TIGER workshop highlights project results

Water resources, the 'blue gold' of the 21st century, are scarce across Africa where the hydrological network is the world’s least developed. ESA launched the TIGER initiative in 2002 as a CEOS (Committee on Earth Observation satellites) contribution to assist African countries to overcome water-related problems and to bridge Africa's water information gap using satellite data. TIGER has since involved more than 150 African organisations investigating the various stages of the water cycle across the African continent. More than 80 African water authorities and remote-sensing experts gathered in Cape Town, South Africa, from 20 to 24 November to review the mid-term results achieved to date and to attend training sessions organised by ESA and UNESCO.