The Geography and Environmental Studies Department's Consolidated Geographical Information Technology (GeoIT) initiative focuses on consolidating and extending existing geographical information technology knowledge, course offerings and infrastructure that already exist at Stellenbosch University (SU).
Cartography has come a long way since the days of antiquity when maps were skilfully produced by hand. Those old drawings were beautifully crafted, but their usefulness was rather limited as they only depicted reality approximately and contained relatively little information. These days, advanced scientific methods exist for creating highly accurate maps that represent the world in much more detail. And by adding various kinds of data, maps become extremely useful for a variety of purposes – from urban planning and emergency management to improving crop cultivation and containing disease outbreaks.
Dr Adriaan van Niekerk, the project leader, explains: "Using satellite images and other kinds of data, we can 'see' our part of the world very well in various ways." In Geographic Information Systems (GIS), cartography is combined with database technology to capture, store, analyse, manage and present location-linked data for different purposes.
"We can do a variety of things with the information," he says. "We can monitor natural disasters, such as droughts and volcanic eruptions. We can assess the rate of deforestation and desertification. We can track large-scale population movements at times of war, and so on."
The University has built up considerable expertise in the science underlying GeoIT concepts, systems and applications. Now, the net is being cast wider so that more researchers, professionals and policy makers can be trained to put these technologies to use for improving people's lives.
New academic courses have been developed at SU with a view to offering qualifications in Geographic Information (GI) science. A BSc (GeoInformatics) degree programme has been introduced, from first-year level to advanced postgraduate studies.
The GeoIT initiative contributes to professional development within the GI field in South Africa and beyond. Honours and Masters degrees in GI will enable graduates to obtain professional registration. Short course versions of under and post graduate modules are already on offer to practitioners wishing to update or improve their skills.