Digital Earth Africa (DE Africa) and the Kyambogo University in Uganda are collaborating to train the next generation of future leaders that will use earth observation for natural resource management. This has been possible through Prof. Bernard Barasa, whom DE Africa has engaged through the Information for Agriculture, Food and Water Security (IAFWS) project.
Prof. Barasa is the head of Geography Department which hosts undergraduate and post graduate studies, and his research interests include GIS and Remote Sensing, Hydrological modelling, Water resources management, Climate change and adaptation, Disaster Risk Management and Development of catchment management plans.
Prof. Barasa has organised two online training sessions with DE Africa to his students at the Department of Geography on 22nd October 2024 and 4th March 2025. This was aimed at equipping the students with skills on how to use DE Africa for their final year projects at undergraduate and postgraduate level. The Space Technology Agency (STA) is Uganda's space agency and will see Uganda benefit from programs like DE Africa complimenting the government’s effort in greater natural resource management.
Strengthening and localising the partnership with Digital Earth Africa will assist Kyambogo university in further leveraging Digital Earth Africa's accessible, analysis-ready data sets and platform in the implementation of locally specific projects, the development applications, and the deepening of capabilities and uptake at the national level. For Digital Earth Africa the partnership with Kyambogo university will further foster country engagement opportunities in Uganda and more broadly in East Africa.
Additional interventions will see Digital Earth Africa facilitating more virtual training sessions for Kyambogo staff, providing onsite training opportunities when possible, and extending training opportunities to interested sister universities and partners with aligned objectives.
Professor Barasa is a staunch champion of earth observation programs and regards Digital Earth Africa as being instrumental in supporting the Space Technology Agency in Uganda and using EO data to drive evidence-based decision-making in support of Uganda’s National Adaption Plans (NAPs).
Dr Kenneth Mubea, Capacity Development Lead at Digital Earth Africa, says, "Kyambogo University and Digital Earth Africa have enjoyed a strong collaboration that will see more students benefit from big data platforms such as DE Africa. This collaboration will help Kyambogo university in updating their training curriculum especially at the postgraduate level and support students in addressing development challenges using earth observation."
This partnership is expected to foster innovation, capacity development, and sustainable growth in the fields of geospatial and EO data, ultimately benefiting both Kyambogo and DE Africa and their respective stakeholders.