Building capacity in environmental observation science and technology

- Johan Pauw

Anyone who has kept an eye on recent job advertisements in the media would realise that SAEON has entered the steep phase of the growth curve. Indeed, three science jobs have been advertised and the recruitment processes are at different stages of completion. The science community at large and young scientists in particular should take note of the fact that new and exciting careers are opening up. In three years from now we project that SAEON will have some 20 scientists and research technologists on its payroll.

The standard document through which research organisations can sign up for access to the SAEON nodes and agree to make node-derived data freely available through SAEON’s information management system, has just been signed by the University of Stellenbosch, the first organisation to do so.

The SAEON mandate is to establish the core infrastructure for environmental observations and to provide an electronic connection to link the nodes. The concept relies on SAEON participants using the SAEON nodes as observation and research platforms with own funding. The benefits to be derived by a participant are that the participant’s research is subsidised by the availability of infrastructure, it is contextualised by being done on long-term sites with access to a plethora of datasets from a variety of disciplines, and it is legitimate because it is part of a scientifically and politically endorsed national framework.

Naturally, accession of the nodes by an organisation brings some responsibility, such as the sharing of the data and abiding by the rules and procedures of a node, all of which will be binding on the staff, collaborators and students of an organisation. The accession agreement is not intimidating and needs to be signed by all organisations wishing to participate in SAEON.

It is pertinent to comment on the recent approval of the Group on Earth Observation’s (GEO) 2006 work plan, identifying 96 tasks. The DST has invited South African organisations to volunteer for the implementation of some of those tasks. Organisations accepting to do so must mobilise their own resources, somewhat similar to the SAEON situation with regard to its participants.

So far it has been great to see South Africa’s flag flying high in the planning phase of GEO through the DST’s leadership as co-chair, but to continue doing so in the implementing phase, even just nationally, will require additional resources, the source of which may not necessarily be within South Africa.

This would also be the case for other African countries, and if GEO aims to be inclusive of the developing world, it should quickly develop benign processes for making such resources available to those countries.