Tertiary education institutions in Africa: Cloudy with a chance of GISc education in some countries

The world is facing many global challenges: climate change, food security, sustainable development and humanitarian assistance after disasters, to name a few. For Africa with its many natural resources, fast increasing population and accelerating economic development, the need for spatial planning and management is vital. Geographic information science (GISc) knowledge and skills are required to facilitate this spatial planning and management, but does Africa have the required tertiary GISc education capacity? In this article, we present and analyse the results of a survey of just over 600 websites of African tertiary education institutions. We searched for modules and degree programmes in geographic information systems (GIS), GISc, surveying, geomatics and remote sensing. To our knowledge, a similar study has not been undertaken. The findings show a number of concerning trends on the continent. GISc is presented at very few tertiary education institutions, and where it is presented, it is often integrated as a module in a degree programme of a related discipline, such as environmental science or geology. There are degree programmes that specialise in GISc, surveying or geomatics, but we could not find any that specialise in remote sensing. The findings also show that the situation with GISc education at tertiary institutions in Africa is ‘cloudy’ because dysfunctional websites make it difficult to find information

Application of the Land Administration Domain Model to the City of Johannesburg Land Information System

The paper explores the adoption of ISO 19152, Geographic information -- Land Administration Domain Model (LADM), in the enhancement of the current City of Johannesburg Land Information System (CoJLIS) data model. The CoJLIS was established to support integration of property data within various departments of the city. The current CoJLIS is designed for core land information only. There is a need for a comprehensive data model for all property information to support data management. The current CoJLIS upgrade coincides with the development of the LADM by ISO/TC 211, Geographic information/Geomatics. The LADM was published by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) late in 2012 as an International Standard for modelling basic land administration (LA) information. The LADM aims to provide a common vocabulary within the LA domain. This research examined the core data model of CoJLIS against the corresponding LADM basic classes. The LADM presents an opportunity to adopt an ISO conformant model in the CoJLIS, thus leveraging the benefits associated with the LADM. We show that the LADM can be used to describe land administration information at a municipality in South Africa, but that there are semantic differences, similarities and mismatches of classes and attributes between the LADM and the CoJLIS. The current disconnect between different systems, each managing a different part of the land administration information at the CoJ, is a cause for concern. The research was restricted to the City of Johannesburg. The results improve the understanding of land administration at municipal level in South Africa, but more empirical explorations are necessary to examine the applicability of the LADM within different contexts, more especially in cadastre-less areas (e.g. informal settlements and rural areas)

Enhancing the online discovery of geospatial data through taxonomy, folksonomy and semantic annotations

Spatial data infrastructures (SDIs) are meant to facilitate dissemination and consumption of spatial data, amongst others, through publication and discovery of spatial metadata in geoportals. However, geoportals are often known to geoinformation communities only and present technological limitations which make it difficult for general purpose web search engines to discover and index the data catalogued in (or registered with) a geoportal. The mismatch between standard spatial metadata content and the search terms that Web users employ when looking for spatial data, presents a further barrier to spatial data discovery. The need arises for creating and sharing spatial metadata that is discoverable by general purpose web search engines and users alike. Using folksonomies and semantic annotations appears as an option to eliminate the mismatch and to publish the metadata for discovery on the Web. Based on an analysis of search query terms employed when searching for spatial data on the Web, a taxonomy of search terms is constructed. The taxonomy constitutes the basis towards understanding how web resources in general, and HTML pages with standard spatial metadata in particular, can be documented so that they are discoverable by general purpose web search engines. We illustrate the use of the constructed taxonomy in semantic annotation of web resources, such as HTML pages with spatial metadata on the Web

Development of an observatory for spatial planning in South Africa: A best practice review

The National Development Plan (NDP) of South Africa describes a 2030 vision for the country. The NDP proposes an observatory as one of the measures to develop capabilities for effective spatial decision-making and implementation. This article presents results of a review of observatories with the aim to unpack the details for setting up the proposed observatory. A review of mainly South African observatories was conducted in order to clarify the focus of the observatory (i.e. its purpose and main operations) and how it should be set up (i.e. stakeholders to be involved and hosting options). The review draws on interviews, questionnaires and a workshop with stakeholders, experts and key players. A review of relevant scientific literature and observatory websites was also done. Results underline the importance of drawing on existing data collection, integration and analysis initiatives, as well as the coordinating role such an observatory will have to play

Results of Three Case Studies for Assessing Motivators and Barriers of Address Data Sharing in South Africa

The value of GIS data in the functioning of both public and private  organizations has increased enormously, to the extent that it is difficult to imagine a modern organization without the use of GI technologies. Currently, organizations use GIS data, especially spatial address data, to locate their customers and to deliver products and services to their doorsteps. In South Africa, the spatial address data are found in separate address databases, which are maintained by different organizations, with minimal or no cooperation among them. Contrary to research evidence pointing to the benefits of organizations sharing spatial data, most organizations still show inability and reluctance to participate in spatial data sharing initiatives; thus perpetuating the costly duplication of efforts in data handling and storage. The authors used a case study approach to assess the issues that motivate or obstruct GIS data sharing among three address organizations in South Africa. This paper presents the results of the three cases, and their implications on the interorganizational GIS data sharing initiatives as they occur in spatial data infrastructures (SDIs), particularly the South African SDI. It is our hope that these findings pertaining to motivators or barriers for interorganizational GIS data sharing (as it was applied to the three cases) will provide valuable lessons to guide organizations to develop and implement successful data sharing initiatives

Influence of HIV and other risk factors on tuberculosis

Background. Tuberculosis (TB) notification in South Africa has increased six-fold over the past two decades, mainly because of the HIV epidemic.Objectives. To describe the sociodemographic and outcome characteristics of TB patients, and to identify risk factors associated with TB treatment outcomes stratified by HIV status.Methods. A cross-sectional study was used to analyse data from the Cape Town Metro East geographical service area (GSA) electronic TB register (ETR.Net), including adult patients aged ≥15 years who initiated TB treatment between 1 July 2011 and 30 June 2012.Results. TB case notification in the GSA was 922 per 100 000 population. Of the 12 672 TB patients registered, 50.5% were co-infected with HIV. The death rate in co-infected patients was 5.4% v. 2.8% in HIV-negative patients, the rate of treatment success 66.6% v. 73.5%, and the rate of unfavourable treatment outcome 28.1% v. 23.7%. The Khayelitsha subdistrict had the highest proportion of TB burden (37.0%) and co-infection (47.6%). Fourteen percent of patients had extrapulmonary TB, 65.9% of whom were co-infected with HIV. In the multivariate analysis, HIV infection (relative risk (RR) 1.2), retreatment (RR 1.4) and sputum smear microscopy not done (RR 1.4) were significantly associated with unfavourable treatment outcome. The Eastern (RR 0.9) and Northern (RR 0.7) subdistricts were less likely to have unfavourable outcomes compared with Khayelitsha. In the stratified analysis, retreatment and smear not done were significant risk factors for an unfavourable treatment outcome in both co-infected and HIV-negative patients.Conclusions. The burdens of both TB and co-infection were high in this community, although HIV prevalence varied. Mortality was higher and treatment completion lower in co-infected patients than in those who were HIV-negative. Co-infection, previous TB treatment and smear not done were significant risk factors for an unfavourable outcome in all patients

Sustainable Development: The Contribution from GISc Education in South Africa

Concerns over the negative impact of the deteriorating environment and declining natural resources on economic and social development prompted the drive towards sustainable development, i.e. development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Economic growth, environmental balance, social inclusion and culture have been identified as the four dimensions of sustainable development. These dimensions and their interactions are inherently spatial. Geographic information science (GISc) and geographic information systems (GIS) provide the theoretical foundation and applied technology to support planning and decision-making for sustainable development. GISc professionals are required to realize South Africa’s sustainability goals put forth by the National Planning Commission. In this paper we investigate the current state of GISc education at universities in South Africa to determine whether GISc is included in relevant disciplines for sustainable development. Individual university websites and yearbooks were downloaded and analyzed. Degree programmes were categorized according to a list of prominent GISc application fields. The analysis revealed that GISc is widely included in South African tertiary degree programmes related to the environmental balance dimension of sustainable development, but not in degree programmes related to the other three dimensions, namely economic growth, social inclusion and culture

Results from a survey of the South African GISc community show who they are and what they do

In the wake of the rapidly increasing global geospatial industry, a shortage of registered GISc professionals, as well as professional GISc registration challenges, have been reported in South Africa. The suitability of registration categories and academic requirements for the type of work performed by GISc professionals has also been questioned. This article presents results of a survey by the Geo-information Society of South Africa (GISSA) to gain a better understanding of who the members of the South African GISc community are and what they do at work. Such understanding is important for the implementation of the new Geomatics Profession Act 19 of 2013, the development of the South African Geo-spatial Information Management Strategy and the establishment of the South African Spatial Data Infrastructure (SASDI). An online questionnaire was distributed and responses analysed. Amongst others, results show that roughly a quarter of all respondents switched to GISc related work later in their career. While individuals tend to focus their work on a few of industries, application areas or disciplines, the GISc community as a whole is active in a wide range of industries, application areas and disciplines. Qualifications that do not meet academic requirements for registration are a significant barrier to registration. Most members of the GISc community fulfil roles of data analysis and interpretation, together with data acquisition, data management, and/or visualization/mapping. The research raises questions whether the differentiation between the type of work performed by different registration categories is clear enough; whether an additional registration category is required for professionals from other disciplines who use GIS as a tool; and why many people who focus on remote sensing are not registered as GISc professionals with PLATO. Survey results contribute to the understanding of the supply and demand for GISc knowledge and skills in South Africa. Additional research is required to better understand the demand and to identify prominent gaps in GISc skills and knowledge

Aspekte van ’n Christelike perspektief op fasette van die Geskiedwetenskap en die beoefening daarvan in ’n veranderende Suid-Afrika

Aspects of a Christian perspective on some facets of History as a discipline and its practice in a changing South Africa Within the framework and dynamics of a currently changing South Africa, not only History as a practised discipline hul historians too - especially Christian historians are increasingly criticised from various quarters and/or faced with totally new obstacles and questions. Although criticism in this sense constitutes nothing new perse, the f undamental character of changes sweeping the country (e.g. democratization, nation building, truth and reconciliation, societal restructuring) and the historio-political legacy of the recent past, re-accentuated the criticism that South African historiography has consistently proved to be subservient of a political ideology. The objectives of this article are to highlight some former historical trends and current tendencies in Christian perspectives of the past and to discuss the question of how Christian historians and Christian History teachers can interact in a responsible and careful way with their subject by avoiding misrepresenting the truth and of becoming (again?) the servants of just another ideology

Development Studies Working Paper, no. 1

State control over the labour market usually results in the creation of different categories of labour, each having partial and unequal access to that market. In the Third World, typically, justification for control arises from an over-supply of unskilled rural labour and a small demand for such labour in the wage economy. To reduce massive urban unemployment, the state attempts to control the process of rural-urban migration by, inter alia, manipulating the labour market. ^ In South Africa, the civilised labour policy of the Pact government and the highly sophisticated system of black influx control introduced after the Second World War are two examples of such state control. In these cases, racial categories of labour, having differential access to the labour market, were created. The policy of Coloured Labour Preference is another South African example which is of particular interest since it is applied solely to one region of the Republic. Since 1962, when it was administratively coordinated for the first time, this policy has been applied in the Western Cape, a region comprising the 68 magisterial districts situated south-west of Port Elizabeth, Kimberley and the Orange River. In this region, black work-seekers' access to the labour market is severely curtailed. A series of regulations, particular to the Western Cape, are applied with the object of restricting the number of blacks resident in the region; denying blacks permanent rights of sojourn in the region; restricting the scope of employment for blacks in the region; and favouring coloured above black work-seekers throughout the region. In short, the policy aims to replace black by coloured labour and thereby aims to reduce to a minimum the number of blacks in the region.Digitised by Rhodes University Library on behalf of the Institute of Social and Economic Research (ISER