The Ministry of Telecommunications, Information Technologies and Social Communication (MINTTICS) in collaboration with the National Space Program Management Office (GGPEN) held a video conference themed ‘The Potentialities of the National Earth Observation Program.’

The conference, held on the morning of October 13, 2020, was presented by His Excellency Secretary of State for Telecommunications and Information Technologies, Mário Oliveira. In attendance were several ministries including; Administration and Territory, Public Works & Spatial Planning, Mineral Resources, Oil & Gas, Agriculture & Fisheries, Culture, Tourism & Environment, National Defense & Veterans of the Fatherland, Economy & Planning, Justice & Human Rights, and Local Authorities.

The conference aimed to present the potential of the National Earth Observation Program, specifically the webGIS platform which supports urban planning and inventory while advocating for the exchange of expertise by the ministries present and the application of space technology in the industries they represented.

The National Space Management Office presented the webGIS platform as a tool critical to the attainment of a number of the Global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) where the potential of space technology has unmatched potential.

For demonstration, a case study on the urban planning of Talatona, Luanda, was presented. The mapping featured; current population distribution & construction developments in the municipality, planned demographic expansion, vegetation index by normalized difference, amount of vegetation on the ground surface, and visual identification of change that took place from 2016 to 2020.

The application of the geographic information system (webGIS) also contained several geographic data relevant to the municipality of Talatona. These include; natural water lines, and land use maps enabled by satellite imagery.

In response to the interest shown by the participating sectors, it was agreed that MINTTICS, in collaboration with GGPEN, would conduct a preliminary study to identify the needs relevant to each sector and meet those needs in a meticulous manner.