The course included practical sessions on the use of simple software, basic image processes, and access to EUMETSAT Land Surface Analysis Satellite Applications Facility products and the FAO-Agricultural Stress Index System. It covered basic remote sensing concepts and image processing, rainfall estimation by satellite and blended techniques, vegetation monitoring tools and indices, evapotranspiration monitoring and evaluation, sand and dust storm monitoring and forecasting.
The course was funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Norway through WMO and coordinated by EUMETSAT, the Joint Research Centre of the European Union (EU-JRC), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the National Meteorological Agency of Ethiopia (NMAE) and WMO. Participants came from Burundi, Gambia, Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria, Rwanda, Tanzania, South Sudan, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
The first edition of the workshop was held in Niamey in October 2012 as a joint EUMETSAT-WMO activity to support West African countries. Initially, it was attached to the Metagri Operational Project. Progressively, the course has evolved to incorporate new partners such as FAO and EU-JRC and participants from Eastern Africa.
