Lake Victoria is the largest fresh water lake in Africa. It is well-known for its environmental problems and for its economic value to the riparian countries. The national fisheries research institutes of Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania and other water management authorities are committed to both monitor the threats that face the lake and inventory the riches. The involved countries seek to manage the lake in a sustainable way. Thus far they have hardly used information that has been derived from satellite data.

Vexcel the Netherlands and the Nairobi based Regional Centre for Mapping of Resources for Development (RCMRD) have engaged in a project that aims to further the use of this kind of information in the fisheries research institutes. Goals are to develop dedicated products and services and to build capacity at the three institutes to ensure that expertise is available to implement this data structurally.