Through the European Union funded African Union managed Global Monitoring for Environment and Security (GMES) and Africa program a EUMETSAT e-Station was recently installed on the premises of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) in South Africa. The CSIR is the leading partners in the Southern African consortiums that is funded through the GMES and Africa grant project names the Marine and Coastal Information Management System (MarCOSIO) and is focused on the marine and coastal area theme.
The eStation is an operational distributable open-source data processing tool that aims to build and strengthen capacities in Africa to receive, process, analyze and exploit Earth Observation (EO) data for environmental management. The eStation collects data from various sources that include, amongst others, the EUMETSAT and Copernicus services. The installation of the eStation will enable regional partners and various research, academic, and industry organizations to have access to EO data through the eStation and the MarCOSIO portal (www.marcosio.org) to support the implementation of sustainable development policies at continental, regional and national level.
The European Union funded Global Monitoring for Environment and Security (GMES) and Africa Program aims to promote more sustainable management of natural resources by improving decision-making use of earth observation (EO) data.
From 17 to 18 June 2025, the CSIR, which anchors the Marine and Coastal Operations for Southern Africa (MarCOSIO) project under the auspices of the GMES and Africa, co-hosted the Southern African Regional Stakeholder Workshop at the CSIR International Convention Centre in Pretoria, South Africa.
The Marine and Coastal Observations for Southern Africa and the Indian Ocean (MarCOSIO) programme, part of the Global Monitoring for Environment and Security (GMES) and Africa initiative, supports the development of local capabilities, institutional capacity and access to technical resources to deliver Earth observation (EO)-based services for sustainable development in Africa.
In a landmark moment for continental space development, the Global Monitoring for Environment and Security (GMES) and Africa programme, which is the flagship Earth Observation (EO) initiative, has officially become an initiative under the African Space Agency (AfSA). This strategic integration marks a new chapter in Africa’s journey towards harnessing space science and technology for sustainable development, environmental resilience and policy innovation.
The MarCOSIO Team was excited to participate in Ocean Innovation Africa 2025, which took place from February 24-28, 2025, in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, along with various partners from WIOMSA, CSIR, TAFIRI and ABALOBI.
Marine and Coastal Operations for Southern Africa and the Indian Ocean (MarCOSIO) through the generous funding of the African Union Commission (AUC) and the European Commission under the Global Monitoring for Environment and Security and Africa (GMES & Africa) project, sponsored Raisha to pursue 101-SA Ocean Governance Training Course in Cape Town, South Africa
Africa Marine and Coastal Operations for Southern Africa and Indian Ocean (MarCOSIO) consortium has acquired another able partner- Reef Conservation – in the second phase of the Global Monitoring for Environment and Security in Africa (GMES & Africa) project.
The GMES and Africa Marine and Coastal Operations (MarCOSIO) project (https://marcosio.org/) is the result of collaborative partnerships (Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), ABALOBI, Benguela Current Convention, Coastal Oceans Research and Development Indian Ocean – East Africa, Institut Halieutique et des Sciences Marines, University of Dar es Salaam – Institute for Marine Science, Kenya Marine Fisheries Research Institute, Mauritius Oceanography Institute, National Sea Rescue Institute, National Sea Rescue Institute, Tanzania Fisheries and Research Institute, University of Eduardo Mondlane, West Indian Ocean Marine Science Association). MarCOSIO is funded through the African Union’s GMES and Africa programme and forms part of its Marine and Coastal Operations thematic area.
