on Scientific 

        information Exchange in the IOCINCWIO region (RECOSCIX-WIO) as mechanism of data and information dissemination

Based on the needs expressed above and following the successful implementation of ODINEA (Ocean Data and Information Network for East Africa) which constituted ODINAFRICA I, 20 coastal African countries accepted to cooperate and participate to the Ocean Data and Information Network for Africa, Second Phase (ODINAFRICA-II). The 20 countries were:

External partners:

Vlaams Institut Voor de Zee, Flanders Marine Institute (VLIZ); Limburg’s Universitair Centrum (LUC); Vrije Universiteit Brussels (VUB); Australian Oceanographic Data centre.

Objectives of ODINAFRICA-II

       Support the creation and management of NODC in Africa

       Training on data and information management using standard formats of IODE

       Support the creation and maintenance of national, regional and pan African oceanographic data bases,

       Support creation and dissemination of data and information products which satisfy the needs of users

ODINAFRICA-II Structure

       Regional level: 2 regional coordinators: IOCEA and IOCINCWIO

       National level: National Coordinator, a data Manager and an information Manager

       IOC/UNESCO: Ocean Service Section

Pertinent Results of ODINAFRICA-II

       Creation and management of NODC in the 20 countries

       Support internet access in the 20 countries

       Building of a strong and effective internet network between data and information scientists within the 20 countries

       Capacity building on the domain of data and information management in Africa

       Elaboration of  various  national data and information products

       Organization of three  project annual seminars: Nairobi, Kenya in 2001, Limbe Cameroon in November 2002  and Ostend, Belgium in September 2003

ODINAFRICA-II was financed by the Flanders Government through IOC/UNESCO

2 - ODINAFRICA-III

ODINAFRICA-II activities were carried out from 2001 to September 2003; a final project seminar was help in Ostend, Belgium in September 2003, and where ODINAFRICA-III was born. The big difference with the second phase is that the project is expanded to four modules in phase 3 instead of one module in phase 2. The four modules are one management and three operational modules as follow:

Module 1:    Project Management and Coordination with a project manager led by a Steering Committee

At the regional level, each module has a regional coordinator. At the national level, there is a national management committe led by an elected chairman and a national coordinator for each module.

Module 2:    The Coastal Ocean Observing System

This 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.

Module 3.    Data and Information Management

This 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)

Module 4.    Product Development, end-user communication and information delivery system

This 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-user.  

The goal of ODINAFRICA-III will be 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) tourism.

The government of Flanders, Belgium has provided US$2.5 million to support the implementation of ODINAFRICA-III.