[OSGeo Africa] What software is currently used in South Africa tertiary institutions

Serena Coetzee serena.coetzee at up.ac.za
Thu Apr 4 13:23:29 PDT 2024 

Dear all,

apologies if my response appeared to be sarcastic. That was not the
intention at all. I just wanted to confirm what Gavin had written about UP.

Regarding Sindile's inquiry, UP students are exposed to both desktop and
server tools during their studies.

And again, you are most welcome to contact me if you need more information
or want a longer discussion.

Regards,
Serena

On Wed, 3 Apr 2024 at 11:08, Willem Badenhorst <mandalagis at gmail.com> wrote:

> Professor Coetzee, I believe Sindile's inquiry may have been overlooked in
> your response, and it appears somewhat sarcastic. Unfortunately, the
> decision between starting a career with proprietary software or Free and
> Open-Source Software (FOSS), which encompasses an even broader spectrum,
> can incur significant costs in terms of time, money, and effort. This
> dilemma also extends to the choices companies face. I've encountered many
> of your students applying for job opportunities, and those lacking
> experience in our preferred tools make it challenging to consider them
> seriously.
>
>
> *www.mandalagis.com* <http://www.mandalagis.com/>       *www.mandalagis.com/scoutmaster
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>
> *Willem Badenhorst*
>
> PLATO Professional GISc Practitioner, PGP1411
>
> South African Planning Institute, 12578
>
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> On Tue, Apr 2, 2024 at 7:59 PM Serena Coetzee via Africa <
> africa at lists.osgeo.org> wrote:
>
>> Dear Sindile,
>>
>> just to confirm that we use both FOSS and proprietary software in our
>> geoinformatics education at UP, but the focus is on GISc, skills and
>> knowledge, not on pressing buttons in software. You are welcome to contact
>> me if you need more information or want a longer discussion.
>>
>> Regards,
>> Serena
>>
>> Serena Coetzee (GPr GISc 1245)
>> Professor and Head of Department Geography, Geoinformatics and
>> Meteorology, University of Pretoria
>> Geography Building 1-3.7, Hatfield Campus, Lynnwood Road, Hatfield, 0083,
>> South Africa
>> email: serena.coetzee at up.ac.za · Web: www.up.ac.za/ggm · Mobile: +27 82
>> 464 4294 · Tel: +27 12 420 3823
>>
>> On Mon, 1 Apr 2024 at 16:45, Gavin Fleming via Africa <
>> africa at lists.osgeo.org> wrote:
>>
>>> Hi Sindile
>>>
>>> I’ll mention four universities I have some knowledge about in this
>>> context. Forgive me if some of it is outdated.
>>>
>>> UP teaches with a variety of FOSS and proprietary software, with a
>>> significant focus on FOSS like QGIS, GeoServer, OpenLayers and PostGIS. UP
>>> students who’ve interned with us or whom we’ve employed not only know their
>>> GISc but they are immediately productive with the FOSS tools we use and
>>> also seem to have a more ‘open’ mindset, in more ways than one.
>>>
>>> SU used to have the philosophy that ‘we’ll teach proprietary because
>>> that’s what the market uses’. I was invited a couple of times to give a
>>> lecture on FOSS by a FOSS champion there several years ago, just to give
>>> honours students some exposure to alternatives.
>>>
>>> UNISA afaik has moved strongly to FOSS. We participated in some
>>> workshops around that a few years ago.
>>>
>>> The UCT GIS lab several years ago just had proprietary software. The lab
>>> manager came on one of our ‘Enterprise GIS with FOSS courses’ so they could
>>> offer some FOSS alternatives since students were severely constrained by
>>> only being able to do practical work in the lab, during office hours.
>>>
>>> I hope you could make your case for FOSS!
>>>
>>> Gavin
>>>
>>> On 11 Mar 2024, at 17:54, Franko Sokolic via Africa <
>>> africa at lists.osgeo.org> wrote:
>>>
>>> Hi Sindile,
>>>
>>> I teach the GIS component of the MSc in Integrated Water Resource
>>> Management at the University of the Free State and we only use QGIS for the
>>> practical sessions. However, I always emphasize that we are teaching GIS,
>>> not QGIS, and that the theory and techniques we teach are applicable to all
>>> GIS packages. UFS also has licences for ArcGIS and this software is used by
>>> the Geography department amongst others.
>>>
>>> Frank.
>>>
>>> ------------------------------
>>> *From: *"Sindile Bidla via Africa" <africa at lists.osgeo.org>
>>> *To: *"Africa local chapter discussions" <Africa at lists.osgeo.org>
>>> *Cc: *"Sindile Bidla" <sindile.bidla at geoilocate.co.za>
>>> *Sent: *Sunday, 10 March, 2024 10:27:15
>>> *Subject: *[OSGeo Africa] What software is currently used in South
>>> Africa tertiary institutions
>>>
>>> Hello List,
>>>
>>> Does anyone know what software is used by various South African tertiary
>>> institutions that offer a qualification in GIS whether it is accredited by
>>> SAGC or not.
>>> Are students exposed to both desktop and server tools during their
>>> studies?
>>>
>>> An internet search revealed the following institutions offer GIS in
>>> their curricula
>>>
>>> SAGC Accredited
>>> University of Cape Town
>>> University of Stellenbosch
>>> University of Pretoria
>>> Cape Peninsula University of Technology
>>>
>>> Others
>>> University of Johannesburg
>>> University of South Africa
>>> University of Venda
>>> University of Fort Hare
>>> Nelson Mandela University
>>> University of KwaZulu Natal
>>> University of Free State
>>> North West University
>>> University of Witwatersrand
>>>
>>> Thank you for your feedback.
>>>
>>> Regards,
>>> Sindile
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
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