8 of April - Hybrid9-10 of April - in-personTimezone: South Africa Standard Time
This is a provisional agenda, subject to changes
Day
1 :
April 8, 202509:00 - 09:10
Welcome address
Mary-JaneBopape (South African Environmental Observation Network - SAEON)
09:10 - 09:20
Welcome - Presentation of workshop objectives
EnriqueAlvarez Fanjul (Mercator Ocean International)
09:20 - 09:30
OceanPrediction DCC - African Regional Team
KouadioAffian (University Félix-Houphouët-Boigny)
09:30 - 09:45
Presentation of Mercator Ocean and activities in Africa
LillianDiarra (Mercator Ocean International)
09:45 - 10:05
General presentation on IOC Sub Commission for Africa and the Adjacent Island States
JohnNgatia Ndarathi (IOC Africa; UNESCO Regional Office for Eastern Africa)
10:05 - 10:30
Presentation on the Africa Ocean Decade Taskforce and Roadmap
SEAWARD programme
Kwame A.Koranteng (Africa Ocean Decade Taskforce)
10:30 - 11:00
COFFEE BREAK
11:00 - 11:20
Presentation of OceanPrediction DCC survey results on status of ocean forecasting and future needs for Africa
JenniferVeitch (South African Environmental Observation Network - SAEON)
11:20 - 12:15
OPERA project presentation & question session
EnriqueAlvarez Fanjul (Mercator Ocean International)
12:15 - 12:30
The Global Ocean Observing Systems in Africa (GOOS-AFRICA) as the Pioneering Framework for Ocean Forecasting and Predictions in Africa
JustinAHANHANZO (Global Ocean Observing Systems in Africa (GOOS-AFRICA))
12:30 - 14:00
LUNCH BREAK
14:00 - 15:30
Ocean Forecasting Session
Presentations of ocean forecasting activities in Africa
Aristide AGUIA (Cote d'Ivoire Meteorological service )FredericBonou (Benin Fisheries and Oceanological Research Institute - IRHOB)AdomDerkye (Ghana Meteorological Agency)IsmaïlaNdour (ISRA - Centre de Recherches Océanographiques de Dakar-Thiaroye (CRODT))Bernardino JoaoNhantumbo (Mozambique National Institute of Meteorology - INAM)ChukiSangalugembe (Tanzania Meteorological Authority (TMA))JenniferVeitch (South African Environmental Observation Network - SAEON)Otobou Gnagne DominiqueYamba (SODEXAM)
15:30 - 16:00
COFFEE BREAK
16:00 - 17:30
Applications session
- GMES and Africa programme overview
- MarCNoWA consortium activities summary presentation of applications by region
- Other applications in West Africa
- MarCOSIO consortium activities summary presentation of applications by region
- Other applications in East and Southern Africa
KwameAdu Agyekum (University of Ghana)SivesGovender (Council for Scientific and Industrial Research - CSIR)
19:00 - 22:00
Social dinner for onsite participants
Day
2 :
April 9, 2025RESTRICTED TO IN-PERSON PARTICIPANTS
09:00 - 09:05
Welcome address
LillianDiarra (Mercator Ocean International)
09:05 - 09:45
Presentation of European Digital Twin of the Ocean - EDITO platform & discussion
MarinaTonani (Mercator Ocean International)
09:45 - 10:00
Typhoon alert
streamed online
Fernando J.Mendez (University of Cantabria)
10:00 - 10:30
Presentation of interactive session objectives and methodology
EnriqueAlvarez Fanjul (Mercator Ocean International)
10:30 - 11:00
COFFEE BREAK
11:00 - 12:30
Interactive session 1 (Part A) Identification of coastal needs and optimal solutions integrating ocean forecasting
2 break out group discussions
EnriqueAlvarez Fanjul (Mercator Ocean International)LillianDiarra (Mercator Ocean International)JenniferVeitch (South African Environmental Observation Network - SAEON)Christo PeterWhittle (Council for Scientific and Industrial Research)
12:30 - 14:00
LUNCH BREAK
14:00 - 15:00
Interactive session 1 (Part B) Identification of coastal needs and optimal solutions integrating ocean forecasting
Plenary discussion of findings of break-out groups and synthesis of session
EnriqueAlvarez Fanjul (Mercator Ocean International)LillianDiarra (Mercator Ocean International)JenniferVeitch (South African Environmental Observation Network - SAEON)Christo PeterWhittle (Council for Scientific and Industrial Research)
15:00 - 15:45
Interactive Session 2 (part A): identification of priorities in ocean forecasting and applications
EnriqueAlvarez Fanjul (Mercator Ocean International)LillianDiarra (Mercator Ocean International)JenniferVeitch (South African Environmental Observation Network - SAEON)
15:45 - 16:15
COFFEE BREAK
16:15 - 17:00
Interactive Session 2 (part B): identification of priorities in ocean forecasting and applications
Discussion and synthesis of results in part A
EnriqueAlvarez Fanjul (Mercator Ocean International)LillianDiarra (Mercator Ocean International)JenniferVeitch (South African Environmental Observation Network - SAEON)Christo PeterWhittle (Council for Scientific and Industrial Research)
Day
3 :
April 10, 202509:00 - 10:00
Interactive Session 3 (part A): Identification of barriers in ocean forecasting and applications
2 Break-out groups
EnriqueAlvarez Fanjul (Mercator Ocean International)LillianDiarra (Mercator Ocean International)JenniferVeitch (South African Environmental Observation Network - SAEON)Christo PeterWhittle (Council for Scientific and Industrial Research)
10:00 - 10:30
Interactive Session 3 (part B): Plenary session to discuss results of the break-out sessions
EnriqueAlvarez Fanjul (Mercator Ocean International)LillianDiarra (Mercator Ocean International)JenniferVeitch (South African Environmental Observation Network - SAEON)Christo PeterWhittle (Council for Scientific and Industrial Research)
10:30 - 11:00
COFFEE BREAK
11:00 - 11:30
Interactive Session 4 (part A): Building an Impact and Feasibility Matrix on what can be achieved in OPERA
EnriqueAlvarez Fanjul (Mercator Ocean International)LillianDiarra (Mercator Ocean International)JenniferVeitch (South African Environmental Observation Network - SAEON)Christo PeterWhittle (Council for Scientific and Industrial Research)
11:30 - 12:00
Interactive Session 4 (part B): Plenary session to discuss results of the interactive session
EnriqueAlvarez Fanjul (Mercator Ocean International)LillianDiarra (Mercator Ocean International)JenniferVeitch (South African Environmental Observation Network - SAEON)Christo PeterWhittle (Council for Scientific and Industrial Research)
12:00 - 13:00
LUNCH BREAK
13:00 - 14:00
Session on data platforms
- Vision of Africa Ocean Decade Roadmap for African Ocean Knowledge Hub
- Existing data infrastructures in Africa
- The Africa Knowledge Platform - the backbone of the ArcX transversal component
- Offer from the European Digital Twin Ocean
Kwame A.Koranteng (Africa Ocean Decade Taskforce)JohnNgatia Ndarathi (IOC Africa; UNESCO Regional Office for Eastern Africa)MarinaTonani (Mercator Ocean International)
14:00 - 14:30
OPERA contribution to African Ocean Knowledge Hub
Discussion
EnriqueAlvarez Fanjul (Mercator Ocean International)
14:30 - 15:00
Leveraging the OceanPrediction DCC African Regional Team in OPERA
JenniferVeitch (South African Environmental Observation Network - SAEON)
15:00 - 15:30
COFFEE BREAK
15:30 - 16:30
End with recap and next steps
EnriqueAlvarez Fanjul (Mercator Ocean International)LillianDiarra (Mercator Ocean International)
