UNITED NATIONS WORKSHOP OPENS IN CHILE FOCUSING ON WAYS SPACE TECHNOLOGY CAN PREDICT DISASTERS, BOOST EDUCATION
Press Release
OS/1741
UNITED NATIONS WORKSHOP OPENS IN CHILE FOCUSING ON WAYS SPACE TECHNOLOGY CAN PREDICT DISASTERS, BOOST EDUCATION
19981013 (Reissued as received.)VIENNA, 13 October (UN Information Service) -- Delegates from more than 40 countries have gathered in Concepción, Chile, for a Latin American and Caribbean forum to discuss how space technology can boost education and predict natural hazards, such as earthquakes. The meeting, which began yesterday, 12 October, will continue through Friday.
The forum, hosted by the Chilean Government, and co-sponsored by the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs and the European Space Agency, is focusing on how space technology can help Latin American and Caribbean nations, as well as any hindrances they may face in using it, such as lack of funding, training centres and know-how links with more advanced countries.
Satellite technology can give early warning of devastating, natural hazards such as floods, hurricanes, volcanic eruptions and earthquakes, says the Vienna-based Office for Outer Space Affairs. Satellites, for example, can detect minute differences in the earth's surface that could be the tell-tale signs of a life-threatening earthquake.
They can also predict rainfall, with its boomerang effect on crop growth, livestock fodder and menacing pests such as locusts. Emerging countries could use satellites to monitor and better manage natural resources, including forests, fish and other food supplies, so that productivity could be increased.
Educational programmes can be broadcast via satellites to remote regions lacking schools and other learning centres. Teleconferencing, within and between regions, could greatly increase cultural awareness by linking tribal and other societal groups.
The Chilean conference hopes to boost public awareness about space technology and foster international cooperation in the field. Delegates from over 30 United Nations Member States in Latin American and the Caribbean will draw up recommendations for further action to promote space technology in the region, to be presented at the third United Nations Conference on the Exploration and Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (UNISPACE III) at the United Nations Office in Vienna in July 1999. The Conference is part of the United
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Nations Programme on Space Applications, which conducts an annual series of training courses, seminars and workshops. It also runs a long-term fellowship programme for in-depth training of specialists in space science and technology, gives technical advisory services and sets up programmes to develop local skills.
National space agencies and other space-related groups attending the Conference include ASI (Italy), CONAE (Argentina), CNES (France), CSA (Canada), INPE (Brazil), NASA (United States), NASDA (Japan), the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA), the European Space Agency, the International Mobile Satellite Organization (Immarsat) and the International Space University.
The United Nations is represented by the Office for Outer Space Affairs, the secretariat of the International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction, and the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC).
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