The prime objective of the workshop is to discuss and identify the scientific and societal benefits of developing a new international upper atmospheric facility, Advanced Modular Incoherent Scatter Radar (AMISR), in Ethiopia. The key points which need to be addressed during the workshop are:

1.      Is there any scientific need for placing an AMISR observatory in Africa in general and in Ethiopia in particular? Demonstrating the wealth of scientific opportunities that such a facility would provide is the principal goal of this workshop.

2.      Are there any feasible technical and logistical issues that need to be addressed to satisfy the scientific need and successful deployment of AMISR so it will augment the already in place global ground-based instruments, such as ionosonde, GPS receivers, magnetometers, etc.

3.      Is there any feasible international collaboration model that could lead a project to develop the facility?

It is important that the focus of the workshop is not about what the community has done, but what we would like to do with this facility, which will be placed right at the geomagnetic equator making it the second equatorial ISR facility in the world.

The workshop will also demonstrate how placing the AMISR in Africa will advance space science research into Africa by establishing and furthering sustainable research/training infrastructure within Africa.

With these goals in mind the proposed agenda is as follows( all times are in Eastern Standard Time (EST)   Check back often for updates):