The Government of the Azores, through the Regional Secretariat for Science, Technology and Infrastructures, supported the GISLAND 2010 – the First Advanced Summer Course on Geographic Information Systems and Remote Detection in Environmental Island Planning under the measure of the Integrated Plan for Science, Technology and Innovation to support the organisation of meetings, seminars, conferences and other scientific events in the Azores.

At the closing session of the summer course, the Regional Director for Science and Communications, who presided over the session that took place in Ponta Delgada on Thursday, stressed that the Government of the Azores “supports and encourages this type of initiatives in order to ensure the training of experts and the internationalisation of researchers in strategic areas for the development of the Azores.”

The Government official reiterated the commitment of the Regional Secretariat in the development of applications based on geographic information systems. “The Azores have distinguished themselves at a national level for the initiatives carried out in this area.”

The Interactive Spatial Data Infrastructure of the Azores, in continuous development, is a project focused on the area of geographic information systems which aims to development and manage geographic data infrastructure for the Azores.

This event has converged to this same strategy, the international assertion of the Azores as a Region that plays a fundamental role in the promotion of Space and Geographic Information Technologies for Sustainable Development and Environmental Planning on Islands, Coastal Areas and Outermost Regions. It was attended by some of most renowned international and regional scientists, who privileged the use of open source applications in the demonstration of the potential of the aforementioned technologies.

Furthermore, Paulo Menezes stressed some of the investments being made in the Azores in space technology infrastructures, such as the satellite tracking Station of ESA on Santa Maria; the Atlantic Maritime Surveillance Centre of Edisoft on Santa Maria; the Atlantic Network of Space Geodynamic Stations with two stations in the Azores equipped with the VLBI antennas, one located on Flores and the other on Santa Maria, under a protocol signed between the Government of the Azores and Spanish National Geographic Institute.

Paulo Menezes also reminded that the Azores are founding members of the NEREUS association, an association that integrates European regions using space technology. “We work to benefit the Azores and the Azoreans,” concluded the Regional Director.