The Work package 6 is responsible for capacity building and training programme. During the first part on the project the task comprised the analysis of existing curricula and infrastructures in Africa and Europe dedicated to capacity building and training for the sustainable use of georesources.

An inventory of existing training centres and their offerings have been produced and are available on the AEGOS website. This inventory list includes training institutions in Africa and Europe with names and locations, curricula and prerequisites, costs for training and accommodation. A concept note about the needs in capacity building and training was issued. The outcome of this concept note underlines that a minimum level of knowledge and skills is required from all partner institutions to follow work rules and standards given by the AEGOS group. Adequate qualifications have been further specified for the topics: information technology, data management, data processing, end user service and operational management. A knowledge baseline has been defined as the “starting point” for all partner institutions to get complementary AEGOS-specific training required for implementing and operating the AEGOS geodata infrastructure (SDI). Partner organisations are responsible for the upgrading their human resources to the required baseline from where the AEGOS project will support the continuing capacity building at all cooperating organisations to achieve the AEGOS knowledge level.

Further, the required functions for implementing and operating the SDI have been discussed with other work packages. As a result, there is now an overview on existing human resources at partner institutions. A description of necessary subjects of functions has been carried out and presented to the African partner institutions. With a questionnaire, they provided information about the qualification level of the functions currently existing at their institutions. Base on this assessment, a common strategy for capacity building and training has now to be worked out.

The upcoming workshop, organised by BGR and CGS on October 27-29^th, 2010 in Pretoria, South Africa, will focus on the final definition of training modules, topics, infrastructure and organisation (training curricula) taking into account the needs of the partner institutions. Further questions about capacity building in a broader context have to be discussed, to support the partner organisations reaching the technological and knowledge baseline for the AEGOS-SDI.