Érica Santana and Aloisio Milani
Reporters - Agência Brasil

Brasília - The Brazilian Agricultural Research Company (EMBRAPA) was responsible for all the satellite mapping done to support the operations of the United Nations (UN) peace forces in Haiti (MINUSTAH). The images were produced at the request of the Ministry of Defense and executed by the EMBRAPA Satellite Monitoring unit, based in Campinas, São Paulo. The unit is a national model for this type of work.

According to Marcelo Guimarães, the researcher who heads the Research division of the EMBRAPA Satellite Monitoring unit, the UN troops in Haiti can use the images to plan military tactics, furnish information to the agricultural sector, and help in the formulation of infrastructure projects, such as roads and rural electrification, in the country. One of MINUSTAH's missions is to assist in the application of resources on projects in the poorest country in the Americas. Haiti's principal deficiencies are in the areas of health, education, transportation, and agriculture.

"In the case of relief maps, farmers can adopt techniques suitable to the environment. In the case of military use of relief maps, it is possible to simulate the best route, for example, for the movement of armored cars," Guimarães explains.

EMBRAPA is currently awaiting the formalization of another international cooperation proposal for Haiti. Through the Ministry of Foreign Relations' Brazilian Cooperation Agency (ABC) and in conjunction with a Haitian remote sensoring unit, the company expects to prepare a project for the country's agriculture and water resources.

Translation: David Silberstein