US embassy cable - 04PRETORIA3391

UNCLAS PRETORIA 003391 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR AF/S, AF/EPS, OES/STC/JROTTIER, OES/PCI/ESHAW 
STATE ALSO FOR OES/EGC/SYOFFE, IO/LROEDER 
USDOC FOR NOAA/OIA 
USDA FOR FAS/C&MP/PECAD/CURT REYNOLDS 
DEPT PLEASE PASS USAID FOR DCHA/FFP/PTD/WWHELAN, DWELLER 
DEPT PLEASE PASS NASA/OFFICE OF EXTERNAL RELATIONS 
DEPT PLEASE PASS NSF FOR ELYONS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ECON, EAGR, TBIO, KSCA, OSCI, SF 
SUBJECT: SOUTH AFRICA INAUGURATES RECEIVING STATION FOR 
EARTH OBSERVING SATELLITES 
 
1. Summary.  The recent launch of earth observing 
satellite reception capability at South Africa's 
Satellite Applications Center (SAC) extends and enhances 
ongoing efforts to apply satellite-based information to 
support agriculture, food security, and disaster 
management and mitigation efforts.  The SAC has, and 
continues to expand good working relationships with USG 
agencies and academic institutions. End summary. 
 
2. On Tuesday, July 20, Deputy Minister for Agriculture 
and Land Affairs Dirk du Toit presided over the launch 
of reception capability of two earth observing satellite 
systems, the Moderate-resolution Imaging Spectro 
radiometer (MODIS) and Landsat imagery, at South 
Africa's Satellite Application Center (SAC) in 
Hartebeeshoek, outside Pretoria.  The MODIS system is a 
new generation of satellite sensors developed by NASA to 
monitor land, ocean and atmospheric processes. 
According to the Council on Scientific and Industrial 
Research, this is the first MODIS direct broadcast 
receiving station in Africa. 
 
3. Since 2000, the National Department of Agriculture 
(NDA) has underwritten the R 12 million (currently USD 2 
million) procurement of a MODIS receiving and processing 
system, based on useful MODIS applications for the 
agricultural sector, namely information on food 
security, crop yield monitoring, grazing capacity, and 
land degradation.  MODIS also provides information on 
global change, disaster management and disaster 
mitigation.  The South African government plans to make 
satellite imagery data freely available to SADC 
governments, research organizations and non-governmental 
organizations. 
 
4. The SAC has developed specialized applications based 
on MODIS images, in particular, a fire warning service 
that is expected to benefit the Southern African 
Development Community (SADC) region.  Phillip Frost, the 
SAC remote sensing specialist most involved in MODIS and 
related applications and activities, told EST Officer 
that the SAC has worked with the U.S. Geological Survey 
and NASA to install required software for a rapid 
response system for "near real-time" fire detection in 
SADC.  SAC then developed a system of real-time alerts 
through e-mail and cellular phone text messages when 
fires break out near any installation of Eskom, the 
national electricity supplier.  SAC hopes to market this 
innovative system at an upcoming international 
conference of electric power companies. 
 
5. According to Frost, SAC also has an excellent working 
relationship with the University of Maryland and NASA on 
the Southern African Fire Network (SAFNET) and Global 
Observation of Forest Cover Fire.  SAC was recently 
chosen as a fourth partner for algorithm development for 
NASA's Direct Broadcast Bidirectional Reflection 
Distribution Function (BRDF) Proposal, joining 
Australia, China and Utah Forestry Services.  SAC will 
work closely with Boston University's Dr. Crystal Schaaf 
on this project. 
 
HUME