SciDev.Net

Applicability of near-real-time satellite data acquisition and analysis and distribution of geoinformation in support of African development

This report, prepared for the UN Economic Commission for Africa, reviews the status and prospects for remote sensing in Africa. The authors argue that a real and immediate need exists for real-time remote sensing data to improve early warning, vulnerability assessment, mitigation, response and...

KEY DOCUMENT | Publication date: April 2005 | EN

An autonomous earth observing Sensorweb

This article describes how a network of sensors, linked by software and the Internet, can provide an automatic satellite-based surveillance system for disasters such as volcanoes, wildfires and flooding. The system, or 'Sensorweb', uses data from low resolution, high frequency sensors to trigger...

KEY DOCUMENT | Publication date: October 2005 | EN

Satellite solutions

This feature article, written by members of the UN Operational Satellite Applications (UNOSAT) programme, outlines how satellite technology can improve emergency relief after a natural disaster. UNOSAT uses satellite data to produce maps and damage reports for nongovernment organisations,...

KEY DOCUMENT | Publication date: June 2008 | EN

Disaster management

Written by former director of India's National Remote Sensing Agency, D. P. Rao, this article reviews the role of space technology in disaster mitigation. Rao offers examples of how remote sensing can feed into prevention, preparedness and relief strategies for a number of disasters. He...

KEY DOCUMENT | EN

Global Earthquake Satellite System (GESS)

This report, written by solid-Earth scientists at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, sets out the requirements for delivering high-accuracy, high-resolution surface deformation data for earthquake studies. The authors build on recommendations made by NASA's Solid Earth Science Working Group. They...

KEY DOCUMENT | Publication date: March 2003 | EN

New satellite observations and rainfall forecasts help provide earlier warning of African drought

This article, written by Chris Funk of the US GS, outlines how the Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET) uses satellite data and statistical forecasts to provide early warnings of potential droughts in sub-Saharan Africa. Funk outlines the role of satellite data in FEWS NET at all...

KEY DOCUMENT | Publication date: January 2009 | EN

The Earth Observation Handbook

This report, prepared by the Committee on Earth Observation Satellites (CEOS), presents the main capabilities of satellite systems and their applications to detect, monitor and adapt to climate change, alongside plans for future relevant satellite missions. The report is divided into three parts....

KEY DOCUMENT | Publication date: 2008 | EN

A review of the status of satellite remote sensing and image processing techniques for mapping natural hazards and disasters

This review article describes how remote sensing data can and are being used to map and monitor disasters such as earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, landslides, flooding and wildfire. The authors summarise the main satellites and sensors used in disaster monitoring and their characteristics. They...

KEY DOCUMENT | Publication date: April 2009 | EN

Digital disease detection — Harnessing the web for public health surveillance

This paper, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, examines how the Internet can help monitor, prevent and control emerging diseases. The authors argue that the emergence of influenza A(H1N1), or 'swine flu', in April 2009 shows the value web-based information holds for early disease...

KEY DOCUMENT | Publication date: May 2009 | EN

Nanotechnology, water and development

This report, written for the Meridian Institute by a team of scientists from South Africa and Sri Lanka, describes the general issues facing projects aimed at improving access to clean water in the developing world, as well as the specific challenges facing nano-based projects. The authors...

KEY DOCUMENT | Publication date: 2006 | EN

Overview and comparison of conventional and nano-based water treatment technologies

This paper from the Meridian Institute describes a range of well-known and field-tested conventional approaches to removing contaminants from water as well as the current crop of nanotechnologies that could enhance existing -- or develop new -- water treatment technologies. For each approach or...

KEY DOCUMENT | Publication date: October 2006 | EN

Low-Field Magnetic Separation of Monodisperse Fe3O4 Nanocrystals

This scientific article, written by researchers at Rice University in the United States, describes how magnetite (iron) nanocrystals -- or 'nanorust' -- can be used to remove arsenic from contaminated water. The authors describe the discovery of unexpected magnetic interactions between...

KEY DOCUMENT | Publication date: November 2006 | EN

Nanotechnology and water treatment

This feature article from Nanowerk, written in collaboration with scientists, provides a short introduction to the role nanotechnology could play in resolving water shortage and quality issues. The authors describe how nanotechnologies are being used in water filtration, especially...

KEY DOCUMENT | EN

Nanotechnology and the challenge of clean water

This commentary, by South African scientists Thembela Hillie and Mbhuti Hlophe, examines nanoscience's potential to solve the technical challenges associated with removing pollutants from water. The authors describe a range of nano-based water treatment technologies already in the marketplace and...

KEY DOCUMENT | Publication date: November 2007 | EN

Nanoscience and nanotechnology: Ethical, legal, social and environmental issues

This paper by scientists at the University of Hyderabad examines the nanoscience debate in India. Nanoscience's revolutionary potential and economic benefits are assessed against ethical, legal, social and environmental (ELSE) issues. The authors present commercial applications, investment, risks...

KEY DOCUMENT | Publication date: March 2009 | EN

Water in a changing world

This report, prepared by the World Water Assessment Programme under UNESCO (UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization), assesses global freshwater resources including what drives the pressures facing them, how water is used, climate change's future effects on water supplies and options...

KEY DOCUMENT | Publication date: March 2009 | EN

Nanotechnology: The social and ethical issues

This report, published by the Project on Emerging Technologies at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, looks at social and ethical issues of emerging technologies, with a focus on nanotechnologies. The author examines social context issues such as unequal access to health care,...

KEY DOCUMENT | Publication date: January 2009 | EN

Barriers to equitable access to quality health information with emphasis on developing countries

This article, published for The Rockefeller Foundation's conference series 'Making the eHealth Connection', assesses the barriers to quality health information in developing countries, which hamper the development of health systems and services. While the Internet has improved access to health...

KEY DOCUMENT | Publication date: 2008 | EN

A world of science in the developing world

This collection of features and commentaries, published by Nature, reflects the broad spectrum of activities and opinions of members and associates of TWAS, the academy of sciences for the developing world. With more than three dozen articles written by prominent scientists working on research...

KEY DOCUMENT | Publication date: October 2008 | EN

2003 UK Nanotechnology enquiry, evidence from Brazil

In 2003, the UK Government commissioned the UK Royal Society, and the UK Royal Academy of Engineering, to conduct an enquiry into the potential risks and benefits of nanotechnology. For this, they collected evidence from various parties, including the science and technology officer of the British...

KEY DOCUMENT | Publication date: 2003 | EN