Use of Available Data To Inform The COVID-19 Outbreak in South Africa: A Case Study

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19), caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO) in February 2020. Currently, there are no vaccines or treatments that have been approved after clinical trials. Social distancing measures, including travel bans, school closure, and quarantine applied to countries or regions are being used to limit the spread of the disease and the demand on the healthcare infrastructure. The seclusion of groups and individuals has led to limited access to accurate information. To update the public, especially in South Africa, announcements are made by the minister of health daily. These announcements narrate the confirmed COVID-19 cases and include the age, gender, and travel history of people who have tested positive for the disease. Additionally, the South African National Institute for Communicable Diseases updates a daily infographic summarising the number of tests performed, confirmed cases, mortality rate, and the regions affected. However, the age of the patient and other nuanced data regarding the transmission is only shared in the daily announcements and not on the updated infographic. To disseminate this information, the Data Science for Social Impact research group at the University of Pretoria, South Africa, has worked on curating and applying publicly available data in a way that is computer-readable so that information can be shared to the public - using both a data repository and a dashboard. Through collaborative practices, a variety of challenges related to publicly available data in South Africa came to the fore. These include shortcomings in the accessibility, integrity, and data management practices between governmental departments and the South African public. In this paper, solutions to these problems will be shared by using a publicly available data repository and dashboard as a case study.Comment: Accepted for publication in the Data Science Journa

The Use of the Internet in the U.S Lodging Industry

The internet has been heralded as the communications and marketing tool of the future for the hospitality industry. Both corporate executives and information technology experts feel the hotel of the future cannot do without a presence on the Web. Yet, do the actions of hospitality operators in the field reflect this optimism? This article reports on a study done among property managers in the U.S. lodging industry to determine the actual use of the internet in hotel properties of various types and sizes. Additionally, it addresses development and maintenance issues related to internet use

Technology Vendors: Lodging Managers View Support They Receive

The authors report on a comparative study of regional differences in the perceptions of lodging managers in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom on the support they receive from their technology vendors, and the technology systems they are using. Besides a comparison based on regions, the study also looks at differences of opinions based on property size

Issues in forest restoration: Workforce needs of the four forest restoration initiative project: An analysis

Northern Arizona is home to the largest contiguous ponderosa pine forest in North America - spanning the Apache-Sitgreaves, Coconino, Kaibab, and Tonto national forests. This vast forest is part of a dry ecosystem that has always been subject to the powerful transformative forces of wildfire, in particular the thinning effects of low-intensity surface fires on pine seedlings and saplings. Suppression of natural fire began on a large scale at the turn of the last century, altering this natural process. As a result, stand density has increased exponentially since the settlement of the state. Recent wildfires, such as the Wallow and the Rodeo-Chediski, are fostered by these overgrown forest conditions

Juridisch Kennismanagement in het IT-tijdperk

Gegevens, informatie en kennis worden voor organisaties van steeds groter belang. Zij worden steeds meer beschouwd als producten waarvan de waarde wordt bepaald door vraag en aanbod. Dit wordt mede veroorzaakt door de steeds verdergaande invloed van informatietechnologie (IT). Voor sommige organisaties zijn informatie en kennis inmiddels de belangrijkste productiefactoren geworden. Dit geldt ook, en zelfs in sterke mate, voor juridische organisaties. Deze dienen te beschikken over steeds meer juridische kennis en informatie om hun taak naar behoren te kunnen uitvoeren. Juridische informatie en kennis zijn vastgelegd in een breed scala van documenten en worden steeds vaker aangeboden via elektronische media. De vorm van de oorspronkelijke documenten, en daarmee ook de inhoud, ondergaat daarbij deels veranderingen, evenals de wijze waarop zij kunnen worden geraadpleegd. Dit onderzoek voorziet in een eerste inventarisatie en analyse van de wijze waarop juristen met informatiestromen omgaan, alsmede van de rol die IT hierbij speelt. Daartoe werd onderzoek gedaan bij organisaties die een juridische taak vervullen: gemeenten met wel/geen vergaande automatisering. Voorts wordt nagegaan in hoeverre IT een geschikt hulpmiddel is voor het kanaliseren van de steeds toenemende stroom gegevens, informatie en kennis en in welke omgeving dit het best tot zijn recht komt

Issues in Forest Restoration: Full Cost Accounting of the 2010 Schultz Fire

The Schultz Fire of 2010 burned just over 15,000 forested acres and caused the evacuation of hundreds of homes. Heavy floods followed the fire, resulting in extensive damage to property downstream from the charred hillsides. Nearly three years later, seasonal flooding is still a concern and residents continue to live under the threat of swift floodwaters that may carve unanticipated pathways through their sloping neighborhoods. Official reports form city, county, state, and federal governments have listed response and mitigation costs of the fire and flood at nearly $60 million. This study adds to those costs, exploring the impacts on private property owners, as well as societal costs that are often overlooked when quantifying the full impact of disasters. Through analysis of Coconino County Assessor’s records, a survey of residents in the fire/flood impact area, and the perceived value of both endangered species habitat and human life, this study conservatively estimates the total impact of the Schultz Fire at between$133 million and $147 million

Aspects of Emotive Forms of Address in Afrikaans Literature

SUNY BrockportLiterary Onomastics Studie