Recommendations for Human Capital Development for Earth Observation Programs within the Republic of South Africa

1
Recommendations for Human Capital Development
for Earth Observation Programs within the
Republic of South Africa

• Report of the
• IEEE International Expert Panel

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Outline

• Introduction of Expert Panel
• Terms of Reference
• Process
• Issues from the Perspective of the Expert Panel
• Proposed Structure
• Essential Skill Sets for Earth Observation
  Program
• Curriculum Components for Partner program in
  Overarching Themes
• The water cycle
• Disasters
• Global climate
• Human settlement.

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The IEEE Expert Panel
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Terms of Reference

• Review the assessment, carried out by
  consultants, of the current status of teaching
  and research in Earth Observations at the
  institutions of higher education within South
  Africa.
• Assess the Human Capital Development (HCD)
  required for the Earth Observation programs at
  these institutions to be competitive in the
  international arena within 5 to 10 years.
• Provide advice on the processes, procedures and
  financial instruments that would be most
  effective to achieve those goals.

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Process

• Provided guidance for Questionnaire Structure for
  the Audit Report of the Consultant Team
• IEEE ad hoc Expert Panel hosted by the government
  of South Africa from June 29 to July 1, 2010 in
  Brussels, Belgium
• Drafts by Writing Team and reviews by ad hoc
  Expert Panel
• Review of other relevant institutes, programs,
  funding models etc.
• Peer Review
• Presentation on February 21
• Continued development through a live process

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Writing Team

• Dr. Ellsworth LeDrew, F.IEEE, F.CASI (Team
  Leader)
• Dr. Jay Pearlman, F.IEEE
• Dr. Melba Crawford, F.IEEE

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Issues from the Perspective of the Expert Panel
(1)

• Study and training in Earth observations is
  markedly challenged by the lack of depth of
  faculty expertise and programs at the majority of
  institutions. In some cases there is only one
  faculty member at the institution and the time of
  that faculty member may be focused on other
  activities, notably teaching use of GIS software.

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Issues from the Perspective of the Expert Panel
(2)

• Effective access to appropriate imagery for a
  particular study theme or research project must
  be improved.
• With the exception of access to commonly
  available PC computer resources, access to
  specialized software, high performance computing,
  specialized field equipment in Earth
  observations, and airborne imaging systems needs
  considerable improvement.

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Issues from the Perspective of the Expert Panel
(3)

• There is no single initiative or a program that
  currently provides experts in Earth Observations
  of an international caliber.
• Financial resources are scarce throughout the
  educational system.
• There is little evidence of systemic partnerships
  or dialogue between institutions of higher
  education and private industry, government, or
  international organizations.

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Issues from the Perspective of the Expert Panel
(4)

• There is little evidence, with the exception of
  the University of Stellenbosch, of long-term
  strategic planning in Earth Observations
  curricula.
• High Band-width internet capacity is critical for
  all university, government and private
  institutions involved in the Earth-Observations
  initiative within South Africa and with the rest
  of the world.

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Keystone Concept for the Proposed Structure

• The focus will be to develop a system such that
  individual students will not need to leave South
  Africa for universities in other countries to
  have a world-class higher education at any degree
  level.

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Strategy in Developing Structure

• develop an end-to-end program for Human Capital
  Development for specific key Earth Observation
  user requirements identified by the government of
  South Africa.
• This program will include the skill sets of the
  students as they enter the institutions of higher
  education and the skill sets required by
  employers within private industry and government
  in South Africa.
• include international and national networking
  with partners in education, industry and
  government.

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Guidance in Developing Structure

• A priority of the government of South Africa is
  Human Capital Development and this includes
  decent employment through inclusive economic
  growth.
• The objective of the government is to be a
  leading nation in the use of space science and
  technology in service to its people.
• The government has identified four overarching
  themes for focus that may serve as catalysts for
  human capital development and Earth observations
• The water cycle
• Disasters
• Global climate
• Human settlement.

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Tactics in Developing Structure

• The tactics may include
• centers of excellence,
• research chairs,
• development of mentoring and communication
  processes within the country,
• collaboration with institutions in other
  countries,
• sandwich programs with institutions in other
  countries,
• development of programs that emphasize community
  participation in remote sensing,
• cooperative education programs,
• in-career professional development,
• accreditation for specific earth observations
  skill sets,
• and oversight by an advisory council.
• Any plan must include milestones and benchmarks
  that can be assessed in terms of success of the
  program at periodic intervals.

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Exemplars

• National Astrophysics and Space Science Programme
  (http//www.star.ac.za/)
• African Institute for Mathematical Science Next
  Einstein Initiative (http//www.nexteinstein.org/h
  ome)
• EIS-AFRICAS MODEL FOR TRAINING AND CAPACITY
  BUILDING (http//www.fig.net/pub/proceedings/nairo
  bi/nkambwe-TS18-2.pdf)
• CSIR Earth Observations (http//www.csir.co.za/SAC
  /eo.html)
• Chair and host of the IEEE IGARSS09
  (International Geoscience and Remote Sensing
  Society) International symposium in Cape Town,
  July, 2009

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Two Structures for Consideration

• Networks of Excellence hub and spoke model
• National Institute informed by the African
  Institute for Mathematical Sciences AIMS, the
  Next Einstein Initiative
• South African Institute for Geomatic Sciences
  SAGE
• Or a combination of the best parts of both?

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Networks of Excellence (1)Competitive Call for
Proposals

• Initial Call for NoE for two of four overarching
  themes water cycle, disasters, climate change,
  and human settlement
• The call would be for a combination of Networks
  of Excellence (NoE) and research chairs that
  would encourage development of partnerships
  within the various universities as well as
  between universities, government and industry

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Networks of Excellence (2)Structure of Operations

• Noting that some universities have PhD programs
  whilst other universities may only have Bachelor
  of Science programs in Earth Observations, or
  even one course in Earth Observations as part of
  a spatial analysis theme, we recommend that
  partnerships be developed around a hub and spoke
  model of collaboration and mentoring

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Networks of Excellence (3)The Hub and Spoke
Model

• There will be a central hub with two or more sets
  of rings of widening radius joined by spokes.
• The central hub would be one or more universities
  with accredited PhD programs that can provide
  leadership in teaching and scholarship
• Individual spokes would go out to the other
  universities that, at the first ring, may have a
  Master of Science (or equivalent) as the final
  degree and
• at the second ring of larger radius, may have a
  Bachelor of Science (or equivalent) as the final
  degree.

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Networks of Excellence (4)Ten-Year Goal

• The objective is to develop a structure for
  mentoring, exchange of curricula materials and
  courses, and collaborative scholarship that
  would, within a decade, provide every student
  equal access to a Masters or PhD program

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Networks of Excellence (5)Crucial Role of
Mentoring

• The current PhD-capable universities would act as
  mentors to those in partnership with them.
• This mentoring may be enhanced through both
  academic exchanges and collaborative research
  with principals in internationally recognized
  institutions in other countries.
• External international partners may also be
  invited to participate as nodes in the hub or
  internal to a given institutions program.

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Networks of Excellence (6)Mentoring

• Mentoring would be enabled through activities
  that could involve milestones for measurement of
  success
• Annual symposia that include all South Africa
  Networks of Excellence in Earth Observations. The
  symposia would include presentation of results of
  collaborative research amongst members of the hub
  and spoke network, examination of procedures for
  and evidence of success of networked learning,
  and development of lifelong learning curricula
  for partners in industry and government.
• Collaboration on research by all institutions in
  the network that will include participation by
  the public in field programs. The citizen as
  participant in science and technology is an
  initiative that is growing in several areas, such
  as weather and atmospheric science, and the
  GEO-wiki (http//www.geo-wiki.org/login.php?menuh
  ome)

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Networks of Excellence (7)Mentoring

• Sharing of undergraduate and graduate course
  materials and lectures between all institutions
  in the network by means of broad-band Internet
  and modern communication strategies. We note
  that, towards this end, R250 million was
  announced on October 28, 2010, by the Ministry of
  Science and Technology and the National Research
  Foundation to improve broadband connectivity
  throughout the South African research network.
• Bimonthly meetings of faculty and students within
  each Network of Excellence with emphasis on
  face-to-face discussion but inclusion of
  teleconferencing if necessary.
• Training of Faculty through funded secondment to
  highly ranked international universities in
  partnership with RSA and training centres such as
  ICT, Netherlands and recent opportunities
  sponsored by the European Union.

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Networks of Excellence (8)Research Chairs

• A senior research chair for each center would be
  resident at a PhD capable University, whilst
  junior chairs may be resident at the Masters or
  Bachelors capable universities
• The network so developed would be able to proceed
  with the research at a scale not possible before,
  and achieve a scale of activity and credibility
  that will foster further funding initiatives at
  the international scale.

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Networks of Excellence (9)Audit and Planning

• To ensure that the objectives of the network,
  including mentoring, growth of national and
  international partnerships, and creation of
  future capability in industry, we recommend that
  there be an Earth Observations Advisory Council
  for all of the Networks of Excellence in Earth
  Observations
• This council would be comprised of individuals
  from a variety of Earth Observation specialties,
  countries, and types of research and teaching
  institutions.
• This group, which may be very effective with the
  size of 4 to 6, would participate in the annual
  symposia for all of the networks.

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Dr. Neil Turok and the African Institute for
Mathematical Science

• AIMS was developed to provide an excellent
  advanced education to talented African students,
  encouraging independent thinkers, researchers and
  problem solvers capable of contributing to
  Africas development. AIMS teaching philosophy
  promotes critical and creative thinking and
  deliberately avoids the emphasis, all too common
  in both African and international universities,
  on rote learning and cramming for written exams.

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Dr. Neil Turok and the African Institute for
Mathematical Science

• AIMS declared goals are to
• Promote mathematics and science in Africa
• Recruit and train talented students and
  teachers
• Build capacity for African initiatives in
  education, research and technology

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Dr. Neil Turok and the African Institute for
Mathematical Science

• AIMS is a partnership project of three South
  African universities Cape Town, Stellenbosch,
  and Western Cape, and three international partner
  universities - Cambridge, Oxford, and Paris-Sud
  XI (Orsay). Universities, both within and outside
  Africa, are seeking to join AIMS, in the
  expansion of the AIMS model to create new AIMS
  centres throughout Africa as set out in this
  Plan. (http//www.nexteinstein.org/)

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Dr. Neil Turok and the African Institute for
Mathematical Science

• As an example of the impact of this project, Dr.
  Barry Green, the current Director of AIMS, notes
  in the 2010 Annual Report
• South African institutions of higher education
  have the responsibility of graduating more South
  Africans with postgraduate degrees in the
  sciences, particularly Master's and Doctoral
  degrees. AIMS is working hard to encourage South
  African students in particular, to pursue
  scientific careers. One of the initiatives
  introduced to address this is a joint
  biomathematics programme offered in collaboration
  with Stellenbosch University with half of the
  course taught at AIMS. At the end of 2009 the
  ?rst group of ?ve South African honours students
  with biomathematics focus graduated at
  Stellenbosch University, with seven more
  registering for this programme at the beginning
  of 2010.

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South African Institute for Geomatic
SciencesSAGE

• is a high impact venue to enhance the learning
  environment very quickly
• if the AIMS model is used or an affiliation with
  AIMS is pursued, there may be minimal risk
• With partnerships between many South African
  universities, with highly ranked international
  universities, and with government and private
  institutions of notable research in Earth
  Observations, a high quality academic program can
  be delivered with results visible within the
  short term

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South African Institute for Geomatic
SciencesSAGE

• With careful planning and implementation, this
  may be designed so that students from any South
  African University, regardless of historical
  status, may realize immediate value.
• The challenge will be to adapt this model to
  bring cutting edge post-graduate research into
  the academic process
• Incorporate the Networks of Excellence Funding
  Model

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Essential Skill Sets

• Specify skill sets for an International caliber
  program in the Earth Observation Science at the
  BES, MES and PhD level
• Each may partner with one or more of the
  overarching themes of
• The water cycle
• Disasters
• Global climate
• Human settlement.
• Curriculum components developed for each of these
  that include Earth Observations

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BES Skill Set (1)
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BES Skill Set (2)
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BES Skill Set (3)
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Human settlement Forestry and Natural Resources

• Advanced fundamentals organic chemistry,
  biochemistry, microbiology, statistical methods
• Dendrology
• Forest soils
• Conservation genetics
• Tree physiology
• Principles of silviculture
• Forest ecosystems
• Landscape ecology

• Field measurements sampling and data analysis
• Natural resource issues, policy, and
  administration
• Natural resource and environmental economics
• Human dimensions of natural resources
• Degree dependent electives related to fisheries,
  aquatic science, wildlife management, urban
  forestry

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Human settlement Agriculture

• Advanced fundamentals organic chemistry,
  biochemistry, microbiology
• Soil science (chemistry, physics, fertility,
  pedology)
• Hydrologic processes
• Plant genetics
• Plant science and physiology

• Cropping systems and production
• Weather and climate
• Agronomic systems analysis and management
• Agricultural economics
• Economics and management of Natural Resources

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Global climatePhysical Processes

• Introduction to Global Change
• Principles of Climate Change Economics and Policy
  
• Meteorology and Climate
• Boundary-layer Processes
• Earth System Modelling
• Atmospheric Dynamics

• Climate Change Impacts, Adaptation and
  Mitigation
• Atmospheric Chemistry and Air Quality
• Atmosphere-Vegetation-Soil Interactions
• Field Experiment Meteorology and Air Quality

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Global climateImpact Assessment

• Environmental Systems Analysis Methods and
  Applications
• Integrated Environmental Assessment Pollution
  Management
• Integrated Environmental Assessment Regional
  Management
• Principles of Earth and Ecosystem Science
• Environmental Economics for Environmental
  Sciences

• Economics and Management of Natural Resources
• Advanced Environmental Economics and Policy
• Theories and Models in Environmental Economics
• Environmental Policy Analysis and Evaluation
• Sustainable Technology Development
• Environment and Development

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Water Cycle

• Hydraulics and fluid mechanics (open channel and
  closed conduits)
• Hydrologic processes (surface and groundwater
  flow, contaminant transport)
• Water resources systems analysis and management
• Water supply, distribution, collection and
  treatment

• Land surface-atmosphere interactions
• Biogeochemical systems
• Global and regional climate
• Meteorology and weather
• Earth system coupled modelling
• Sensors and instrumentation
• Economics and environmental policy

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Thankyou

• ells_at_uwaterloo.ca