Overview ¶

The American Association of Geographers and U.S. State Department, working through EIS Africa, organized a youth technology camp in South Africa from July 13-23, 2014. Kartoza and its predecessor company Afrispatial directed the technical instruction and educational components of this initiative.

The program combined cultural exchange with practical GIS training centered on climate change as its core theme. “The main goal of the programme was to stimulate the role of Geography in the students and to teach how new technologies are advancing the use of Geography in the real world to solve problems.”

Participants ¶

The University of Pretoria’s Geography Department hosted the event, accommodating thirty-seven high school students aged 15-17. Participants came from diverse backgrounds—ten from the United States and the remainder from South Africa, representing both advantaged and disadvantaged communities, rural and urban areas.

Activities ¶

The students engaged in fieldwork at Freedom Park, Maropeng, Sterkfontein Caves, and Dinokeng. The climate focus examined water concerns around Centurion Lake, including pollution and geological issues. Instructors provided datasets covering satellite imagery, digital elevation models, and OpenStreetMap data via PostGIS and Spatialite databases.

Using QGIS, students learned foundational GIS skills through digitization and basic spatial analysis. During the concluding “TechTorrent,” eight teams presented their week-long research projects incorporating Prezi presentations and ESRI Storymaps alongside QGIS-created maps.

Contributors ¶

Admire Nyakudya and Bridget Fleming