GIS INFRASTRUCTURAL NEEDS AT A TERTIARY INSTITUTION IN AFRICA: A CASE STUDY OF UL

1. GIS INFRASTRUCTURAL NEEDS AT A TERTIARY INSTITUTION IN AFRICA:A CASE STUDY OF UL Ray Pillay Department of Geography & Environmental Studies, University of Limpopo, Polokwane Email: pillayr@ul.ac.za Map Africa 2007, Cape Town

2. 1. INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND 2. THE OBJECTIVES OF THE RESEARCH STUDY 3. DISCUSSION ON GIS INFRASTRUCTURAL ISSUES 3.1 Function/Purpose 3.2 Technological Resources 3.3 Human Resources 3.4 Financial & Administrative Resources 3.5 Future Proofing 4. BENEFITS & IMPORTANCE TO AFRICA’s NEEDS 5. RECOMMENDATIONS 6. CONCLUDING REMARKS OVERVEW OF PRESENTATION

3. Introduction & Background • GIS technology are increasing being used by a myraid of organizations across the world in both the private and public sectors. • This exponential demand challenges university researchers and academics to evaluate their GIS infrastructural requisites at both the graduate & postgraduate scale. • Administrators & those not directly connected with using the facility are of the view that a GIS Laboratory is self-sustaining.

5. Is GIS’s just … • My contention is that it also has to address the following: - Technological, - Human, - Material, - Administrative and - Financial issues • To be functionally successful.

6. LITERATURE EXPLANATIONS • According to Rhind (1989) a GIS is a computer system that can hold and use data describing places on the earth’s surface. • ... in GIS the common purpose is decision making for managing the us of land, resources, transportation, retailing, oceans or any spatially distributed entities (NCGIA, 1989).

7. Vehicle locations Crime data/information Land use/Land cover Roads/Infrastructure Raster imagery Environmental Data GIS Integrates All Types of Data Geography is a “key” Real World

8. GIS is built on knowledge of various academic disciplines • That includes: • Geography • Cartography • Location Science • Computer Science • Data Modelling • Database Design • Computer Graphics • Interface Design • Mathematics • Topology • Graph Theory • Geometry • Statistics • Traditional Statistics • Spatial Statistics • Information Science • Storage & Retrieval Methods • Metadata Documentation • Integrated into  a GIS

9. Some GIS Application Arear’s • Agriculture • Forestry & Wildlife Management • National, State, County, Regional, Local mapping and geographic inventory • Archaeology • Geology • Oil and gas exploration and production • Municipal Applications • Streets • Properties/Cadastre • Facilities • Utilities • Water, Sewer, Storm Sewer • Environment • Areas/Districts • Utility Applications • Electric • Gas • Telephone • Cable Television

10. Data integration: The linking of information in different forms through a GIS.

11. RESEARCH AIMS • To examine the necessary infrastructural requisites at a Tertiary Institution in Africa.

12. OBJECTIVES 1)To examine the technological, human, financial and administrative resources required to put in place a functional GIS teaching program at a tertiary institution; 2) To highlight the core GIS Curriculum & its necessary pre-requisites for teaching GIS at a tertiary institution in Africa using The University of Limpopo, S. Africa as a Case study.

13. KEY INFRASTRUCTURAL ISSUES The main infrastructural issues are 1 Function & / or Purpose, 2 Technological Resources, 3 Human Resources, 4 Financial & Administrative Resources, and 5 Future Proofing.

14. FUNCTION &/or PURPOSE OF A GIS TRAINING FACILITY • In designing & developing the support infrastructure, clear recognition of the intended purpose and desired outcomes is critical for successful implementation of a GIS graduate and/or postgraduate program. • There is no single model that can be employed by all in the development of an infrastructure to support GIS education. • There are a variety of scales of implementation, teaching styles, learning priorities, and institutional frameworks within which instructional takes place. • The function may vary from a strictly educational role to a combination of research &/or contract work and education.

15. A choropleth Map showing deafness as a rep of 100 000 African population in study area

16. DESIGN & MAINTENANCE Locational Info via a RDMS • Here one needs to ask the question: • Is the facility to be a stand alone or a network GIS facility • Stand alone cost vs network costs &/or savings & requirements COME INTO THE BASKET OF COSTS • Such considerations are fundamental to the determination of hardware, software, data and personnel needs to operationalize a functional GIS FACILITY. Data via a GIS

17. MATERIALS Electronic Class Room for GIS Teaching • Beyond the physical facilities instructional materials must be procured; • The WWW has access to software, data, exercises & curricular materials; • Where facilities are limited, internships & cooperative work with local agencies (Govt. & Public/Private Companies may augment resources & provide more broad reaching benefits. Data via a GIS Students during a GIS Prac in front of the UL Arts Fac

18. GIS Hons Student Seminar Presentation

19. GIS HONS PRAC DICSUSSION

20. SAFETY & SECURITY Operating system security functions, virus checkers & network controlled programs offer protection on the software side but only if installed & maintained correctly; Policies for access and backup are necessary complements to physical security measures. HUMAN RESOURCES FacilityAdmin SAFETY & SECURITY & HUMAN RESOURCES • Management issues are vital to the successful operation of the GIS infrastructure. • Staffing • Personnel is generally the last budget item considered. • The type of support (full or part-time, shared or not) & the expertise level of the individuals would determine how well the facility meets the user’s needs. • Alternative strategies: G/Asst, UL Computing services & Faculty may be the mix.

21. FINANCIAL RESOURCES • Funding • Given the growing & tightening funds all sources should be explored. • Internal funding may be available in the form of grants, laboratory fees or capital expenditure funds. • External mechanisms include grants, contracts and donations. Explore this through contract & CBO/NGO GIS work.

22. P Johnstone & J Ranken (1994) COMMUNITY PARTICIPATORY GIS (HIV/AIDS ARENA)

23. Provincial-level organisation District-level organisation Local-level organisation Spatial organisation in practice

24. Spatial Mapping • A spatial structure for Community Health Workers (CHWs)

25. Operational GIS Policy GIS Strategic GIS

26. CHALLENGES IN AFRICA!Can a GIS Help? • There are major challenges in the world today, viz: • overpopulation; • pollution; • deforestation; • natural disasters; • water shortages • All have a critical Geographical Dimension and can use a GIS to help manage the dynamic challenges.

27. Operational GIS VISUALISATION SCENARIOS Options Appraisal Policy GIS Strategic GIS

28. BENEFITS & IMPORTANCE TO AFRICA’S NEEDS • While the issues outlined in the paper focussed on the specifics of infrastructure establishments & management the overall effort is directed towards the removal of physical impediments to instruction in a largely technological development field – GIS Training & Education in Africa for Africans. • The CACGIS Laboratory at UL can, in part, play a leadership role in assisting with GIS Infrastructural Requisites for Africa.

29. Concluding Remarks & Recommendations • With the continual changes occurring in GIS support infrastructure, it is difficult for any one individual or department to keep up with the state-of-the-art in the GIS Fields. • It is undesirable for time and resources to be unnecessarily diverted from conceptual and instructional development to management and maintenance. • Yet is vital that the practical component of GIS instruction remain up to date. • As a starting point a guide which sets out the basic steps as well as scenarios for development and/or management of GIS facilities under different resource conditions would be helpful.

30. THANK YOU! • QUESTION TIME