USE OF SATELLITES, OTHER SPACE TECHNOLOGY BY DEVELOPING COUNTRIES FOCUS OF UN WORKSHOP IN MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA
Press Release
OS/1740
USE OF SATELLITES, OTHER SPACE TECHNOLOGY BY DEVELOPING COUNTRIES FOCUS OF UN WORKSHOP IN MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA
19980918 (Reissued as received.)VIENNA, 18 September (UN Information Service) -- The United Nations wants developing countries to use satellites and other space technology to solve more kinds of problems in the runup to the twenty-first century. Thus, in collaboration with the International Astronautical Federation (IAF), it will hold a workshop on that topic from 24 to 27 September in Melbourne, Australia.
Satellite technology, says the Vienna-based United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs, already offers affordable, do-able ways for emerging countries to carry out such diverse tasks as environmental monitoring, fish and forestry management, disaster preparedness, education of remote populations, tele-medicine, direct broadcast and telecommunications. The meeting, co-sponsored by the Australian Government and the Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales (CNES), precedes the forty-ninth Congress of the IAF from 28 September to 2 October.
Previous United Nations/IAF Workshops held since 1991 have demonstrated the utility of space technology applications for accelerating the social and environmental development and economic growth of developing countries. However, say the organizers, many space technology applications are still restricted to a relatively small and specialized user community. Potential users and decision makers are sometimes unaware of the full capabilities and benefits of the know-how accumulated over nearly four decades of space science and exploration.
The United Nations sees the workshop as a unique forum for discussion with space experts, policy and decision makers and representatives from private industry. Participants will be encouraged to share their experiences and to examine opportunities for regional and international cooperation. The exchange of first-hand experiences and opinions is expected to result in a set of guidelines on how best to introduce these broad range of space benefits to the developing countries.
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Participants from the following countries will be represented at the workshop: Argentina, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Brazil, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Iran, Kenya, Laos, Malaysia, Mongolia, Morocco, Nigeria, Pakistan, Philippines, Republic of Korea, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Tunisia, Uzbekistan, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
Invited presentations will be delivered by speakers from the Arthur C. Clarke Institute of Modern Technologies (Sri Lanka), the Bangladesh Space Research and Remote Sensing Organization (SPARRSO), the Brazilian Space Agency (AEB), the Chinese Academy of Space Technology (CAST), the Centre Royal de Teledetection Spatiale (CRTS), the European Space Agency (ESA), the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), the International Space University (ISU), the United States National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the National Space Development Administration of Japan (NASDA), the National Aerospace Laboratory of the Netherlands (NLR), the Pakistan Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO), the University of New South Wales (Australia), and the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs.
Presentations will also be given by representatives from private industry: Alcatel (France), AUSSPACE (Australia), BRAZSAT (Brazil), Iridium (United States), Northrop Grumman Corporation (United States), Geomatic Technologies/SpaceImaging (Australia/United States), SPACEHAB (United States), Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd. (United Kingdom), Telstra (Australia), the Aerospace Corporation (United States) and WorldSpace.
The Workshop is being conducted as part of the 1998 activities of the Space Applications Programme of the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs, which promotes awareness of advanced technologies and the development of new systems in developing countries. The Programme conducts an annual series of training courses, seminars, workshops and regional conferences. It also administers a long-term fellowship programme for specialists in space science and technology, provides technical advisory services on request and initiates programmes for the development of indigenous local capability in the space field.
For detailed information and to arrange interviews, contact directly Werner Balogh, Office for Outer Space Affairs, at the Victoria Vista Hotel, 215 Little Collins Street, Melbourne, Victoria 3000 (Phone: +61-3-9653 0441, Fax: +61-3-9639 1179).
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