Earth Observation and Space

The term Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) is used to describe a range of technologies for gathering, storing, retrieving, processing, analysing, and transmitting information but also for communicating in real-time. They provide access to information through communication mediums such as the fax, fixed-telephony networks, computer networks, mobile phones, wireless networks, the Internet, satellite technology, video-conferencing facilities, online video telephony and other communication mediums.

ICT applications have a profound direct and indirect impact on the political, economic, social, cultural and everyday life of a huge number of citizens in the developing world, including education, governance, job creation and e-commerce and thus on economic growth and social systems.

ICT development addresses important challenges that the developing world is facing, such as the 'brain drain' problem, and offers solutions to problems encountered in important sectors such as health, education, civil protection, protection of the environment, etc.

Access and connectivity to ICT are critical not to the technologies themselves but to the integration of developing and transition economy countries into the global knowledge society, supporting the social, economic and cultural integration of their societies and setting roots for enhancing efficiency and growth in key sectors of their economies. As one of several targets contributing to the development of a global partnership, Millennium Development Goal 8 defines the following objective for the international community: 'In cooperation with the private sector, make available benefits of new technologies, especially information and communications'. ICT applications are also powerful enablers for other areas of socio economic development with an indirect effect in other Goals (e.g. e-Learning for Goal n. 2: Universal Education, e-Health for Goals 4, 5 and 6: Child Mortality, Maternal Health and Combat HIV/AIDS, Malaria and other diseases).

Access to ICT applications will encourage borderless international cooperation and global engagement in order to address more efficiently major problems and challenges and enable enterprises, particularly SMEs, to be more competitive and effectively integrated and responsive in rapidly evolving world markets.  Efforts also should be made to facilitate and encourage the flow of information and the sharing of experience and best practices among developing countries, particularly in the context of South-South cooperation, with a view to rebalance today's situation which is largely North-South based.

Access: Presentation on Space Applications and Development Cooperation - The EU response in Africa

As of February 2014, the main projects that EuropeAid has implemented in the field of ICT4D are:

Harmonisation of ICT policies and regulatory frameworks:

• New Approaches in Telecommunication Policies (NATP), implemented in Northern Africa and the Middle East
• Support for the Establishment of Harmonised Policies for the ICT Market in the ACP States
  • Support for Harmonisation of the ICT Policies in Sub-Saharan Africa (HIPSSA)
  • Enhancing competitiveness in the Caribbean through the Harmonisation of ICT Policies, Legislation and Regulatory Procedures in the Caribbean (HIPCAR)
  • Capacity Building and ICT Policy, Regulatory and Legislative Frameworks Support for Pacific Island Countries (ICB4PAC)

Establishment of National Research and Education Networks in developing regions:

• • • Africa Connect, implemented in Southern and Eastern Africa
    • América Latina InterConectada con Europa (ALICE), which ended in 2012, leaving RedCLARA totally operative
    • Trans-Eurasia Information Network (TEIN)
    • Central Asian Research and Education Network (CAREN)
    • EUMEDCONNECT, implemented in Northern Africa and Middle East

Infrastructure Trust Fund broadband connectivity and others:

As part of the EU-Africa Infrastructure Trust Fund, which combines grant resources from the European Commission and EU Member States and lending capacities provided by the European Investment Bank and EU development financiers, as well as the African Development Bank, the following ICT infrastructures have been developed:

• • • Mauritania Submarine Cable Connection
    • Seychelles East Africa Submarine Cable
    • East African Submarine Cable System (EASSY)
    • African Internet Exchange System (AXIS)
    • Feasibility study on the terrestrial segment of the NEPAD ICT Broadband Infrastructure Network for West, Central and North Africa, linking landlocked African countries to undersea cables via 30,000 km of cables.
    • Satellite Enhanced Telemedicine and e-Health for sub-Saharan Africa (eHSA)

Space:

Space technologies offer powerful Earth monitoring capacities and positioning tools which can find many different uses in the developing world, such as improving navigation systems and therefore reducing accidents, monitoring ecosystems, managing water basins, preventing natural disasters, etc. For this reason the European Commission is working to extend to Africa two of its major satellite programmes:

• • EGNOS, a satellite navigation system
  • Copernicus, previously known as Global Monitoring for Environment and Security (GMES), establishing a European capacity for Earth observation