• Under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum
• Hosted by EIAST in co-operation with the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs

Under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice President & Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, the Emirates Institution for Advanced Science and Technology (EIAST), in co-operation with the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA), will host a workshop on the applications of Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) from January 16 to 20, 2011, at the campus of the Higher Colleges of Technology in Dubai Academic City.

The event aims at maximizing the benefits of the use and applications of global navigation satellite systems to support sustainable development, improve medical and public health services through the use of space technologies, develop a comprehensive, worldwide environmental monitoring strategy as well as enhance the management of the Earths natural resources.

The United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs has organized a series of regional workshops and international meetings in leading countries to promote the use of GNSS. The Workshop organised by EIAST is the first to be held in the UAE.

The participants at the workshop will include policymakers, decision makers and senior experts from international, regional, national and local institutions, United Nations agencies, non-governmental organizations, research and development institutions, academia and industry.

The workshop will feature two sessions thematic and discussion. The thematic sessions will cover trends in satellite-based navigation systems; initiatives and experiences in GNSS user applications with case studies and practical cooperation models; GNSS reference station systems and services featuring national projects; the International Space Weather Initiative and Education and training in the use of GNSS technologies. The discussion sessions will emphasis on regional cooperation in applying GNSS technology followed by a concluding session. The participants will also tour the EIAST on a technical site visit.

At the sessions, participants will present updates on various activities related to the use of GNSS technology in their countries; and identify specific needs of individual plans and projects on GNSS.

They will also highlight local institutional settings, including specific training and capacity-building needs; and develop a regional plan of action that would contribute to the wider use of GNSS technology and its applications. The possibility of one or more national or regional pilot projects, or both, in which interested institutions could incorporate the use of GNSS technology will also be explored.

The participants will deliver a presentation and materials covering information on the use of GNSS technology, case studies/projects in GNSS applications in their respective countries, which will be published on the website of the Office for Outer Space Affairs approximately two weeks after the workshop at: www.unoosa.org.