28 
(iv) The Agrometeorology Group of the FAO Remote Sensing Centre. 
B. At Regional and National Levels: 
Since 1 January 1989, ARTEMIS data products in both photographic and digital formats are being routinely 
supplied to regional and nationl food security early warning systems in the IGADD region, comprising the 
countries Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, Sudan and Uganda, and in the SADCC region, comprising 
Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe. 
The development of the use of ARTEMIS products at regional and national levels, including further calibration 
and training programmes, is being undertaken through close cooperation between the FAO Remote Sensing 
Centre and two regional FAO Remote Sensing Projects, funded by the Government of Japan, based in Nairobi, 
Kenya, for the IGADD region and Harare, Zimbabwe, for the SADCC region respectively. For the calibration 
and training programmes, active cooperation has been developed between the FAO Remote Sensing Centre 
and the Department of Meteorology of the University of Reading and the International Institute for Earth 
Sciences and Aerospace Surveys (ITC). 
8. Satellite Telecommunications Development: the DIANA System 
The ARTEMIS system, being located in Rome, serves primarily the environmental information needs of the 
Global Information and Early Warning System (GIEWS) and Emergency Centre for Locust Operations 
(ECLO) of FAO, which communicate analysed information, combined from a number of sources, to recipient 
and donor countries in the form of telexed summaries and GIEWS and ECLO bulletins and publications. 
Rapid communication of the high volume ARTEMIS system information products to users at regional and 
national levels, requires special communications facilities. 
Jointly with the European Space Agency (ESA), the FAO Remote Sensing Centre has formulated a project 
for the development, implementation and demonstration of a dedicated satellite communications system, 
DIANA, based on low-cost microcomputer technology and by using the commercial Intelsat satellites through 
the facilities of Telespazio in Fucino, Italy (Hielkema 1988). 
The DIANA system will provide a capability for high speed, two-way transfer of facsimile images of documents 
and maps, character-coded text documents and digital images in raw or processed form from FAO 
Headquarters to microcomputer based receiver terminals of users at regional or national level. 
This capability will enable regional organizations and national early warning units and plant protection services 
to receive processed satellite information and other relevant communications from FAO Headquarters in 
near-realtime. 
The DIANA system, which is funded by ESA member contries Italy, Belgium, Spain, Ireland, Norway, U.K. 
and Finland, is being developed industrially under ESA management. 
This phase will be completed by October 1990, followed by a testing and training period. Subsequently three 
DIANA terminal stations, linked to the central hub station at FAO Headquarters, will be installed at selected 
locations in Africa and demonstrated for various applications for the period of one year from October 1991 
through September 1992. Presently confirmed DIANA terminal locations are: Nairobi, Kenya; Harare, 
Zimbabwe; and Accra, Ghana. A candidate location is Djibouti, Djibouti.