Family and population studies by the Adelaide Kuru Team, 1957–1965

J.H. Bennet

Evaluation of UAV-based technology to capture land rights in Kenya: displaying stakeholder perspectives through interactive gaming

Limitations of western-oriented land administration systems and traditional surveying approaches have indisputably contributed to a reality where approximately 70% of the world’s land rights are not recorded. Amongst others, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are evolving as a remote sensing tool for alternative data acquisition. However, so far UAVs have only been tested and rarely been implemented in the context of land tenure mapping. To investigate technology uptake and to unlock the potential of UAV-based remote sensing, this paper introduces an interactive workshop approach. Key stakeholders are asked to rank four different means of data acquisition, namely satellite images, aerial images, UAV images, and ground surveying according to six predefined parameters. The results of the board game visually unveiled opportunities and drawbacks of each data acquisition technology from the perspective of the stakeholder while the group discussion provided valuable insights into existing workflows and different perceptions. Results reveal that on average, UAV-based images have the potential to compete with the currently most prevalent data collection technology - field surveying - as UAV-based images mostly ranked similar, except in terms of time efficiency (UAV images outperform field surveying) and accuracy (field surveying outperforms UAV images)

Application of LADM for disaster prone areas and communities

Disaster prevention, response and recovery require information about land tenure. Though, in many high-risk contexts, such records are non-existent or not up to date. As a result, vulnerable groups are often passed over by the government during risk management activities. At present there exists no dedicated tool for supporting land tenure recordation of all people-to-land relationships for the purposes of disaster risk management. More specifically, the required supportive data models and standards that could enable integration of concepts from the respective domains of land administration and disaster risk management are also lacking. Standardized data models could support software and service designs. This paper introduces a model linking the domains of land administration and disaster risk management – with the goal of supporting resilience against natural disasters and providing an approach for collecting data once, and using it multiple times. A design approach was used to develop the model – with adaption of the international Land Administration Domain Model (LADM) standard acting as a basis. Key features of the model include the support of interoperability through standardisation, the inclusion of all people-to-land relationships including those specific to disaster contexts, and the potential of the model to contribute to each of the disaster phases. The model is suggested to be highly applicable in natural disaster contexts where no land tenure information exists or the national mapping authority already uses a land administration system compatible with LADM. Overall, the model is considered as a step toward an implementable strategy for applying responsible land administration in the context of disaster risk management

Understanding kuru: the contribution of anthropology and medicine

To understand kuru and solve the problems of its cause and transmission required the integration of knowledge from both anthropological and medical research. Anthropological studies elucidated the origin and spread of kuru, the local mortuary practices of endocannibalism, the social effects of kuru, the life of women and child-rearing practices, the kinship system of the Fore and their willingness to incorporate outsiders into it, the myths, folklore and history of the Fore and their neighbours, sorcery as a powerful social phenomenon and way of explaining the causation of disease, and concepts of the treatment of disease. Many scientists from different disciplines, government officers and others have contributed to this chapter of medical history but it is the Fore people who have contributed the most, through their suffering, their cooperative and reliable witness to kuru, and their participation, in various ways, in the research process itself