RECTAS Brief

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RECTAS BRIEF

1.0 BACKGROUND INFORMATION

The need for a Regional Cartographic Centre was first mooted at the 1^st United Nations (UN) Cartographic Conference held in 1963 in Nairobi, Kenya. Consequently, the 8^th Session of the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) Conference of Ministers held in Addis-Ababa, Ethiopia, in 1964 passed Resolution 164 (VIII) calling for the creation of Regional Centres for Training in Photogrammetry, Photo-Interpretation and Airborne Geophysical Surveys. In 1971, four founding member states ( Benin, Ghana, Nigeria and Senegal) signed the principal agreement establishing RECTAS. Four other member states joined afterwards, namely: Burkina Faso (in 1981), Mali (in 1982), Cameroon (in 1983) and Niger (in 1984). The Centre was declared open on 21^st October 1972 with the then Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), Dr. R.K.A. Gardiner, as the first Chairman of the Governing Council.

The Centre was then known as the Regional Centre for Training in Aerial Surveys (RECTAS) until September 1987 when the name was changed to the Regional Centre for Training in Aerospace Surveys (RECTAS) with its scope broadened to cover Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing Applications and Cartography, including Geographic Information System (GIS) in keeping pace with the modern day technology. Apart from the training capabilities, these major disciplines have very much strengthened the consultancy services unit of RECTAS to carry out important and large projects involving mapping, monitoring and management of natural resources and the environment, through the expertise of the professional staff and “hi-tech” facilities available at the Centre.

2.0 OBJECTIVES OF THE CENTRE

The objectives of the Centre are to:

(i) provide theoretical and practical training in the field of Geoinformatics including in particular photogrammetry, remote sensing, cartography and geographic information systems and their applications in geophysical surveys, environmental studies, natural resources management, mapping, land administration, etc;

(ii) conduct seminars and courses with a view to providing an opportunity to government officials in the region to exchange information and experiences in the field of Geoinformatics;

(iii) carry out studies and research in the field of Geoinformatics, and;

(iv) provide advisory and consultancy services to member states of the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) and other institutions concerned with geoinformation.

3.0 ORGANISATIONAL ARRANGEMENT

Under the new policy of UNECA, the Chairman of RECTAS' Governing Council is now elected from among its members to serve for two consecutive meetings in rotation.

The Chief Executive of the Centre is the Executive Director, assisted by a Deputy Executive Director. The Centre is divided into Academic and Research Division, Administration Unit, Account Unit and Audit Unit. The Academic division has six (6) units, namely Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (PRS), Geographic Information Systems (GIS), Cartography, Information Technology (IT), Consultancy, and Library, Information and Publication (LIP).

4. WEB-BASED DISTANCE LEARNING

The rate of development in geo-information technology (GIT) is so rapid that it is often difficult for staff to be regularly released for retraining to keep pace with technological development. The solution to this problem is to provide web-based distance learning programmes. Internet facility of RECTAS is therefore being strengthened with financial assistance of the French Embassy in Nigeria. The website is now being upgraded with the completion of the local area network (LAN). This facility will enable RECTAS' alumni and the Geo-information community in Africa to keep abreast with the developments in GIT.

5. RESEARCH ACTIVITIES

Apart from the above-mentioned examples of joint short-term courses, joint research activities are also undertaken or planned with RECTAS “northern” and “southern” partners. Examples include:

· An on-going French Embassy sponsored project on Soil Degradation Assessment of the Kano River Basin in Nigeria, being jointly undertaken by RECTAS, Federal Department of Agricultural Land Resources (FDALR), Kaduna, Nigeria; Hadejia-Jama'are River Basin Authority, Kano, Nigeria and the National Agricultural Extensions and Liaison Services, Zaria, Nigeria.

· Imparata cylindrical characterisation using Remote Sensing and GIS in the northeastern part of Nigeria in collaboration with the International Institute for Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Ibadan, Nigeria.

· Environmental impact assessment of Ewekoro cement factory in Ogun State of Nigeria.

· Environmental impact assessment of the West African cement production belt; case study of Nigeria, Republic of Benin and Ghana (planned), in collaboration with partners in Benin and Ghana.

· Sub-regional Agricultural Database, (planned) in collaboration with regional and national research centres, ECOWAS and ITC, to provide knowledge-base for food security.

· Environmental Impact Assessment of migrating livestock (Cattle and Camel) in southern Niger and northern Nigeria, (planned) in collaboration national centres in both countries.

6. SUPPORT, CONSULTANCY AND ADVISORY SERVICES

As part of its objectives, the Centre has been rendering consultancy and advisory services to member states in the areas of short-term/customized training and production-related jobs. Apart from the customized courses mentioned earlier, some of the services rendered recently by RECTAS either singly or under joint venture include:

(a) Donation of analogue photogrammetry equipment (stereoplotters, etc) to 18 higher institutions of learning and production organisations in Niger, Nigeria and Cameroon.

(b) Creation of GIS Database for the secretariat of Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in 2001/2002.

(c) Training workshop on the development of Hadejia River Basin Information System, Nigeria, including database design and actual implementation with real datasets in May and June 2001.

(d) Production of 1/25000 scale digital base maps of three towns in Ebonyi state in Nigeria, in collaboration with Helzek Systems Nigeria. (On-going).

(e) Production of Administrative/Local Government Map of Osun State, Nigeria in 2001/2002.

(f) Transfer of map data from Computer Compatible Tapes (CCTs) to Compact Discs (CDs) in December 2002 for the Surveys Department of the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing (FMW & H), Abuja, Nigeria.

(g) Repair of four (4) photogrammetric instruments (stereoplotters) in April 2003 for the Institut Géographique du Burkina (IGB), Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.

(h) Working closely with UNECA's DISD towards the implementation of NSDI in African countries under the umbrella of CODI.

(i) Continued membership of the Thematic Network on Ecological Monitoring and Early Warning System (TPN 4) in the framework of the struggle against desertification, under the auspices of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD).

(j) Continued participation in the African Association of Remote Sensing of the Environment (AARSE) and its various activities.

(k) Active participation in the UN GOOS–AFRICA programme aimed at solving problems related to the Marine Systems and Oceanography.

(l) Research project on Environmental Impact Assessment of the West African Cement Production belt; case study of Nigeria, Republic of Benin and Ghana, planned for execution in 2003 in collaboration with organizations in Benin and Ghana.

(m) A research project on Environmental Impact Assessment concerning migrating livestock (cattle and camels) in Southern Niger and Northern Nigeria.

(n) RECTAS is also working with various Nigerian Government agencies on issues related to GI especially on the implementation of the National Geo-spatial Data Infrastructure, for which RECTAS is serving as Consultant to the Lead Agency (National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA)).

(o) Environmental sensitivity index (ESI) mapping of some Shell Development Company's Oil Fields in Nigeria. In collaboration with Mail Oil Field services Ltd., July 1997

(p) National Workshop on Agricultural and Environmental Applications of Remote Sensing and GIS. Jointly organized by FAO/RECTAS/NASENI (National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure) in Nov/Dec 1994.

(q) Digital Base Map Production of Ibadan, Nigeria at 1/25,000 and 1/50,000 scales for the Sustainable Ibadan Project (SIP), United Nation's Centre for Human Settlements (UNCHS). Completed in 1995.

7.0 TRAINING FACILITIES

In addition to the skilled manpower available in RECTAS, the Centre has modern Digital Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing, Geographic Information System, Cartography and Internet Laboratories, which are well equipped with modern hardware and software packages.

8.0 TECHNICAL PARTNERS

RECTAS has training, academic and research linkages with ITC, Univ. of Twente, Netherlands; Clark University, USA; Oregon State Univ. USA; ESRI, USA; Univ. of Ghana, Legon-Ghana; Geospatial World, India & RCMRD, Kenya.

For further information, please contact:

The Executive Director

Regional Centre for Training in Aerospace Surveys (RECTAS)

Off Road 1, Obafemi Awolowo University Campus,

P.M.B 5545, Ile-Ife, Nigeria.

E-mail: info@rectas.org or rectasinfo@yahoo.com or rectas@oauife.edu.ng

Website: http://www.uneca.org/rectas or http://www.rectas.org

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