The project is executed by the Geological Survey 
Department, Ministry of Mines, and the German Agency 
for Technical Co-operation (GTZ) on behalf of their 
respective governments. 
In the long term, the establishment of a remote sensing 
centre in Zimbabwe is to contribute towards improved 
utilization of the country’s natural and economic 
development potentials. Furthermore the activities are 
extended beyond the country’s borders to the whole 
Southern African Development Co-ordination Conference 
(SADCC) region. 
The overall objective of the NRSF is the establishment of 
an autonomous, fully operational remote sensing centre, 
based on numerous activities defined by the user 
community. 
Target groups are government X departments, 
non-governmental organisations and the private sector. 
To date, contact has been established with more than 
forty departments and organisations. 
The NRSF has a number of roles to play in the promotion 
and co-ordination of remote sensing activities. It 
maintains contact with all relevant organisations and 
committees in Zimbabwe and actively liaises with other 
users and facilities in the region and overseas. The 
NRSF participates in and facilitates local Zimbabweans 
to participate in international conferences on behalf of the 
user community. It also organises seminars and 
workshops in remote sensing and provides input and 
funding to associated disciplines such as GIS. 
The NRSF is equipped with several PC workstations, 
ERDAS and ARC/INFO software, several input/output 
devices, an Optronics colour  filmwriter, field 
spectrometers and GPS instruments, and hardware for 
data evaluation. In addition, a complete colour photolab 
equipped with enlargers and film and paper processors 
(geared towards Cibachrome P3) is fully staffed and 
operational. 
Initially, pilot projects were carried out to determine the 
extent of the user community's requirement, and to justify 
the large investment. In addition to the high number of 
pilot projects, numerous research and funded projects for 
various disciplines (land use, forestry, mining sector, 
erosion problems) have been carried out during the 
current phase. Computer access, logistics and technical 
as well as scientific support has been given to numerous 
local departments and associated users as well as to 
several researchers from foreign countries such as FRG, 
USA, Sweden and UK. 
Specifically, the NRSF is principally responsible for the 
acquisition, distribution and storage of data as per user 
requirement. The facility will provide a comprehensive 
library of imagery as well as an active consultancy 
service to users. Advice and assistance and the 
formulation and execution of projects is another important 
part of the service. Technical services include photo 
enlargement of images, tape or disc copies of digitised 
data and also film writer output. 
60 
EDUCATION AND RESEARCH 
Intermediate and full diploma courses offered in 
Surveying and in Cartography at the Harare Polytechnic 
include basic courses in photogrammetry and remote 
sensing. Students who have gained excellent results and 
show exceptional aptitude in practise are given the 
opportunity to attend colleges or universities overseas to 
gain higher qualifications. 
The National Remote Sensing Facility provides in-house 
training for remote sensing and geographical information 
systems. Basic and intermediate courses are held about 
3 times a year and in the near future advanced courses 
will also be conducted. Training is organised for image 
processing and interpretation, database construction and 
management, and programming of user defined 
algorithms. 
The N.R.S.F. organises seminars and workshops 
(sometimes in cooperation with the Dept of the 
Surveyor-General) and arranges for its computer and 
photolaboratory technicians to attend formal training 
courses in their respective fields. 
Remote Sensing theses are supported by the N.R.S.F. 
and they will also provide lecture material for various 
courses. 
Research work is done in cooperation with the university 
and applied areas of research include: 
(i) collaboration of local feature, ie. basic reflective 
research 
(ii) integration of remote sensing with other geographic 
data (G.1.S.). 
The University of Zimbabwe's Department of Surveying 
has only been in existence since 1985, with courses in 
Photogrammetry having been offered since 1986. Initially 
the Department held no photogrammetric equipment, and 
practical work was done at the Department of the 
Surveyor-General (DSG). However the following 
equipment has kindly been donated by GTZ: 
« Zeiss E3 Planicart analogue stereoplotter. 
e Zeiss P3 Planicomp Analytical Stereoplotter plus 
accessories (MicroVAX 11 computer, Tektronix 
monitor, PHOCUS, BLUH and BINGO software) 
+ Zeiss EZ4 flatbed plotter 
+ Hewlett Packard DraftMaster 1 AO drum plotter 
In 1991 a short course of two weeks was held at the 
Department at which visiting experts from Germany 
trained Zimbabweans in the use of various software 
packages. 
The Department has had three Photogrammetrists over 
the last six years, as their services have proved 
particularly difficult to retain. At present a staff 
development fellow is completing postgraduate studies in 
Photogrammetry and Cartography at the University of 
Glasgow in the United Kingdom. A technician trained in 
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