1 Remote Sensing Needs and Capabilities In West Africa (A Case for Coastal and Ocean Monitoring)

The greatest advantage of remote sensing over conventional measurements lies in the opportunity to carry out detailed spatio-temporal analysis of land and ocean features on a very frequent basis. This paper analyses the contribution of satellite imagery to atmospheric, geophysical and ocean studies and management in West Africa since the early 1980s. The detailed application of data from optical sensors (e.g. Meteosat, NOAA/AVHRR, SPOT, Landsat TM, etc.) for weather prediction, hydrogeological, landuse/cover and cartographic studies has been acknowledged. However, the use of microwave (e.g. SAR) and optical data for ocean monitoring and studies in the sub-region is still very limited. Even though sufficient remote sensing expertise and infrastructure is perceived in the region, no clearly defined networking or database exists. 1