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South Africa is pleased with the progress being made by the Group on Earth Observations (GEO) in
intensifying and sustaining gains made since the last Earth Observation Summit in Brussels, in 2005. During
this period we have experienced growth not only in GEO membership, but also in progress with the capacity-
building strategy, which is particularly important for the Global Earth Observation System of Systems
(GEOSS). This publication is timed to celebrate GEO’s successes.
GEOSS will never succeed as intended if we do not ensure that all the nations of the world have access to
Earth observation (EO) data. However, all partners agree that access to such data is meaningless unless it is
coupled with the necessary resources. Providing the infrastructure and developing the skills base required to
manage data and translate it into useful information will go a long way to enabling developing countries to
store, disseminate and make meaningful use of EO data.
To South Africa these issues are paramount, as we are convinced that a lack of capacity and infrastructure
has the potential to derail the process of attaining GEOSS targets. We will therefore continue to advocate for
developing countries to move from being consumers of EO data to being providers operating their own EO
systems. In this publication we propose a vibrant partnership between those whose capacity needs to be
developed and those who can assist in developing the requisite capacity.
In this regard it is important for South Africa to support regional initiatives aimed at addressing skills
shortages in countries that are still struggling with resources, and South Africa is therefore committed to the
provision of resources, expertise and information to its neighbours in the GEO community. We also
encourage developing countries to take advantage of the 2007 EO Ministerial Summit in Cape Town and,
with increased awareness of the instrument’s potential for global good, to add their efforts to the realization
of GEOSS.
South Africa is privileged to have been one of the GEO pioneers. It has been a rewarding and enriching
experience to see our country’s participation in GEOSS increasing in user forums, as well as in scientific and
technical advisory roles, and we are optimistic that the EO community will find this publication useful.
Dr Phil Mjwara
Director-General, Department of Science
& Technology, Republic of South Africa, and GEO Co-Chair
STATEMENT FROM DR PHIL MJWARA, DIRECTOR-GENERAL,
DEPARTMENT OF SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY, REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA, AND GEO CO-CHAIR