The 10th International Symposium on remote sensing, Syria has strong potentiality
Syria, Economics, 11/25/1999

The 10th international symposium on Remote sensing Integrated Systems: Satellites, receiving Stations and applications was held in Damascus on November 20 through 23. It was attended by researchers and experts in the area of remote sensing from some 16 Arab and foreign countries and specialists from several Syrian ministries and establishments concerned.

In a statement to ArabicNews.com, the managing Director of the United Nations Environment Program of the Mediterranean Action Plan UNEP/ MAP for the Environment Research Survey Mr. Michele Raimondi said that in his capacity as the managing director of the UNEP/MAP, he is responsible for remote sensing in the Mediterranean.

He added that the Mediterranean Action Plan (MAP is a plan adopted by the 20th Mediterranean coastal countries by the EU community, which are the contracting parties to the Barcelona Declaration for the protection of the Mediterranean Sea and the sustainable development of its coastal area.

He said that MAP uses remote sensing for monitoring state and changes of the Mediterranean Environment. As an example of what we have done is the monitoring of the vegetated areas in the old Mediterranean basin and this project includes Syria, he said. He noted "we have also researches on assessment on soil resources in some spot areas ( Egypt) and we have also monitored the capabilities of the see to disperse pollutants coming from land-based sources and this project was conducted in Tunisia."

On whether the UNEP has any activities with the General Organization for Remote Sensing GORS in Syria, Mr. Raimondi added "Now we are planning to set up a project with GROS. We started talking with it for arranging proposals to be submitted for funding by the EU according to the Euro-Mediterranean partnership agreement of the Barcelona declaration."

He continued as saying that "we have still to decide the aim of this project. We made contacts with the Syrian ministries of the agriculture and the environment. And together with GORS, we have to concentrate on areas of priority for this project., noting that GORS is our focal point for Syria."

Mr. Raimonde went on saying "in Syria remote sensing is a very important technique. And it is also in Syria there is a wide potentiality for using remote sensing technique." He added that "GORS has a very impressive expertise. I think, the basis for wider development in the use of remote sensing in Syria exists." Mr. Raimondi expressed pleasure to cooperate with Syria. "It is our mandate we received from the contracting parties of the Barcelona declaration to assist and cooperate with the Mediterranean countries and I believe the occasion of this symposium is the starting point for cooperation with Syria in the area of remote sensing. He said I like to stress that Syria has been elected as vice -president of the bureau of the MAP and in this function it is represented by the minister of the environment Mr. Abdul Hameed al-Munajid."

On his assessment on this symposium, Mr Raimondi continued "The 10th international symposium on remote sensing is a very important occasion to check the step forward Syria and the Arab countries made in the use of remote sensing." He elaborated that it is very important to see how the sector is developing in Syria and other Arab countries.

In a similar statement to ArabicNews.com, Prof. Dr. Eng. Gottfried Konecny of the Institute for Photogrammetry and Engineering Surveys, university of Hanover, Germany said that the question is that "planning information is needed, as well as a plan for sustainable development like those documented in the conferences in Rio De Janeiro in 1992. The Habitat conferences in Istanbul in 1996. Kyoto conference in 1998, and the most recent Bonn conference in Germany just last week have all advocated the need for planning and sustainable development."

He added that the process of planning information used to be made by classical methods are not attainable, "so we need remote sensing," noting that remote sensing does it fast and it can do it cheaper. He continued that "in the past all Western countries like the USA, France, Germany, Japan and Russia had their own space program and only India has been a developing country that had its own space program." Now China shows interests, he hinted, adding it means that other countries have to use this technology, but the formerly expensive space program has become cheaper. For example one satellite in the past cost US $ 250 million, while now "we can have a satellite cost between US$ 10 and 20 million."

On how he does assess Syria's assimilation of the remote sensing technique, Prof. Konecny said "the Syrians use these conferences in getting international cooperation. They fulfill a very important function on the Arab arena."

However, among the very important research presented before the symposium was a study jointly conducted by FAO, Italy and GORS, Syria under the title "Groundwater Exploration by remote sensing in the Syrian Arab republic."

The study undertaken in Syria closely indicates that the integration into a geographic information system of data extracted from earth observation satellites with those traditionally collected, coupled with selected field investigations and the geological knowledge of the area under investigation, provides a powerful tool in groundwater search.

The study noted that in the basaltic terrain of Southern Syria groundwater moves along faults and fractures, mainly the result of tectonic movement. The statistical of the lineaments interpreted from Landsat. TM data indicates two major directions of fracturing considered as tensional and thus open for the storing and transmission of groundwater.

Large freshwater springs occurring on the seabed at a short distance from the Syrian coastline were identified and located through analysis of thermal data. As they occur on the seaward extension of lineaments mapped inland. Potential drilling sites were identified and positively tested by geo-resistively.

The study continued as saying that the development of the blocks concept allowed for the identification of the most suitable lineaments and mainly, of waterways and consequently of highly potential drilling sites in a large portion of the carbonate interior of the coastal land mass.

The methodologies developed by the project may be operationally applied in other similar environments in Syria, as well as in other countries where the geographical factors affecting groundwater storage and transmission are comparable.

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