Posted on: May 13, 2015
SAFIR (Satellite navigation services for AFrIcan Region) is a three years project started in January 2013 and is funded by the EU and ACP. It covers the set-up, staffing and operations of an EGNOS-Africa Joint Programme Office (JPO) with a proper regional participation of the various beneficiary countries. SAFIR is also setting up and supporting a number of technical Working Sessions composed of regional stakeholders concerned with GNSS/EGNOS2 in sub-Saharan Africa, which address all aspects of EGNOS-Africa system development and service provision in preparation of the infrastructure.
The eighth and last SAFIR working session has been held in Antnanarivo (Madagascar) from the 13th to the 17th of May 2015. This session placed under the auspices of the Aviation Civile de Madagascar (ACM) has been opened by Mr James Andrianalisoa, Director General of ACM, and gathered around 30 participants. It successfully concluded the SAFIR cycle on the implementation of GNSS/EGNOS services in Africa.
This 8th session addressed the following items:
- A shared understanding of EGNOS Version 3 programme and system,
- The modular implementation of EGNOS/SBAS services in Africa,
- The presentation of a consolidated draft of the roadmap for the implementation of EGNOS/SBAS services in Africa.
The session also provided the opportunity to the participants to share their feedback on SAFIR and its sister project TREGA (TRaining on EGNOS-GNSS in Africa) also funded by the EU and ACP.
The roadmap for EGNOS/SBAS services implementation in Africa has been prepared by the SAFIR Project Implementation Team and the EGNOS-Africa Joint Programme Office (JPO). This document sets a strategy based on a regional modular approach and declined into objectives and milestones towards the full coverage of Africa by EGNOS/SBAS. It will be presented to the Programme Steering Committee (PSC) in the forthcoming months.