Project assistance completion report : Cote d"Ivoire remote sensing project (698-0467.24)

USAID/IC collaborated on the SP with the World Bank, UNDP/FAO, Fonds Europeen de Developpement, and the Government of France. SP objectives have been demonstrably met. The high quality and timeliness of analytical documents produced by the national remote sensing facility have resulted in significant improvement in the design, implementation, and monitoring of natural resource-related activities. Current activities include a national forest inventory and the mapping of fallow lands, forest reserves, and geology and structure. Moreover, the process of computer-enhancing imagery acquired under the SP largely resolved a pervasive and longstanding technical problem with satellite imagery applications in West Africa. The SP was also a major success with respect to donor coordination. Compared with similar A.I.D.-funded projects in Khartoum, Ouagadougou, and Nairobi, the Abidjan project was handled rapidly and successfully. A.I.D. received tremendous publicity for the SP during the world"s largest and longest-running international symposium on remote sensing held in Abidjan in 10/88. There are 3 outstanding concerns related to the continued operational viability and quality of the remote sensing facility"s output: (1) in-house hard copy production capabilities have yet to be realized; (2) expansion of the national remote sensing facility to undertake regional responsibilities should be pursued; and (3) the issue of improved access to remote sensing resources for technicians throughout the GOIC needs to be resolved. Four important lessons were learned. (1) Remote sensing assistance can be one of the most cost-effective technical interventions in support of natural resource management. (2) National remote sensing centers appear to have clear advantages over regional centers and have the potential to develop effective, responsive, and applied regional responsibilities. (3) National remote sensing facilities should be located within a single, strong, operational institution that has direct, immediate, and diverse needs for the technology. (4) Even for non-industrialized countries, state-of-the-art remote sensing technology may be the most appropriate technology.