“On the Interplay of Data Sciences and Earth Observation Addressing Environmental Challenges in the Arab Region”
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The BA Center for Special Studies and Programs (CSSP) and the World Academy of Sciences for the Advancement of Science in Developing Countries' Arab Regional Partner (TWAS-AREP) organized an online lecture entitled “On the Interplay of Data Sciences and Earth Observation Addressing Environmental Challenges in the Arab Region.” It was delivered by Prof. Hesham El-Askary, Professor of Remote Sensing and Earth System Science at Schmid College of Science and Technology, Chapman University (USA), and moderated by Prof. Amr Ezzat Salama, former Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research and Secretary-General of the Association of Arab Universities.
The lecture opened with a speech by Prof. Amr Ezzat Salama, in which he examined some of the current challenges facing the Arab countries, the most urgent of which are the environmental challenges. He pointed to the importance of searching for effective and adequate solutions to address these challenges, and in this context comes the importance of cooperation between Arab ministries and universities.
In addition, Prof. Hesham El-Askary discussed the importance of using satellites and earth sciences systems in finding solutions for global environmental initiatives in the Arab region such as climate change, sustainable development and natural disaster risk reduction. The role of satellites in monitoring climate data and the resulting phenomena, thus predicting extreme meteorological events before they occur, was another aspect also highlighted during the lecture.
The lecture concluded with an open discussion between the attendees, who were from different Arab countries, and the speaker and moderator of the session.