Source: EE Publishers, Article: PositionIT
Ngaka Modiri Molema District Municipality (NMMDM) is advocating for the quality production of spatial data, as well as promoting the use of spatial data to inform proper planning, decision making, policy development, and to help enhance basic service delivery through various initiatives, as required by the law, the Spatial Data Infrastructure Act (SDIA) and related legislations.
One of these initiatives was the creation of a GIS road show for rural schools, the first of which took place in 2013. Through multiple partnerships the district was able to reach eight remote schools within a period of four days with a total number of 272 Grade 10 and 11 learners in attendance who were accompanied by twelve Geography teachers, subject specialists, and other officials from the Provincial Department of Education. Educating these rural communicates about spatial information has resulted in a 5 to 6% increase in the pass rate in the subject of Geography in schools which participated in the GIS roadshow. Following demands from within the profession, NMMDM decided to seek support from key role-players in taking this initiative to another level.
As a result from 12 to 16 October 2015, the municipality is hosting another GIS road show which will involve even more stakeholders, and which aims to establish a strong collaboration that will assist capacity building and endorse functional enterprise GIS district wide, and harmonise working relations with other data custodians. With this initiative NMMDM is aiming to take the geomatics profession to local communities, facilitate capacity building for the enhancement of basic service delivery, and source technical expertise as well as monitoring and evaluation. It also aims to pursue resources for the improvement of geospatial tools, ensure skills development and mentorship, and assist the five constituent local municipalities in implementing the recently enacted Spatial Land Use Management Act (16 of 2013) and all the related legislations.
Contact Flora Makgale, Ngaka Modiri Molema District Municipality, Tel 018 381-9400, makgalef@nmmdm.gov.za
