FOCUS ON AFRICA

Deans in aGIS sensitisation workshop ASHINING LIGHT IN AFRICAN GIS EDUCATION

ESRI’S 100AFRICAN UNIVERSITIES PROGRAMMEISHELPINGTOPLUGTHE GAPSINGIS KNOWLEDGE ANDEXPERIENCEACROSS THECONTINENT.MICHAELGOULD ANDJIM BAUMANNEXPLAIN ANDHIGHLIGHT THESUCCESS STORYOFKENYATTAUNIVERSITYINKENYA

Although Africanuniversitieshavebeenteaching andresearching enterprise license agreement under the 100 AfricanUniversities usingGIS fordecades, usage has beenintermittentand forthe programme in 2012, it took theuniversitylessthantwo yearsto mostpartkeptatabasic level.Atthe sametime,industrial and rapidly expand its use of GIS technology.Previously used as a government GIS usershavebeen evolving towardenterprise research tool limited to afew professors andgraduatestudents,the solutionsand this hascreated gaps in knowledge andexperience. university nowboasts amulti-campusArcGISimplementationthatis With an eyetoplugging that gap, Esri’s 100African Universities arespectedcentreofexcellencethroughout EasternAfrica. programme has quietly been providing softwareand learning SimonMOnywere, associateprofessoratKenyatta’s School of resourcestoselecteduniversitiesacross thecontinent.“Our goal is to Environmental Studies, first discoveredGIS in thelate1980s. While foster sustainableGIS curriculumsinuniversities throughout Africa,” he was laterinstrumentalinimplementing GISinhis department, says EsripresidentJack Dangermond. he hadlongstanding beliefs about the potential the technology Theprogrammeisopentoany African university with adesire held forenhancing studies across theentire university.In2011, a to upgradeand implement GISatthe enterprise-oruniversity- colleague told Onywereaboutthe recently launched 100African widelevel.This means movingawayfromconcentration in asingle Universities programme. department towards theuse of ArcGIS across alldepartments, “The benefitofthe 100African Universities Program is very clear,” libraries,and public spacessothatall students and researchers might says Onywere. “Itprovidesthe opportunity forstudents and faculty gainaccess to thesoftware. Theuniversitymustcommit to working throughout ouruniversitytouse ArcGIS in theircoursework and with the localEsrioffice to assurethat teachers aretrainedinthe research.” latest software. TheITdepartmentand university administrators Onywereappliedtothe programmeand he soon determined mustalsobeinvolved,because the enterpriseGIS serves their needs that the existing university server resourcescould notsupportthe forapplicationssuch as campus planning,security,utilities and anticipated use of ArcGIS, so he convinced thevicechancellor to buy transport. additional servers.BySeptember 2013, GISwas fullyavailable across Theprogrammeisnow morethan halfwaytowardthe symbolic theentirecampus. goal of 100universities, includingthe UniversityofRwanda, Ardhi “After we explained the benefits of usingArcGIS in their work, University(), theObafemi Awolowo University, University thestudentsseemed very enthusiastic about learningthisnew of Lagos and Federal UniversityofTechnology –Akure (), and powerful technology,” said Onywere. “Myassumptionwas that and the University of .New to the programmeisAddis Ababa becausethe students areinternet-savvy and Esriprovided awide University(), which recentlyagreed to hostthe 2016 Esri varietyofonline educational materials, theywouldquicklybegin Eastern Africa GISEducation Conference. studyingthe available self-tutorials.” Butwhenuptakewas slow,Professor Onywerebegan developing Kenyatta University an introductoryArcGIStrainingcourse thatwas modelled on the One notable success is KenyattaUniversityinNairobi, . university’sexisting curricula. Establishedin1965, Kenyatta Universitynow has11campuses “Though Ireallydid notanticipatepersonallyteaching GISwhen serving more than 88,000 students.After implementing an Esri I first began this project,Ifoundthat it was necessary. This littleboost

38 October2016|GeoConnexion International Magazine Signing the memorandum of understanding at the Esristaff members Joseph Kerskiand Michael Gould with the Environmental Studies facultyinSeptember 2013 EsriEasternAfrica officesinJune 2012 provided the incentiveand confidencethe staff membersasinterns to assist with his “I am certain that thebreadth of GIS studentsneededtopursuelearningthe training at theuniversity. applications canplayasignificant part technologyontheir own,”saysOnywere. “This really helped us expedite our in helping ourcountry realise thegoals “The pre-training became fundamental to training –bythe endofthe first year,more of Vision2030,”saysOnywere. “Whether thegrowing success of geospatial literacy at than 1,000 Kenyatta Universitystudents it is environmental management, land Kenyatta University.” were able to use ArcGIS,”saysOnywere. reform,increasing agricultureyields,urban Today, GISisusedinmorethan15areas planning,infrastructuredevelopment, and Collaboration of study throughout the universityincluding so on; geospatial technology can helpwith To expand histeaching efforts,Onywere the School of Hospitalityand Tourism analysing theproblem and providing fact- approached the university’s former Institute Management,which is mapping tourism based solutions.” forResearch, Science &Technology that resources in Kenyafor easier planning, had partnered with the International Centre marketing, and research. OUR GOAL IS TO FOSTER of InsectPhysiologyand Ecology(ICIPE) in .The Institutewas workingwith Thefuture SUSTAINABLE GIS ICIPEonits CommunityofExcellence for An overarching objectiveofProfessor ResearchinNeglected Vector-Borne & Onywereistoprepare Kenyatta University CURRICULUMS IN UNIVERSITIES Zoonotic Diseases (CERNVec)initiative.Using students to supportthe government and THROUGHOUT AFRICA GIS, theresearch groupwas tryingtobetter itspeople in achieving the goalsoutlined understandthe spread of these diseases in in KenyaVision2030. This wascreated with order to control them. BecauseCERNVec had the intention of increasingthe qualityoflife, MichaelGouldisglobal education awell-established GIScapability,Onywere socialwellbeing anddemocraticvoice of all manager andJim Baumann is awriter at wasabletoconvince them to providetwo itscitizens. Esri (www.esri.com)

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