Geographic Information Technology
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Geographic Information Technology
Cartography has come a long way since the days of antiquity when maps were skilfully produced by hand. Those old drawings were beautifully crafted and kindle a sense of nostalgia and adventure when looking at them today, 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.
This is the field covered by the Geographic Information Technology (GIT) facility of Stellenbosch University (SU), an initiative of the Department of Geography and Environmental Studies. The project forms part of the University’s strategic efforts to advance human development in Africa and can promote food security, human health, peace and security, as well as environmental sustainability and economic development.
In Geographic Information Systems (GIS), cartography is combined with database technology to capture, store, analyse, manage and present location-linked data for different purposes. Natural disasters such as droughts and volcanic eruptions, the rate of deforestation and desertification, as well as large-scale population movements at times of war can be monitored.
GI is used for scientific research in a variety of disciplines, from agricultural economics, forestry and nature conservation to medical research, political science and sociology. And it has commercial applications, such as prospecting for natural resources, site evaluation for large construction projects and identifying marketing and retail opportunities.
SU’s Department of Geography and Environmental Studies – spanning the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences and the Faculty of Science – is responsible for the Geographic Information Technology (GIT) project. It is an excellent example of a collaborative and interdisciplinary project. Academic departments also directly involved in GI technologies, are Sociology, Botany and Zoology, Earth Science and Agricultural Economics. Other faculties broadly involved in these spatial applications include Engineering, Economic and Management Sciences, Health Sciences, AgriSciences (including Forestry) and Theology.