Prof. John Kiema the Director, Technical Services at the Regional Centre for Mapping of Resources for Development (RCMRD) hosted Prof. Pengfei Cheng, President of the Chinese Academy of Surveying and Mapping (CASM).
Participants and Issues Deliberated in Meeting
Also in the meeting was RCMRD's Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist Joseph Murage, Prof. Wang Jizhou and Chen Jingtian, Deputy General Manager, Total Solutions for Modern Surveying and Mapping at CASM. This was a follow up from previous visits by staff from the same institution. CASM was established in 1959 and affiliated to the State Bureau of Surveying, Mapping and Geographic Information (SBSMGI).
CASM is mainly engaged in the basic theoretical study and application in the fields of surveying, mapping, geoinformation and related disciplines. CASM's four research directions are: Modern geodesy and navigation, Photogrammetry and remote sensing, Cartography and geoinformation system, Space information decision. Prof. Kiema reminded them that the RCMRD was established in 1975 under the auspices of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) and the African Union (AU). It is an inter-governmental organization and currently has contracting Member States in the Eastern and Southern Africa Regions of Africa. He said RCMRD programmes were oriented towards sustainable applications in natural resource management, infrastructure and environmental management utilizing Geo-Information Technologies.
Sections of RCMRD Toured
The Chinese delegation toured the following sections at RCMRD to understand our products and services and identify areas of collaboration between the two institutions. Remote Sensing, Data Office, GIS and Cartography, Engineering, Land Survey and Management, SERVIR Eastern and Southern Africa and the Information Technology Training Centre (ITTC).
Areas of collaboration identified and future prospects
The following areas of collaboration were identified: Research and Development, Short term training – Conducted by the Total Solution for Modern Surveying and Mapping. This is a three weeks course where tuition and accommodation is provided in China by the Chinese Govenment. The students will need to cater for their airfare. The Chinese delegation also promised to donate equipment for the ITTC and the Engineering Section.
