The workshop is co-sponsored by ESA and the Zambian government, and it will be hosted by Zambia's Ministry of Health.

Global Navigation Satellite System technology currently is being used in a wide range of sectors, including aviation, maritime and land transportation, mapping and surveying, monitoring of the environment, agriculture and natural resources management, and disaster warning and emergency response.

GNSS is an enabling technology that can make a major contribution to economic growth and social betterment, particularly in developing countries.

Since 2001, OOSA - part of the U.N. Programme on Space Applications - has organized a series of regional workshops and international meetings to promote the use of GNSS, presenting the status of existing and near-term GNSS systems and their augmentations and examples of GNSS applications that support sustainable development and protect the environment.

The workshop's objectives include:

- increasing awareness among managers, policymakers and decision makers about the potential benefits of applying GNSS technology to the areas of remote sensing, precision agriculture, aviation, transport and communications, e-learning, tele-health and landscape epidemiology;

- strengthening regional information and data exchange networks on the use of GNSS technology, and

- developing regional/national pilot projects that use GNSS technology in these areas for improving social and economic growth.

The workshop sessions include:

- GNSS-based application areas;

- policies and strategies for promoting sustainable development, international initiatives and experiences on the implementation and uses of GNSS;

- education and training in the use and application of GNSS technologies, and

- the use and implementation of GNSS in agriculture and environmental management, tele-health and landscape epidemiology, and civil aviation and land transportation.

More than 100 participants from 21 countries, plus ESA and OOSA, are expected to attend.

The U.N. Programme on Space Applications is implemented by the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs and works to improve the use of space science and technology for the economic and social development of all nations, in particular developing countries. Under the program, the office conducts training courses, workshops, seminars and other activities on applications and capacity building in subjects such as remote sensing, communications, satellite meteorology, search and rescue, basic space science, satellite navigation and space law.

OOSA implements the decisions of the General Assembly and of the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space and its two subcommittees: the Scientific and Technical subcommittee and the Legal subcommittee.

The Office is responsible for promoting international cooperation in the peaceful uses of outer space, and assisting developing countries in using space science and technology.

Related Links
U.N. Office for Outer Space Affairs
ESA Galileo