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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