Strategic architecture for quantity surveying Firms in South Africa
- Mokonenyane, Mofumahatsana Dibuseng
- Authors: Mokonenyane, Mofumahatsana Dibuseng
- Date: 2022-12
- Subjects: Sustainable architecture , Quantity surveyors
- Language: English
- Type: Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/59521 , vital:62149
- Description: Quantity surveying firms are a crucial part of the construction industry because they are involved in the financial aspects of the projects, and their role and benefits have been documented across various studies. Furthermore, they provide services such as estimating, cost control and feasibility studies in numerous industries and these services are not limited to the construction industry. They are crucial in ensuring that the project proceeds according to budget, quality and time. Despite the noted benefits of quantity surveying firms, there has been a noticeable decline in the survival rate of the firms over the past ten years. It has been documented that several external and internal environmental factors affect the firms and thus have caused a decline in the survival rate. The volatility of internal and external forces that affect the industry has formed the basis of this study. Previous studies have failed to highlight the strategies to reduce threats and utilise opportunities. This study aims to establish common internal and external environmental factors affecting quantity surveying firms and determine these firms’ strategic architecture. A qualitative study was conducted using semi-structured interviews to assess the internal and external environment and strategic nature of Quantity surveying firms. In addition, a thematic analysis was administered to identify themes. The themes that arose from the external business environment were technology, political instability, tendering irregularities, lack of availability of work and the practice of green building. The technology theme highlighted the respondents’ views of the technological environment and the role of BIM and other software. Tendering irregularities threatened prospective tenderpreneurs as the respondents viewed the process as flawed and requiring better regulation. Lack of work was highlighted as a further factor. Although not many respondents mentioned this theme, green building is an emerging theme within the South African market. Two main themes were identified in the internal business environment: fee discounting and human resources. Fee discounting refers to the reduction of fees to secure work, while human resources were highlighted as an important factor and are regarded as the fuel that keeps the organisation running. Owing to the varying nature of factors within the external and internal business environment, it was concluded that there is no formal generic strategy that can be utilised to mitigate internal and external environmental factors. The client relationships were highlighted as an important factor, while client relationships were discussed under the balanced scorecard section of the study. The two main themes derived from the balanced scorecard were the financial perspective and client relationships under customer. Increased revenue per customer and venturing into new markets were the main themes mentioned within the financial perspective. The importance of nurturing client relationships was identified as an important factor under the customer section of the balanced scorecard. iii | P a g e The findings of this study will assist the stakeholders within the built environment in determining common internal and external environmental issues facing the industry. The recommendation will assist stakeholders in establishing probable solutions that can be implemented to overcome these challenges. , Thesis (MA) -- Faculty of Engineering, the Built Environment, and Technology, 2022
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2022-12
- Authors: Mokonenyane, Mofumahatsana Dibuseng
- Date: 2022-12
- Subjects: Sustainable architecture , Quantity surveyors
- Language: English
- Type: Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/59521 , vital:62149
- Description: Quantity surveying firms are a crucial part of the construction industry because they are involved in the financial aspects of the projects, and their role and benefits have been documented across various studies. Furthermore, they provide services such as estimating, cost control and feasibility studies in numerous industries and these services are not limited to the construction industry. They are crucial in ensuring that the project proceeds according to budget, quality and time. Despite the noted benefits of quantity surveying firms, there has been a noticeable decline in the survival rate of the firms over the past ten years. It has been documented that several external and internal environmental factors affect the firms and thus have caused a decline in the survival rate. The volatility of internal and external forces that affect the industry has formed the basis of this study. Previous studies have failed to highlight the strategies to reduce threats and utilise opportunities. This study aims to establish common internal and external environmental factors affecting quantity surveying firms and determine these firms’ strategic architecture. A qualitative study was conducted using semi-structured interviews to assess the internal and external environment and strategic nature of Quantity surveying firms. In addition, a thematic analysis was administered to identify themes. The themes that arose from the external business environment were technology, political instability, tendering irregularities, lack of availability of work and the practice of green building. The technology theme highlighted the respondents’ views of the technological environment and the role of BIM and other software. Tendering irregularities threatened prospective tenderpreneurs as the respondents viewed the process as flawed and requiring better regulation. Lack of work was highlighted as a further factor. Although not many respondents mentioned this theme, green building is an emerging theme within the South African market. Two main themes were identified in the internal business environment: fee discounting and human resources. Fee discounting refers to the reduction of fees to secure work, while human resources were highlighted as an important factor and are regarded as the fuel that keeps the organisation running. Owing to the varying nature of factors within the external and internal business environment, it was concluded that there is no formal generic strategy that can be utilised to mitigate internal and external environmental factors. The client relationships were highlighted as an important factor, while client relationships were discussed under the balanced scorecard section of the study. The two main themes derived from the balanced scorecard were the financial perspective and client relationships under customer. Increased revenue per customer and venturing into new markets were the main themes mentioned within the financial perspective. The importance of nurturing client relationships was identified as an important factor under the customer section of the balanced scorecard. iii | P a g e The findings of this study will assist the stakeholders within the built environment in determining common internal and external environmental issues facing the industry. The recommendation will assist stakeholders in establishing probable solutions that can be implemented to overcome these challenges. , Thesis (MA) -- Faculty of Engineering, the Built Environment, and Technology, 2022
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2022-12
An information privacy compliance model based on configurable software objects
- Authors: Kandeh, Agbor Takang
- Date: 2022-04
- Subjects: Software protection , Software configuration management
- Language: English
- Type: Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/58374 , vital:59052
- Description: South Africa’s Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA), Act 4 of 2013 requires that organisations enforce information privacy rules in technology systems handling personally identifiable information (PII). This is in line with other national and regional information privacy legislations across the world. However, the absence of a coherent way to implement this legislation, in the form of software objects in technology systems, has created a gap in organisations around the world. To bridge this gap, this thesis proposes a compliance model based on a conceptual framework, a design framework, and a software-based prototype. The objective of this model is to test how best to enforce information privacy regulations in technology systems handling personally identifiable information. The proposed conceptual framework views information privacy compliance as a context-driven reality enforced by configurable software objects. To refine the conceptual framework, a design framework and a software-based prototype was developed using the design science research methodology as the theoretical construct and the UML ontology language and object-oriented programming paradigms as the underpinning practical construct. This prototype will assist organisational stakeholders in understanding and visualising the theoretical and practical constructs of handling personally identifiable information as software objects in technology systems. The design and implementation of this prototype resulted in some practical and theoretical recommendations. These include the adoption of a decision model notation (DMN) as a formal standard to manage privacy rules and the creation of a context-aware privacy compliance zone (CAP). However, the main contribution of this thesis is a reusable conceptual and contextual design framework and a prototype through which POPIA rules, or those of any similar information privacy law, such as the European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), can be encapsulated into software objects used in technology systems to ease compliance with information privacy regulations. , Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Engineering, the Built Environment, and Technology, 2022
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2022-04
- Authors: Kandeh, Agbor Takang
- Date: 2022-04
- Subjects: Software protection , Software configuration management
- Language: English
- Type: Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/58374 , vital:59052
- Description: South Africa’s Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA), Act 4 of 2013 requires that organisations enforce information privacy rules in technology systems handling personally identifiable information (PII). This is in line with other national and regional information privacy legislations across the world. However, the absence of a coherent way to implement this legislation, in the form of software objects in technology systems, has created a gap in organisations around the world. To bridge this gap, this thesis proposes a compliance model based on a conceptual framework, a design framework, and a software-based prototype. The objective of this model is to test how best to enforce information privacy regulations in technology systems handling personally identifiable information. The proposed conceptual framework views information privacy compliance as a context-driven reality enforced by configurable software objects. To refine the conceptual framework, a design framework and a software-based prototype was developed using the design science research methodology as the theoretical construct and the UML ontology language and object-oriented programming paradigms as the underpinning practical construct. This prototype will assist organisational stakeholders in understanding and visualising the theoretical and practical constructs of handling personally identifiable information as software objects in technology systems. The design and implementation of this prototype resulted in some practical and theoretical recommendations. These include the adoption of a decision model notation (DMN) as a formal standard to manage privacy rules and the creation of a context-aware privacy compliance zone (CAP). However, the main contribution of this thesis is a reusable conceptual and contextual design framework and a prototype through which POPIA rules, or those of any similar information privacy law, such as the European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), can be encapsulated into software objects used in technology systems to ease compliance with information privacy regulations. , Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Engineering, the Built Environment, and Technology, 2022
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2022-04
Applying insights from machine learning towards guidelines for the detection of text-based fake news
- Authors: Ngada, Okuhle
- Date: 2021-12
- Subjects: Machine learning , Fake News
- Language: English
- Type: Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/60243 , vital:64141
- Description: Web-based technologies have fostered an online environment where information can be disseminated in a fast and cost-effective manner whilst targeting large and diverse audiences. Unfortunately, the rise and evolution of web-based technologies have also created an environment where false information, commonly referred to as “fake news”, spreads rapidly. The effects of this spread can be catastrophic. Finding solutions to the problem of fake news is complicated for a myriad of reasons, such as: what is defined as fake news, the lack of quality datasets available to researchers, the topics covered in such data, and the fact that datasets exist in a variety of languages. The effects of false information dissemination can result in reputational damage, financial damage to affected brands, and ultimately, misinformed online news readers who can make misinformed decisions. The objective of the study is to propose a set of guidelines that can be used by other system developers to implement misinformation detection tools and systems. The guidelines are constructed using findings from the experimentation phase of the project and information uncovered in the literature review conducted as part of the study. A selection of machine and deep learning approaches are examined to test the applicability of cues that could separate fake online articles from real online news articles. Key performance metrics such as precision, recall, accuracy, F1-score, and ROC are used to measure the performance of the selected machine learning and deep learning models. To demonstrate the practicality of the guidelines and allow for reproducibility of the research, each guideline provides background information relating to the identified problem, a solution to the problem through pseudocode, code excerpts using the Python programming language, and points of consideration that may assist with the implementation. , Thesis (MA) --Faculty of Engineering, the Built Environment, and Technology, 2021
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2021-12
Applying insights from machine learning towards guidelines for the detection of text-based fake news
- Authors: Ngada, Okuhle
- Date: 2021-12
- Subjects: Machine learning , Fake News
- Language: English
- Type: Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/60243 , vital:64141
- Description: Web-based technologies have fostered an online environment where information can be disseminated in a fast and cost-effective manner whilst targeting large and diverse audiences. Unfortunately, the rise and evolution of web-based technologies have also created an environment where false information, commonly referred to as “fake news”, spreads rapidly. The effects of this spread can be catastrophic. Finding solutions to the problem of fake news is complicated for a myriad of reasons, such as: what is defined as fake news, the lack of quality datasets available to researchers, the topics covered in such data, and the fact that datasets exist in a variety of languages. The effects of false information dissemination can result in reputational damage, financial damage to affected brands, and ultimately, misinformed online news readers who can make misinformed decisions. The objective of the study is to propose a set of guidelines that can be used by other system developers to implement misinformation detection tools and systems. The guidelines are constructed using findings from the experimentation phase of the project and information uncovered in the literature review conducted as part of the study. A selection of machine and deep learning approaches are examined to test the applicability of cues that could separate fake online articles from real online news articles. Key performance metrics such as precision, recall, accuracy, F1-score, and ROC are used to measure the performance of the selected machine learning and deep learning models. To demonstrate the practicality of the guidelines and allow for reproducibility of the research, each guideline provides background information relating to the identified problem, a solution to the problem through pseudocode, code excerpts using the Python programming language, and points of consideration that may assist with the implementation. , Thesis (MA) --Faculty of Engineering, the Built Environment, and Technology, 2021
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2021-12
Usable Security Heuristics for Instant Messaging Application Development
- Authors: Van Niekerk, Craig Michael
- Date: 2022-04
- Subjects: Application software -- Development
- Language: English
- Type: Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/58506 , vital:59655
- Description: As instant messaging (IM) applications have become more popular, the privacy and security concerns associated with their usage has become ever more relevant. As with many software programs, IM applications have a history of security vulnerabilities. Although IM application usage is globally increasing, it has been found that currently no generally recognised standards exist to aid IM application developers when developing the usability of the security features they implement. The problem is further exacerbated as research suggests that typical users have neither the requisite understanding of the available IM security features, nor the capacity to make full use of those protection features. The primary objective of this study is to create a set of usable security heuristics to assist developers of instant messaging applications to consider the usability of the security features implemented in these applications. This primary objective is further divided into several secondary objectives, which collectively aim to address the proposed problem. Therefore, the secondary objectives are to determine IM security risks and their related implications on users; to identify and investigate existing security and usability heuristics, guidelines, standards and best practices for mobile application development; to map the identified security and usability heuristics, guidelines, standards and best practices to IM applications; and to develop a prototype to demonstrate the applicability of the proposed usable security heuristics to a typical IM application. First, a comprehensive literature study is used to determine and understand the information security threats relevant to IM applications, how IM applications operate, the security features implemented by IM applications and the potential impact the relevant information security threats could have on IM application users. Thereafter, a further literature review and content analysis are used to identify and investigate existing heuristics, guidelines, standards, and best practices for mobile application development. The findings from the content analysis, in combination with the previously identified threats to IM applications, are then mapped to IM applications, and a preliminary set of usable security heuristics for IM application development is established. This preliminary set of usable security heuristics undergoes multiple iterations of refinement to establish the proposed set of usable security heuristics for IM application development. Furthermore, an expert review is conducted to validate the proposed set of usable security heuristics from the perspectives of security, usability, and mobile application development. In addition, the expert review was also used to determine the efficacy, utility, and quality of the proposed usable security heuristics. To further validate the proposed heuristics, a proof-of-concept prototype is used, in addition to the expert review, to demonstrate the applicability of the proposed set of usable security heuristics to a typical IM application. Such a set of usable security heuristics would be useful for IM application developers and would result in the vi improved implementation of usable security, leading to an improvement in the security of IM applications. The proposed set of usable security heuristics therefore adds a further contribution to this research area, providing a solid foundation for future research. , Thesis (MA) -- Faculty of Engineering, the Built Environment, and Technology, 2022
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2022-04
- Authors: Van Niekerk, Craig Michael
- Date: 2022-04
- Subjects: Application software -- Development
- Language: English
- Type: Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/58506 , vital:59655
- Description: As instant messaging (IM) applications have become more popular, the privacy and security concerns associated with their usage has become ever more relevant. As with many software programs, IM applications have a history of security vulnerabilities. Although IM application usage is globally increasing, it has been found that currently no generally recognised standards exist to aid IM application developers when developing the usability of the security features they implement. The problem is further exacerbated as research suggests that typical users have neither the requisite understanding of the available IM security features, nor the capacity to make full use of those protection features. The primary objective of this study is to create a set of usable security heuristics to assist developers of instant messaging applications to consider the usability of the security features implemented in these applications. This primary objective is further divided into several secondary objectives, which collectively aim to address the proposed problem. Therefore, the secondary objectives are to determine IM security risks and their related implications on users; to identify and investigate existing security and usability heuristics, guidelines, standards and best practices for mobile application development; to map the identified security and usability heuristics, guidelines, standards and best practices to IM applications; and to develop a prototype to demonstrate the applicability of the proposed usable security heuristics to a typical IM application. First, a comprehensive literature study is used to determine and understand the information security threats relevant to IM applications, how IM applications operate, the security features implemented by IM applications and the potential impact the relevant information security threats could have on IM application users. Thereafter, a further literature review and content analysis are used to identify and investigate existing heuristics, guidelines, standards, and best practices for mobile application development. The findings from the content analysis, in combination with the previously identified threats to IM applications, are then mapped to IM applications, and a preliminary set of usable security heuristics for IM application development is established. This preliminary set of usable security heuristics undergoes multiple iterations of refinement to establish the proposed set of usable security heuristics for IM application development. Furthermore, an expert review is conducted to validate the proposed set of usable security heuristics from the perspectives of security, usability, and mobile application development. In addition, the expert review was also used to determine the efficacy, utility, and quality of the proposed usable security heuristics. To further validate the proposed heuristics, a proof-of-concept prototype is used, in addition to the expert review, to demonstrate the applicability of the proposed set of usable security heuristics to a typical IM application. Such a set of usable security heuristics would be useful for IM application developers and would result in the vi improved implementation of usable security, leading to an improvement in the security of IM applications. The proposed set of usable security heuristics therefore adds a further contribution to this research area, providing a solid foundation for future research. , Thesis (MA) -- Faculty of Engineering, the Built Environment, and Technology, 2022
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2022-04
Investigating Architecture Related to Animals in Captivity Through the Design of a Rhino Sanctuary in the Kruger National Park
- Authors: Kaene, Hansen Mark
- Date: 2020-09
- Subjects: Kruger National Park (South Africa) , Rhinoceroses
- Language: English
- Type: Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/59040 , vital:60258
- Description: Throughout history, animals have been domesticated and held captive in the interests of man. Animal captivity dates back to Ancient Egypt, however, as humanity has developed and further understood animals, their nature, importance and habitational needs, we have been able to appreciate and respect the value of each living thing that shares our planet alongside us. Humanity has progressed in its realisation that, our own species, is not so much superior to all living things, as it is one small, but very dominant part, of a larger system. This furthered understanding has altered the nature of animal captivity, no longer serving only the purposes of entertainment and observation, but also the interests of safeguarding and protecting our natural environment and all those that reside within it. The emergence of new technologies has advanced man’s ability to study and observe animals within their natural habitat, allowing study of the animals free of the limitations and impact of captivity on their psychological state. Harmful cultural beliefs and black market trade, have depleted the planet’s animal populations at an alarming rate, to the point that we can no longer sit idle while our rich natural resources and ecosystems are being devastated solely for economic gain. The efforts, interventions and support offered by African governments have fallen short in terms of the protection and rehabilitation of one of our continent’s most iconic large fauna, the rhinoceros. The war against illegal poaching has been taken up by private individuals. The cost of such efforts, however, weighs heavily on those who attempt to tackle the situation. To address these challenges, wildlife sanctuaries have developed safe havens for animals that have fallen victim to the illegal black-market trade. The design, construction and establishment of rhino sanctuaries is subject to specific legislation and prescribed regulations and standards for meeting the habitational requirements of the various sub-species of rhino. From an architectural standpoint, the narrative of an archi-type for ‘sanctuary’ has not yet been fully developed, as the high costs to private owners of game farms keeping rhinos - for those who have taken it upon themselves to provide for their shelter and enclosure - necessitate that such be undertaken using the most cost-effective means and approach through which to attain regulatory compliance. This treatise explores the narratives of the idealistic architectural approach to designing enclosures for the safeguard of wildlife species. Sanctuaries are designed to accommodate species-specific needs. The species of focus is the African black rhinoceros, the numbers of which, alongside its family of other sub-species, have been devastated by poachers and the black market trade to point of near extinction. The treatise explores the narratives of the ‘restrictive’ and ‘non-restrictive’ senses of animals in captivity through the programme of a sanctuary for black rhino. The aim of the treatise is to understand the specific requirements relating to a species’ natural habitat, and to adopt these principles in the design of an enclosure type that provides security and rehabilitation facilities within a non-stressful and safe environment through architectural intervention. The approach finds anchor in the narrative concerned with those conditions idealistic for a ‘cultural environment’ in which man and animal may dwell together in mutual harmony. This narrative focuses on the phenomenon of the natural versus the man-made, in order to understand meaning, identity and place within the programme of architectural design for wildlife. The Kruger National park exists as the largest natural reserve on the African continent and is situated at the frontlines of the illegal black market trade of rhino horn. This provides an ideal context within which the treatise explores the animal enclosure conceptually and towards serving the needs and requirements for the re-release of a rhino back into its natural habitat post-injury. The architectural intervention is to understand place, meaning and identity through the spatial implications of indigenous Sotho patterns and principles – those of a people whose understanding of context and culture have shaped the orientation of traditional settlements within a natural landscape. The physical form of the architectural intervention is derived from the existing natural materials found within the context of the treatise study, and from making use of affordable, eco-friendly methods and modes of construction. The treatise aspires to identify a new strategy and architectural type for the design of a wildlife sanctuary for poached and orphaned black rhino within an African context. II. , Thesis (MA) -- Faculty of Engineering, the Built Environment, and Technology, 2020
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2020-09
- Authors: Kaene, Hansen Mark
- Date: 2020-09
- Subjects: Kruger National Park (South Africa) , Rhinoceroses
- Language: English
- Type: Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/59040 , vital:60258
- Description: Throughout history, animals have been domesticated and held captive in the interests of man. Animal captivity dates back to Ancient Egypt, however, as humanity has developed and further understood animals, their nature, importance and habitational needs, we have been able to appreciate and respect the value of each living thing that shares our planet alongside us. Humanity has progressed in its realisation that, our own species, is not so much superior to all living things, as it is one small, but very dominant part, of a larger system. This furthered understanding has altered the nature of animal captivity, no longer serving only the purposes of entertainment and observation, but also the interests of safeguarding and protecting our natural environment and all those that reside within it. The emergence of new technologies has advanced man’s ability to study and observe animals within their natural habitat, allowing study of the animals free of the limitations and impact of captivity on their psychological state. Harmful cultural beliefs and black market trade, have depleted the planet’s animal populations at an alarming rate, to the point that we can no longer sit idle while our rich natural resources and ecosystems are being devastated solely for economic gain. The efforts, interventions and support offered by African governments have fallen short in terms of the protection and rehabilitation of one of our continent’s most iconic large fauna, the rhinoceros. The war against illegal poaching has been taken up by private individuals. The cost of such efforts, however, weighs heavily on those who attempt to tackle the situation. To address these challenges, wildlife sanctuaries have developed safe havens for animals that have fallen victim to the illegal black-market trade. The design, construction and establishment of rhino sanctuaries is subject to specific legislation and prescribed regulations and standards for meeting the habitational requirements of the various sub-species of rhino. From an architectural standpoint, the narrative of an archi-type for ‘sanctuary’ has not yet been fully developed, as the high costs to private owners of game farms keeping rhinos - for those who have taken it upon themselves to provide for their shelter and enclosure - necessitate that such be undertaken using the most cost-effective means and approach through which to attain regulatory compliance. This treatise explores the narratives of the idealistic architectural approach to designing enclosures for the safeguard of wildlife species. Sanctuaries are designed to accommodate species-specific needs. The species of focus is the African black rhinoceros, the numbers of which, alongside its family of other sub-species, have been devastated by poachers and the black market trade to point of near extinction. The treatise explores the narratives of the ‘restrictive’ and ‘non-restrictive’ senses of animals in captivity through the programme of a sanctuary for black rhino. The aim of the treatise is to understand the specific requirements relating to a species’ natural habitat, and to adopt these principles in the design of an enclosure type that provides security and rehabilitation facilities within a non-stressful and safe environment through architectural intervention. The approach finds anchor in the narrative concerned with those conditions idealistic for a ‘cultural environment’ in which man and animal may dwell together in mutual harmony. This narrative focuses on the phenomenon of the natural versus the man-made, in order to understand meaning, identity and place within the programme of architectural design for wildlife. The Kruger National park exists as the largest natural reserve on the African continent and is situated at the frontlines of the illegal black market trade of rhino horn. This provides an ideal context within which the treatise explores the animal enclosure conceptually and towards serving the needs and requirements for the re-release of a rhino back into its natural habitat post-injury. The architectural intervention is to understand place, meaning and identity through the spatial implications of indigenous Sotho patterns and principles – those of a people whose understanding of context and culture have shaped the orientation of traditional settlements within a natural landscape. The physical form of the architectural intervention is derived from the existing natural materials found within the context of the treatise study, and from making use of affordable, eco-friendly methods and modes of construction. The treatise aspires to identify a new strategy and architectural type for the design of a wildlife sanctuary for poached and orphaned black rhino within an African context. II. , Thesis (MA) -- Faculty of Engineering, the Built Environment, and Technology, 2020
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2020-09
Towards the provision of relevant, Secondary schools building types through the design of a high schools STEM Centre in Zwide, Nelson Mandela Bay
- Authors: Burger, Sean
- Date: 2020-09
- Subjects: Landscape architecture -- Nelson Mandela Bay
- Language: English
- Type: Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/59194 , vital:60279
- Description: The topic of education in South Africa has always been an area of much debate and contention. The quality of education environments provided in townships in generally always lacking as these facilities are composed of a standardized set of functions. As a result of a budget constraints and poor resources management, most schools lack the required specialised facilities to provide for a full learning experience. With a focus on the development specialised skills in the field of science, mathematics technology and engineering, learners attending these schools are unable to complete with those ore more affluent schools , Thesis (MA) -- Faculty of Engineering, the Built Environment, and Technology, 2020
- Full Text: false
- Date Issued: 2020-09
- Authors: Burger, Sean
- Date: 2020-09
- Subjects: Landscape architecture -- Nelson Mandela Bay
- Language: English
- Type: Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/59194 , vital:60279
- Description: The topic of education in South Africa has always been an area of much debate and contention. The quality of education environments provided in townships in generally always lacking as these facilities are composed of a standardized set of functions. As a result of a budget constraints and poor resources management, most schools lack the required specialised facilities to provide for a full learning experience. With a focus on the development specialised skills in the field of science, mathematics technology and engineering, learners attending these schools are unable to complete with those ore more affluent schools , Thesis (MA) -- Faculty of Engineering, the Built Environment, and Technology, 2020
- Full Text: false
- Date Issued: 2020-09
An ICT framework to support a patient-centric approach in public healthcare : A case study of Malawi
- Authors: Pankomera, Richard
- Date: 2022-04
- Subjects: Technological innovations -- Malawi
- Language: English
- Type: Doctor's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/58462 , vital:59285
- Description: The proliferation of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) worldwide has enhanced the amelioration of the quality of healthcare services. There is evidence that the adoption of electronic health (e-health) and mobile health (m-health) technologies has transformed the healthcare domain by improving the efficiency of healthcare service delivery. Digitising health ecosystems has culminated in increased access to healthcare services, even for remote rural areas. The application of ICTs in the healthcare sector has reduced the overall costs of healthcare services. However, developing countries, such as Malawi, face a plethora of challenges in implementing ICT initiatives in the public health sector. Although Malawi deploys several e-health systems, most are fragmented and, therefore, not interoperable. In addition, many m-health interventions are still in the pilot phase, and the Government does not manage them centrally. These challenges are further exacerbated by a lack of appropriate policy and regulatory framework, insufficient human capacity and development, inadequate financial resources, and poor ICT governance in the public healthcare sector. Furthermore, the current provider-centred approach to healthcare service delivery does not fully meet the needs of health consumers. It is, therefore, not surprising that the dearth of an ICT framework for patient-centric healthcare services has made coordination and management of ICT interventions less sustainable, less health consumer-centric and less cost-effective. Unlike the provider-centred approach, patient-centric healthcare empowers health consumers with health information to control their own health and well-being. A patient-centric healthcare approach provides treatment and care to health consumers based on their preferences, values, and beliefs. It is, therefore, cost-effective as it takes a preventive approach rather than a curative one. An ICT framework is proposed to support patient-centric healthcare services in the public healthcare sector in Malawi. A comprehensive literature review and analysis was succinctly conducted to gain an understanding of the Malawi health landscape and patient healthcare approaches. Semi-structured interviews were also undertaken to solicit information from various key v stakeholders such as policymakers, software developers, health consumers, and healthcare providers. Design science research paradigm coupled with pragmatism was then followed to develop the ICT framework, which will ultimately support patient-centric healthcare services in the public sector in Malawi. This methodology assists in solving social problems in a specific context by providing technology-based solutions in the form of an artefact. Experts in various disciplines domiciled in Malawi validated the ICT framework, as an artefact, for its relevance and applicability. The results showed that the framework is appropriate and relevant in the public healthcare sector in Malawi. This study contributes to design science research methodology as it addressed the improvement quadrant described by Gregor and Hevner. It also contributes to the existing body of knowledge by providing a design science artefact in the form of an ICT framework. It is envisaged that the proposed ICT framework will assist the Ministry of Health and other key stakeholders in providing quality patient-centric healthcare services in the public healthcare in Malawi. , Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Engineering, the Built Environment, and Technology, 2022
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2022-04
An ICT framework to support a patient-centric approach in public healthcare : A case study of Malawi
- Authors: Pankomera, Richard
- Date: 2022-04
- Subjects: Technological innovations -- Malawi
- Language: English
- Type: Doctor's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/58462 , vital:59285
- Description: The proliferation of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) worldwide has enhanced the amelioration of the quality of healthcare services. There is evidence that the adoption of electronic health (e-health) and mobile health (m-health) technologies has transformed the healthcare domain by improving the efficiency of healthcare service delivery. Digitising health ecosystems has culminated in increased access to healthcare services, even for remote rural areas. The application of ICTs in the healthcare sector has reduced the overall costs of healthcare services. However, developing countries, such as Malawi, face a plethora of challenges in implementing ICT initiatives in the public health sector. Although Malawi deploys several e-health systems, most are fragmented and, therefore, not interoperable. In addition, many m-health interventions are still in the pilot phase, and the Government does not manage them centrally. These challenges are further exacerbated by a lack of appropriate policy and regulatory framework, insufficient human capacity and development, inadequate financial resources, and poor ICT governance in the public healthcare sector. Furthermore, the current provider-centred approach to healthcare service delivery does not fully meet the needs of health consumers. It is, therefore, not surprising that the dearth of an ICT framework for patient-centric healthcare services has made coordination and management of ICT interventions less sustainable, less health consumer-centric and less cost-effective. Unlike the provider-centred approach, patient-centric healthcare empowers health consumers with health information to control their own health and well-being. A patient-centric healthcare approach provides treatment and care to health consumers based on their preferences, values, and beliefs. It is, therefore, cost-effective as it takes a preventive approach rather than a curative one. An ICT framework is proposed to support patient-centric healthcare services in the public healthcare sector in Malawi. A comprehensive literature review and analysis was succinctly conducted to gain an understanding of the Malawi health landscape and patient healthcare approaches. Semi-structured interviews were also undertaken to solicit information from various key v stakeholders such as policymakers, software developers, health consumers, and healthcare providers. Design science research paradigm coupled with pragmatism was then followed to develop the ICT framework, which will ultimately support patient-centric healthcare services in the public sector in Malawi. This methodology assists in solving social problems in a specific context by providing technology-based solutions in the form of an artefact. Experts in various disciplines domiciled in Malawi validated the ICT framework, as an artefact, for its relevance and applicability. The results showed that the framework is appropriate and relevant in the public healthcare sector in Malawi. This study contributes to design science research methodology as it addressed the improvement quadrant described by Gregor and Hevner. It also contributes to the existing body of knowledge by providing a design science artefact in the form of an ICT framework. It is envisaged that the proposed ICT framework will assist the Ministry of Health and other key stakeholders in providing quality patient-centric healthcare services in the public healthcare in Malawi. , Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Engineering, the Built Environment, and Technology, 2022
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2022-04
Investigating the use of Biophilic Principles in Rehabilitative Environments: The Design of a New Correctional Facility for Nelson Mandela Bay
- Authors: De villiers, Jaun
- Date: 2020-09
- Subjects: Correctional institution -- Nelson Mandela Bay , Rehabilitation technology
- Language: English
- Type: Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/59005 , vital:60255
- Description: South African correctional facilities are riddled with issues such as overcrowding and high recidivism rates. Recidivism refers to the tendency of a convicted criminal to re-offend once released. This is mainly due to the lack of rehabilitative programmes and infrastructure to aid in rehabilitating a convict to not reoffend and to earn an honest living. With unemployment being a significant factor in South Africa, society intentionally makes it more difficult to find employment if one has a criminal record. We should consider the fact that today’s prisoners are tomorrow’s neighbours. Therefore rehabilitation in correctional facilities should be the most important part of the incarceration programme (Cox, 2013). Many South African prisoners experience conditions such as being locked up for 23 hours a day in a cell crammed with two to three times more the number of inmates the facility is capacitated for with little to no access to the natural environment. Thomas Ouard, architect and PhD at the Nantes School of Architecture in France, indicated that there is a direct relationship between a prisoner’s psychological health and the surroundings perceived by the prisoner on a daily basis and that the opportunity to experience landscapes and vegetation, even though large windows, can significantly aid the mental health of inmates (Ouard, 2015). Additionally, Dr Söderlund, the current chairperson of Biophilic Cities Australia, proved through her research that physiological evidence indicates that biophilic principles applied in prisons, through patterns of vegetative areas and organic architectural patterns, can greatly aid in rehabilitating prisoners and can contribute to relaxation, stress relief, and feelings of refuge and peace (Söderlund & Newman, 2017). There are four levels of security in South African prisons: supermaximum, maximum, medium, and minimum-security. Generally, medium- and minimum-security prisons attempt to explore rehabilitative programmes the most. South African prison facilities are often located on the outskirts of a town, which causes difficulties for family and friends to visit inmates. The facilities also struggle with expenses regarding access to essential services, lack of operational medical staff, costly transfers of prisoners, and procurement of supplies and food stock (United Nations Office for Project Services [UNOPS], 2016). However, 21st-century prisons contain modern technologies and advanced security systems that allow modern correctional facilities to be incorporated into an urban environment (Ricci, 2006). This treatise therefore aimed to establish a 21st-century mediumsecurity prison in an urban environment that incorporates principles of biophilia as constituent to rehabilitation. The facility will be focused on rehabilitation in order to reduce recidivism, and, ultimately, in the long run, will lead to a facility that is populated within its capacity. To meet the aim of this study, the following objectives were set: to establish a set of architectural principles and theories that will act as design drivers focused on the rehabilitation of incarcerated individuals, and to reduce the operational costs of the design of a new correctional facility. This can be achieved by amending the facility with an urban agricultural component through biophilic principles to explore horticultural therapeutic activities that will aid in rehabilitating convicts and aid as an additional food supply, which can also be a form of income for the facility. The project includes sustainable and regenerative approaches that respond to the environment and provide additional infrastructure to the facility in terms of water, gas, and electricity. It is important to note that it will be nearly impossible for one new correctional facility to address all the difficulties that South African facilities face. However, the facility intends to act as a new paradigm of knowledge that can be applied to future facilities in South Africa. , Thesis (MA) -- Faculty of Engineering, the Built Environment, and Technology, 2020
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2020-09
- Authors: De villiers, Jaun
- Date: 2020-09
- Subjects: Correctional institution -- Nelson Mandela Bay , Rehabilitation technology
- Language: English
- Type: Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/59005 , vital:60255
- Description: South African correctional facilities are riddled with issues such as overcrowding and high recidivism rates. Recidivism refers to the tendency of a convicted criminal to re-offend once released. This is mainly due to the lack of rehabilitative programmes and infrastructure to aid in rehabilitating a convict to not reoffend and to earn an honest living. With unemployment being a significant factor in South Africa, society intentionally makes it more difficult to find employment if one has a criminal record. We should consider the fact that today’s prisoners are tomorrow’s neighbours. Therefore rehabilitation in correctional facilities should be the most important part of the incarceration programme (Cox, 2013). Many South African prisoners experience conditions such as being locked up for 23 hours a day in a cell crammed with two to three times more the number of inmates the facility is capacitated for with little to no access to the natural environment. Thomas Ouard, architect and PhD at the Nantes School of Architecture in France, indicated that there is a direct relationship between a prisoner’s psychological health and the surroundings perceived by the prisoner on a daily basis and that the opportunity to experience landscapes and vegetation, even though large windows, can significantly aid the mental health of inmates (Ouard, 2015). Additionally, Dr Söderlund, the current chairperson of Biophilic Cities Australia, proved through her research that physiological evidence indicates that biophilic principles applied in prisons, through patterns of vegetative areas and organic architectural patterns, can greatly aid in rehabilitating prisoners and can contribute to relaxation, stress relief, and feelings of refuge and peace (Söderlund & Newman, 2017). There are four levels of security in South African prisons: supermaximum, maximum, medium, and minimum-security. Generally, medium- and minimum-security prisons attempt to explore rehabilitative programmes the most. South African prison facilities are often located on the outskirts of a town, which causes difficulties for family and friends to visit inmates. The facilities also struggle with expenses regarding access to essential services, lack of operational medical staff, costly transfers of prisoners, and procurement of supplies and food stock (United Nations Office for Project Services [UNOPS], 2016). However, 21st-century prisons contain modern technologies and advanced security systems that allow modern correctional facilities to be incorporated into an urban environment (Ricci, 2006). This treatise therefore aimed to establish a 21st-century mediumsecurity prison in an urban environment that incorporates principles of biophilia as constituent to rehabilitation. The facility will be focused on rehabilitation in order to reduce recidivism, and, ultimately, in the long run, will lead to a facility that is populated within its capacity. To meet the aim of this study, the following objectives were set: to establish a set of architectural principles and theories that will act as design drivers focused on the rehabilitation of incarcerated individuals, and to reduce the operational costs of the design of a new correctional facility. This can be achieved by amending the facility with an urban agricultural component through biophilic principles to explore horticultural therapeutic activities that will aid in rehabilitating convicts and aid as an additional food supply, which can also be a form of income for the facility. The project includes sustainable and regenerative approaches that respond to the environment and provide additional infrastructure to the facility in terms of water, gas, and electricity. It is important to note that it will be nearly impossible for one new correctional facility to address all the difficulties that South African facilities face. However, the facility intends to act as a new paradigm of knowledge that can be applied to future facilities in South Africa. , Thesis (MA) -- Faculty of Engineering, the Built Environment, and Technology, 2020
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2020-09
Greening Ndlambe Village
- Authors: Vithi-Masiza, Noluthando
- Date: 2022-04
- Subjects: Climatic changes , Sustainable development
- Language: English
- Type: Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/58396 , vital:59082
- Description: In 1994 the new democratic government of South Africa introduced the Reconstruction and Development Programme (RDP) which was aimed at massive infrastructure expansion. Tackling the housing crisis has been encountered by growing demands for low carbon footprint, reduced use of non-renewable resources and as part of the green agenda. In line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the South African government set a variety of objectives aimed at achieving an environmentally sustainable future for all. While South Africa has embraced green economy principles, tested integrated approaches are still to be seen in housing construction. This study sought to explore the greening of Ndlambe green village in the Port Alfred area in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. To achieve the study objectives, a qualitative research approach was used, employing the case study research strategy and primary data was collected by means of focus groups. Community members, engineers, environmentalists and town planners constituted the study sample. Secondary data sources were also used in this study, along with field observation. The collected data was analysed using the thematic analysis technique. Findings from the study revealed that community members perceived Green village initiative as important and is required in South Africa given the challenges that are experienced such as energy consumption load shedding, water shortages. The economic value proposition of green building is measured through two different lenses, namely economic profit and social profit. The municipalities must take a leading role in by forming policies supporting environmentally friendly activities, with building being one crucial area. Recommendations from the study proposed that partnerships involving communities, private companies, the government and other various interest groups are imperative in order to accelerating the green building agenda. The government must be challenges to develop sustainable funding solutions for a green economy. Lastly, increased awareness about green building among the society may also drive better acceptability and ultimately, a strong social reputation. , Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Engineering, the Built Environment, and Technology, 2022
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2022-04
- Authors: Vithi-Masiza, Noluthando
- Date: 2022-04
- Subjects: Climatic changes , Sustainable development
- Language: English
- Type: Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/58396 , vital:59082
- Description: In 1994 the new democratic government of South Africa introduced the Reconstruction and Development Programme (RDP) which was aimed at massive infrastructure expansion. Tackling the housing crisis has been encountered by growing demands for low carbon footprint, reduced use of non-renewable resources and as part of the green agenda. In line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the South African government set a variety of objectives aimed at achieving an environmentally sustainable future for all. While South Africa has embraced green economy principles, tested integrated approaches are still to be seen in housing construction. This study sought to explore the greening of Ndlambe green village in the Port Alfred area in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. To achieve the study objectives, a qualitative research approach was used, employing the case study research strategy and primary data was collected by means of focus groups. Community members, engineers, environmentalists and town planners constituted the study sample. Secondary data sources were also used in this study, along with field observation. The collected data was analysed using the thematic analysis technique. Findings from the study revealed that community members perceived Green village initiative as important and is required in South Africa given the challenges that are experienced such as energy consumption load shedding, water shortages. The economic value proposition of green building is measured through two different lenses, namely economic profit and social profit. The municipalities must take a leading role in by forming policies supporting environmentally friendly activities, with building being one crucial area. Recommendations from the study proposed that partnerships involving communities, private companies, the government and other various interest groups are imperative in order to accelerating the green building agenda. The government must be challenges to develop sustainable funding solutions for a green economy. Lastly, increased awareness about green building among the society may also drive better acceptability and ultimately, a strong social reputation. , Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Engineering, the Built Environment, and Technology, 2022
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2022-04
Investigating the Contemporary Role of Traditional Civic Building Types through The Design of a Public Library in Hlotse Town,Leribe,Lesotho
- Authors: Falatsi, Sera E.
- Date: 2020-09
- Subjects: Sustainable architecture -- Hlotse Town -- Lesotho , Industrialized building -- Hlotse Town -- Lesotho
- Language: English
- Type: Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/58983 , vital:60253
- Description: This treatise aims to design a public library in a small town of Hlotse, Leribe, Lesotho and to investigate the role of a public contemporary building in a city. This came after realising that there are no public facilities that act as places of civic entertainment or formal community encores but, rather they perform specific functions while public interactions take place in informal courtyards in town and in open spaces. This treatise explores the issues involved in the desighn of a public library, first by investigating on the transition of public libraries, moving from transitional to relational libraries then exploration of criteria to be a civic icon. The research conducted further touches on how technology impacted the architectural design as well as public libraries’ role. This together with the site context and Hlotse culture ( of sense of collection) has provided a unique response in developing an architectural design. Precedent studies are selected based on the nature of this treatise’s aim and the contexts which they are situated in, relevent to Hlotse. Architectural intervention will focus on creating a public positive urban space connecting the site, informal market and the taxi rank as well as responding to the lack of greenspaces. , Thesis (MA) -- Faculty of Engineering, the Built Environment, and Technology, 2020
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2020-09
- Authors: Falatsi, Sera E.
- Date: 2020-09
- Subjects: Sustainable architecture -- Hlotse Town -- Lesotho , Industrialized building -- Hlotse Town -- Lesotho
- Language: English
- Type: Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/58983 , vital:60253
- Description: This treatise aims to design a public library in a small town of Hlotse, Leribe, Lesotho and to investigate the role of a public contemporary building in a city. This came after realising that there are no public facilities that act as places of civic entertainment or formal community encores but, rather they perform specific functions while public interactions take place in informal courtyards in town and in open spaces. This treatise explores the issues involved in the desighn of a public library, first by investigating on the transition of public libraries, moving from transitional to relational libraries then exploration of criteria to be a civic icon. The research conducted further touches on how technology impacted the architectural design as well as public libraries’ role. This together with the site context and Hlotse culture ( of sense of collection) has provided a unique response in developing an architectural design. Precedent studies are selected based on the nature of this treatise’s aim and the contexts which they are situated in, relevent to Hlotse. Architectural intervention will focus on creating a public positive urban space connecting the site, informal market and the taxi rank as well as responding to the lack of greenspaces. , Thesis (MA) -- Faculty of Engineering, the Built Environment, and Technology, 2020
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2020-09
A structural model for sustainable growth of the south African business process outsourcing sector
- Authors: Chinhamo, Edmore
- Date: 2022-04
- Subjects: Outsourcing sector , Contracting out -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/58306 , vital:58970
- Description: he total size of the South African Business Process Outsourcing sector is not growing as quickly as other global BPO locations like the Philippines and India. The sector has been identified by the South African government as a key sector for economic growth and for reducing unemployment. Reviewed frameworks are not exhaustive in providing a framework that is suitable for countries with an apartheid history like South Africa, so, the main aim of this study has been, therefore, to develop a structural model for sustainable growth of the South African BPO sector. The research was two phased: Firstly, it interrogated existing theories and models on BPO growth to identify variables for BPO growth. The variables were identified as talent pool, infrastructure, accessibility, lower costs, and legislative framework. The relationships between variables were hypothesised. The reviewed literature discussed the global economy and traced the origins of outsourcing as rooted in the advent of Information Technology and computer-enabled production which enabled fragmented processes which could be in any part of the world. The literature showed that competition for markets, coupled with a glut of products on the market, forced creativity which resulted in companies seeking operations in low-cost locations. The first popular locations for BPO operations were India and the Philippines, with emerging locations, like South Africa, positioning themselves to tap into this global development. Secondly, a quantitative study was performed using a web-based questionnaire which was sent to a sample of BPO executives in the BPO value chain in South Africa to test relationships among between variables. The results of the study showed statistically significant relationships between talent pool, infrastructure, lower costs, accessibility and legislative framework with BPO growth, albeit with varying degrees of strength. Contrary to popular belief, lower costs are no longer the most important driver of BPO location choice. Accessibility and legislative framework have also been confirmed by data as variables affecting BPO growth. After the computation of the relationships, the research concluded that the model developed is a good fit for BPO growth. , Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Engineering, the Built Environment, and Technology, 2022
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2022-04
- Authors: Chinhamo, Edmore
- Date: 2022-04
- Subjects: Outsourcing sector , Contracting out -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/58306 , vital:58970
- Description: he total size of the South African Business Process Outsourcing sector is not growing as quickly as other global BPO locations like the Philippines and India. The sector has been identified by the South African government as a key sector for economic growth and for reducing unemployment. Reviewed frameworks are not exhaustive in providing a framework that is suitable for countries with an apartheid history like South Africa, so, the main aim of this study has been, therefore, to develop a structural model for sustainable growth of the South African BPO sector. The research was two phased: Firstly, it interrogated existing theories and models on BPO growth to identify variables for BPO growth. The variables were identified as talent pool, infrastructure, accessibility, lower costs, and legislative framework. The relationships between variables were hypothesised. The reviewed literature discussed the global economy and traced the origins of outsourcing as rooted in the advent of Information Technology and computer-enabled production which enabled fragmented processes which could be in any part of the world. The literature showed that competition for markets, coupled with a glut of products on the market, forced creativity which resulted in companies seeking operations in low-cost locations. The first popular locations for BPO operations were India and the Philippines, with emerging locations, like South Africa, positioning themselves to tap into this global development. Secondly, a quantitative study was performed using a web-based questionnaire which was sent to a sample of BPO executives in the BPO value chain in South Africa to test relationships among between variables. The results of the study showed statistically significant relationships between talent pool, infrastructure, lower costs, accessibility and legislative framework with BPO growth, albeit with varying degrees of strength. Contrary to popular belief, lower costs are no longer the most important driver of BPO location choice. Accessibility and legislative framework have also been confirmed by data as variables affecting BPO growth. After the computation of the relationships, the research concluded that the model developed is a good fit for BPO growth. , Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Engineering, the Built Environment, and Technology, 2022
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2022-04
Memory in the Ecosystem of the City: The Design of a Funerary Landscape in Shark River Valley, Port Elizabeth
- Authors: Ritchie, Brittney
- Date: 2020-09
- Subjects: Archaeological landscape -- Port Elizabeth , Cemeteries , Shark River Valley, Port Elizabeth
- Language: English
- Type: Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/59139 , vital:60267
- Description: This thesis evolved from an inherent fascination with the architecture of funerary landscapes. Funerary structures can be regarded as the first architectural interventions and provide a fundamental perspective of how societies dealt with death and its meaning. Architecture has manifested in this type for many years, for many reasons and in many different expressions. Monolithic burial mounds of the Neolithic age, the pyramids of Giza and the mausoleums of the classical era are typical examples of funerary landscapes. The architecture of contemporary funerary landscapes, however, does not display characteristics similar to those of their predecessors. Contemporary funerary landscapes appear to be dissociated from their environment and motivated by efficiency rather than any attempt to reflect and embrace the deeper processes of death and mourning. Subsequently, these landscapes lack identity and the notion of meaning, appearing derelict, dull and forgotten by society. There is a common approach, particularly in South Africa, of displacing these landscapes to the peripheries of cities, further exacerbating the divide between society and the roles and rituals of death. This approach is a paradox to the ecological paradigm of our time. In order to address this issue and understand funerary landscapes as type, this study firstly explored various relevant theoretical aspects as well as examples of successful funerary landscapes around the world. The typical cemetery with its inherent problems provided an opportunity for this study to respond constructively through an architectural design, taking into consideration the function of the funeral, the process of grief and the concern of re-integrating the funerary landscape into the ecosystem of the city. Then, an appropriate site was chosen in the city of Port Elizabeth for the design of a funerary landscape. In order to explore the established set of principles, this thesis proposed a funerary landscape as a place of both memorial and recreation within a delicate ecosystem in an underutilised urban park of Port Elizabeth; Shark River Valley. This design aimed to integrate with both the natural environment and the surrounding built fabric, encouraging interaction with the rich cultural and natural heritage the city has to offer. The ambition is for this funerary landscape to become a narrative journey, framing a series of experiences which will bring people together, reconciling society and encourage them to embrace and cope with death in a meaningful way. , Thesis (MA) -- Faculty of Engineering, the Built Environment, and Technology, 2020
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2020-09
- Authors: Ritchie, Brittney
- Date: 2020-09
- Subjects: Archaeological landscape -- Port Elizabeth , Cemeteries , Shark River Valley, Port Elizabeth
- Language: English
- Type: Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/59139 , vital:60267
- Description: This thesis evolved from an inherent fascination with the architecture of funerary landscapes. Funerary structures can be regarded as the first architectural interventions and provide a fundamental perspective of how societies dealt with death and its meaning. Architecture has manifested in this type for many years, for many reasons and in many different expressions. Monolithic burial mounds of the Neolithic age, the pyramids of Giza and the mausoleums of the classical era are typical examples of funerary landscapes. The architecture of contemporary funerary landscapes, however, does not display characteristics similar to those of their predecessors. Contemporary funerary landscapes appear to be dissociated from their environment and motivated by efficiency rather than any attempt to reflect and embrace the deeper processes of death and mourning. Subsequently, these landscapes lack identity and the notion of meaning, appearing derelict, dull and forgotten by society. There is a common approach, particularly in South Africa, of displacing these landscapes to the peripheries of cities, further exacerbating the divide between society and the roles and rituals of death. This approach is a paradox to the ecological paradigm of our time. In order to address this issue and understand funerary landscapes as type, this study firstly explored various relevant theoretical aspects as well as examples of successful funerary landscapes around the world. The typical cemetery with its inherent problems provided an opportunity for this study to respond constructively through an architectural design, taking into consideration the function of the funeral, the process of grief and the concern of re-integrating the funerary landscape into the ecosystem of the city. Then, an appropriate site was chosen in the city of Port Elizabeth for the design of a funerary landscape. In order to explore the established set of principles, this thesis proposed a funerary landscape as a place of both memorial and recreation within a delicate ecosystem in an underutilised urban park of Port Elizabeth; Shark River Valley. This design aimed to integrate with both the natural environment and the surrounding built fabric, encouraging interaction with the rich cultural and natural heritage the city has to offer. The ambition is for this funerary landscape to become a narrative journey, framing a series of experiences which will bring people together, reconciling society and encourage them to embrace and cope with death in a meaningful way. , Thesis (MA) -- Faculty of Engineering, the Built Environment, and Technology, 2020
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2020-09
Automated machine learning plankton taxonomy pipeline
- Authors: Du Toit, Ian Charles
- Date: 2022-04
- Subjects: machine learning , Plankton -- Ecology
- Language: English
- Type: Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/58363 , vital:59003
- Description: Plankton taxonomy is considered a multi-class classification problem. The current state-of-the-art developments in machine learning and phytoplankton taxonomy, such as MorphoCluster, include using a convolutional neural network as a feature extractor and Hierarchical Density-Based Clustering for the classification of plankton and identification of outliers. These convolutional feature extraction algorithms achieved accuracies of 0.78 during the classification process. However, these feature extraction models are trained on clean datasets. They perform very well when analysing previously encountered and well-defined classes but do not perform well when tested on raw datasets expected in field deployment. Raw plankton datasets are unbalanced; whereas some classes only have one or two samples, others can have thousands. They also exhibit many inter-class similarities with significant size differences. The data can also be in the form of low-resolution, noisy images. Phytoplankton species are also highly biodiverse, meaning that there is always a higher chance of a network encountering unknown sample types. Some samples, such as the various body parts of organisms, are easily confused with the species itself. Marine experts classifying plankton tend to group ambiguous samples according to the highest order to which they are confident they belong. This system leads to a dataset containing conflicting classes and forces the feature extraction network to overfit when training. This research aims to address these spatial issues and present a feature extraction methodology built upon existing research and novel concepts. The proposed algorithm uses feature extraction methods designed around real-world sample sets and offers an alternative approach to optimizing the features extracted and supplied to the clustering algorithm. The proposed feature extraction methods achieved scores of 0.821 when tested on the same datasets as the general feature extractor. The algorithm also consists of Auxiliary SoftMax classification branches which indicate the class prediction obtained by the feature extraction models. These branches allow for autonomous labelling of the clusters formed during the HDBSCAN algorithm being performed on the extracted features. This results in a fully automated semi-supervised plankton taxonomy pipeline which achieves a classification score of 0.775 on a real-life sample set. , Thesis (MA) -- Faculty of Engineering, the Built Environment, and Technology, 2022
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2022-04
- Authors: Du Toit, Ian Charles
- Date: 2022-04
- Subjects: machine learning , Plankton -- Ecology
- Language: English
- Type: Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/58363 , vital:59003
- Description: Plankton taxonomy is considered a multi-class classification problem. The current state-of-the-art developments in machine learning and phytoplankton taxonomy, such as MorphoCluster, include using a convolutional neural network as a feature extractor and Hierarchical Density-Based Clustering for the classification of plankton and identification of outliers. These convolutional feature extraction algorithms achieved accuracies of 0.78 during the classification process. However, these feature extraction models are trained on clean datasets. They perform very well when analysing previously encountered and well-defined classes but do not perform well when tested on raw datasets expected in field deployment. Raw plankton datasets are unbalanced; whereas some classes only have one or two samples, others can have thousands. They also exhibit many inter-class similarities with significant size differences. The data can also be in the form of low-resolution, noisy images. Phytoplankton species are also highly biodiverse, meaning that there is always a higher chance of a network encountering unknown sample types. Some samples, such as the various body parts of organisms, are easily confused with the species itself. Marine experts classifying plankton tend to group ambiguous samples according to the highest order to which they are confident they belong. This system leads to a dataset containing conflicting classes and forces the feature extraction network to overfit when training. This research aims to address these spatial issues and present a feature extraction methodology built upon existing research and novel concepts. The proposed algorithm uses feature extraction methods designed around real-world sample sets and offers an alternative approach to optimizing the features extracted and supplied to the clustering algorithm. The proposed feature extraction methods achieved scores of 0.821 when tested on the same datasets as the general feature extractor. The algorithm also consists of Auxiliary SoftMax classification branches which indicate the class prediction obtained by the feature extraction models. These branches allow for autonomous labelling of the clusters formed during the HDBSCAN algorithm being performed on the extracted features. This results in a fully automated semi-supervised plankton taxonomy pipeline which achieves a classification score of 0.775 on a real-life sample set. , Thesis (MA) -- Faculty of Engineering, the Built Environment, and Technology, 2022
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2022-04
A reasonably practicable health and safety programme for micro contractors in the South African construction industry
- Authors: Munnoo, Sanjay
- Date: 2022-04
- Subjects: Industrial safety -- South Africa , Construction industry -- Safety measures , South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/58418 , vital:59198
- Description: Micro contractors (MCs) in construction are pivotal to the growth of the South African economy. The South African construction industry has world-class H&S legislation and regulation; however, frequent accidents occur at an alarmingly high level. Accident statistics presented in this thesis paint a worrying picture of a vicious cycle of recurrent accidents and injuries in the South African construction industry. Whilst governments planned National Development Programme will provide opportunities for MCs, in hindsight there’s dire need to have solid foundation of H&S development prior to MCs expanding operations into small and medium sized enterprises. The grouping of very small contractors into MCs under the definition of Schedule 1 of the National Small Business Act (NSBA) may result in fewer Health & Safety (H&S) initiatives aimed at the MCs, given the turnover limit has a maximum of R10 million per annum. The topic incorporated ’reasonably practicable’, to identify what MCs currently know, and ought to know, about the hazards or risks on construction sites, and then develop a pragmatic framework to eliminate or minimise risk. MCs generally did not understand H&S regulations hence carried out tasks for the sake of compliance. Punitive measures and enforcement of H&S regulations have done little to reduce the number of accidents. The study provided context for management and employees at MCs to approach H&S in a logical approach without circumventing H&S regulations. The challenges affecting MCs determined that there’s need for specialised H&S legislation and regulation to be developed for MCs that factors socio-economic challenges of literacy, skills, affordability, and poverty. Consequently, structured methods of support by stakeholders in the form of support and mentorship would result in a significant improvement of MCs’ H&S performance. Standards such as the ISO 45001:2018 state that it can be implemented for all size of construction firms. Whilst this standard may be suitable for MCs in developed countries there exists a vacuum in terms of its applicability to MCs in South Africa. The main objective was to develop a framework for MCs that will help to reduce accidents while simultaneously improving sustainability and service delivery. ii The research adopted an interpretivism philosophical position, which is reliant on people's views and conduct. The research applied deductive reasoning by survey technique and to construct a theory of H&S issues and corrective measures through research questions. The study adopted a mixed method research approach using a survey sent to the members of the South African Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (Saiosh), persons registered with the South African South African Council for the Project and Construction Management Professions (SACPCMP), and members of the Association of Construction Health and Safety Management (ACHSAM), and using the thematic analysis of data from 16 interviews representatives of member organisations, H&S consultants, and PCs. Accident statistics obtained from the Federated Employers Mutual Assurance (FEM) were also analysed. The study findings indicate that a reasonably practicable H&S programme must be developed for MCs due to the ‘onerous’ requirements arising from the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHS Act) and Construction Regulations (CR). The study determined that it would be unaffordable for MCs to implement and maintain the ISO 45001:2018 standard. H&S practices at MCs under guidance of a H&S practitioner can be deemed to be undertaken frequently, as opposed to infrequently, however, new entrant MCs struggled to comply with H&S legislation and regulations and that has resulted in a H&S culture being generally non-existent or difficult to establish. The significance of this study lies in the recommendations that are proposed. Effective H&S in MCs require greater support from the Department of Employment and Labour (DEL), member organisations and the PCs in construction. The study proposes that a national H&S logbook be set up to record H&S compliance and accidents at MCs. Furthermore, a phased approach should be instituted for improving H&S. These phases should include phase one, for new entrant MCs from zero to three years, phase two for MCs during the development and growth phase from three to five years, and MCs deemed competent with H&S should be encouraged or required to train and mentor new entrant MCs. , Thesis (MA) -- Faculty of Engineering, the Built Environment, and Technology, 2022
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2022-04
- Authors: Munnoo, Sanjay
- Date: 2022-04
- Subjects: Industrial safety -- South Africa , Construction industry -- Safety measures , South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/58418 , vital:59198
- Description: Micro contractors (MCs) in construction are pivotal to the growth of the South African economy. The South African construction industry has world-class H&S legislation and regulation; however, frequent accidents occur at an alarmingly high level. Accident statistics presented in this thesis paint a worrying picture of a vicious cycle of recurrent accidents and injuries in the South African construction industry. Whilst governments planned National Development Programme will provide opportunities for MCs, in hindsight there’s dire need to have solid foundation of H&S development prior to MCs expanding operations into small and medium sized enterprises. The grouping of very small contractors into MCs under the definition of Schedule 1 of the National Small Business Act (NSBA) may result in fewer Health & Safety (H&S) initiatives aimed at the MCs, given the turnover limit has a maximum of R10 million per annum. The topic incorporated ’reasonably practicable’, to identify what MCs currently know, and ought to know, about the hazards or risks on construction sites, and then develop a pragmatic framework to eliminate or minimise risk. MCs generally did not understand H&S regulations hence carried out tasks for the sake of compliance. Punitive measures and enforcement of H&S regulations have done little to reduce the number of accidents. The study provided context for management and employees at MCs to approach H&S in a logical approach without circumventing H&S regulations. The challenges affecting MCs determined that there’s need for specialised H&S legislation and regulation to be developed for MCs that factors socio-economic challenges of literacy, skills, affordability, and poverty. Consequently, structured methods of support by stakeholders in the form of support and mentorship would result in a significant improvement of MCs’ H&S performance. Standards such as the ISO 45001:2018 state that it can be implemented for all size of construction firms. Whilst this standard may be suitable for MCs in developed countries there exists a vacuum in terms of its applicability to MCs in South Africa. The main objective was to develop a framework for MCs that will help to reduce accidents while simultaneously improving sustainability and service delivery. ii The research adopted an interpretivism philosophical position, which is reliant on people's views and conduct. The research applied deductive reasoning by survey technique and to construct a theory of H&S issues and corrective measures through research questions. The study adopted a mixed method research approach using a survey sent to the members of the South African Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (Saiosh), persons registered with the South African South African Council for the Project and Construction Management Professions (SACPCMP), and members of the Association of Construction Health and Safety Management (ACHSAM), and using the thematic analysis of data from 16 interviews representatives of member organisations, H&S consultants, and PCs. Accident statistics obtained from the Federated Employers Mutual Assurance (FEM) were also analysed. The study findings indicate that a reasonably practicable H&S programme must be developed for MCs due to the ‘onerous’ requirements arising from the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHS Act) and Construction Regulations (CR). The study determined that it would be unaffordable for MCs to implement and maintain the ISO 45001:2018 standard. H&S practices at MCs under guidance of a H&S practitioner can be deemed to be undertaken frequently, as opposed to infrequently, however, new entrant MCs struggled to comply with H&S legislation and regulations and that has resulted in a H&S culture being generally non-existent or difficult to establish. The significance of this study lies in the recommendations that are proposed. Effective H&S in MCs require greater support from the Department of Employment and Labour (DEL), member organisations and the PCs in construction. The study proposes that a national H&S logbook be set up to record H&S compliance and accidents at MCs. Furthermore, a phased approach should be instituted for improving H&S. These phases should include phase one, for new entrant MCs from zero to three years, phase two for MCs during the development and growth phase from three to five years, and MCs deemed competent with H&S should be encouraged or required to train and mentor new entrant MCs. , Thesis (MA) -- Faculty of Engineering, the Built Environment, and Technology, 2022
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2022-04
Residential private property valuation accuracy in south Africa: A case study of Knysna in the Western Cape province
- Authors: Qusheka, Siphokazi
- Date: 2022-12
- Subjects: Real property -- Valuation -- Knysna , Right of property -- Knysna
- Language: English
- Type: Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/59876 , vital:62482
- Description: a Department of Building and Real Estate, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong b Faculty of Built Environment, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia Property valuation end-users generally rely on property value opinion provided by valuers in making informed real estate investment decisions. However, the inaccuracy of valuation estimates could be attributed to the adoption of inappropriate property valuation methods and such inaccurate estimates could mislead real estate investors and stakeholders. This could result in individual loss and national loss due to the importance of the real estate sector to the national economy. , Thesis (MA) -- Faculty of Engineering, the Built Environment, and Technology, 2022
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2022-12
- Authors: Qusheka, Siphokazi
- Date: 2022-12
- Subjects: Real property -- Valuation -- Knysna , Right of property -- Knysna
- Language: English
- Type: Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/59876 , vital:62482
- Description: a Department of Building and Real Estate, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong b Faculty of Built Environment, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia Property valuation end-users generally rely on property value opinion provided by valuers in making informed real estate investment decisions. However, the inaccuracy of valuation estimates could be attributed to the adoption of inappropriate property valuation methods and such inaccurate estimates could mislead real estate investors and stakeholders. This could result in individual loss and national loss due to the importance of the real estate sector to the national economy. , Thesis (MA) -- Faculty of Engineering, the Built Environment, and Technology, 2022
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2022-12
The Implementation of Indigenous Knowledge Systems in Contemporary Healthcare Facilities: The Design of a Research Hospital for Mbombela Systems
- Authors: Marule, Neo Allan
- Date: 2020-09
- Subjects: Ethnoscience -- Mbombela , Traditional ecological knowledge --- Mbombela
- Language: English
- Type: Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/59062 , vital:60260
- Description: The following treatise emerged from the issue of a lack of research hospitals that deal with Indigenous medicinal herbal plant remedies as a more holistic approach to health and healing. Indigenous knowledge systems from South Africa emphasize the patients’ psychological, biological, spiritual, and sociological well-being as directly impacting the patient’s healing process. Over the years, there has been a lack of research and the promotion of the use of Indigenous medicinal herbal plant remedies in South Africa’s existing “western” healthcare system. Existing “western” healthcare facilities (hospital) infrastructure in South Africa places minimal emphasis on spiritual, psychological, biological, and sociological well-being, which is observed in South Africa’s Indigenous knowledge healthcare system, that has existed before the establishment of “western” healthcare system in South Africa. Architecturally, this treatise aims to generate a research hospital design that has an understanding of South Africa’s Indigenous knowledge healthcare system, which directly impact the architecture and which is unique (critical regionalism) to the region of Mbombela city. Furthermore, it uses health and wellness principles as the drivers, along with biophilic design principles, to achieve a more holistic and integrated environment for patients and working staff. These architectural theories use a holistic approach to healthcare that has been in practice for several years in the indigenous knowledge healthcare system within South Africa. Critical regionalism is investigated as a theoretical model that will be used to generate a unique architecture for Mbombela city. The concept of the Indigenous knowledge healthcare system and the physical and spatial implications are examined on how they affect architecture. Furthermore, health and wellness theories and principles, along with biophilic design principles, are investigated as the theoretical and conceptual framework that will inform the design of innovative research-based hospitals for Mbombela city. Investigations on hospitals, (plant) research facilities and conservatory are examined via architectural precedents studies that will inform the understanding of the nature of the new building type and its various spatial and physical issues. An appropriate precinct and site within Mbombela city have been identified based on a list of site selection criteria and contextual analysis of the precinct. Furthermore, analysis of the contexts at various scale and understanding the climatic conditions of Mbombela city will facilitate the generation of contextual constraints and informants that will inform the building's design. This treatise will conclude with a design proposal for a new innovative research hospital for the city of Mbombela that is established from understanding the city’s unique architectural character, understanding the concept of traditional Indigenous healing knowledge system, and health and wellness, biophilic principles that support the holistic approach to healing which is found in Indigenous healing knowledge system. , Thesis (MA) -- Faculty of Engineering, the Built Environment, and Technology, 2020
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2020-09
- Authors: Marule, Neo Allan
- Date: 2020-09
- Subjects: Ethnoscience -- Mbombela , Traditional ecological knowledge --- Mbombela
- Language: English
- Type: Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/59062 , vital:60260
- Description: The following treatise emerged from the issue of a lack of research hospitals that deal with Indigenous medicinal herbal plant remedies as a more holistic approach to health and healing. Indigenous knowledge systems from South Africa emphasize the patients’ psychological, biological, spiritual, and sociological well-being as directly impacting the patient’s healing process. Over the years, there has been a lack of research and the promotion of the use of Indigenous medicinal herbal plant remedies in South Africa’s existing “western” healthcare system. Existing “western” healthcare facilities (hospital) infrastructure in South Africa places minimal emphasis on spiritual, psychological, biological, and sociological well-being, which is observed in South Africa’s Indigenous knowledge healthcare system, that has existed before the establishment of “western” healthcare system in South Africa. Architecturally, this treatise aims to generate a research hospital design that has an understanding of South Africa’s Indigenous knowledge healthcare system, which directly impact the architecture and which is unique (critical regionalism) to the region of Mbombela city. Furthermore, it uses health and wellness principles as the drivers, along with biophilic design principles, to achieve a more holistic and integrated environment for patients and working staff. These architectural theories use a holistic approach to healthcare that has been in practice for several years in the indigenous knowledge healthcare system within South Africa. Critical regionalism is investigated as a theoretical model that will be used to generate a unique architecture for Mbombela city. The concept of the Indigenous knowledge healthcare system and the physical and spatial implications are examined on how they affect architecture. Furthermore, health and wellness theories and principles, along with biophilic design principles, are investigated as the theoretical and conceptual framework that will inform the design of innovative research-based hospitals for Mbombela city. Investigations on hospitals, (plant) research facilities and conservatory are examined via architectural precedents studies that will inform the understanding of the nature of the new building type and its various spatial and physical issues. An appropriate precinct and site within Mbombela city have been identified based on a list of site selection criteria and contextual analysis of the precinct. Furthermore, analysis of the contexts at various scale and understanding the climatic conditions of Mbombela city will facilitate the generation of contextual constraints and informants that will inform the building's design. This treatise will conclude with a design proposal for a new innovative research hospital for the city of Mbombela that is established from understanding the city’s unique architectural character, understanding the concept of traditional Indigenous healing knowledge system, and health and wellness, biophilic principles that support the holistic approach to healing which is found in Indigenous healing knowledge system. , Thesis (MA) -- Faculty of Engineering, the Built Environment, and Technology, 2020
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2020-09
The non-completion of construction projects: a case study relative to the department of public works in the Eastern Cape province
- Authors: Cweya, Luvuyo Gladsone
- Date: 2022-04
- Subjects: Construction projects -- Eastern Cape , Public Works -- Eastern Cape
- Language: English
- Type: Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/58317 , vital:58975
- Description: The aim of this study was to investigate why construction projects during the delivery of infrastructure by DPW were not completed. The research 's goals were as follows: (i) to identify the major causes of the non-completion of infrastructure projects; (ii) to identify the reasons for the lack of the provision of adequate budgeting for proper project execution; (iii) to influence and inform the industry role players on the appointment of emerging contractors. The focus was only on public sector projects, and projects which undertake to use the JBCC 2000 Principal Building Agreement (various versions) in the Eastern Cape Province. For the study the research method adopted was a mixed methodological approach. The sample population is made up of DPW program managers, who are responsible for executing infrastructure programs and consultants such as architects, quantity surveyors and contractors. Eastern Cape Provincial Treasury, and the Department of Public Works (DPW) are required to carefully evaluate infrastructure projects for budget planning, and processes. The lack of formal preparation for emerging contractors in the form of seminars, presentations, and lectures was a significant weakness to improve new contractors' skill. DPW does not have a dedicated emerging contractors support programme. The main recommendation is that Eastern Cape Provincial Treasury, and the Department of Public Works should carefully evaluate infrastructure projects for budget planning and budget allocation. The aim is to address the problems leading to late payment of contractors. Moreover, DPW should have a dedicated emerging contractors support programme. , Thesis (MA) -- Faculty of Engineering, the Built Environment, and Technology, 2022
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2022-04
- Authors: Cweya, Luvuyo Gladsone
- Date: 2022-04
- Subjects: Construction projects -- Eastern Cape , Public Works -- Eastern Cape
- Language: English
- Type: Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/58317 , vital:58975
- Description: The aim of this study was to investigate why construction projects during the delivery of infrastructure by DPW were not completed. The research 's goals were as follows: (i) to identify the major causes of the non-completion of infrastructure projects; (ii) to identify the reasons for the lack of the provision of adequate budgeting for proper project execution; (iii) to influence and inform the industry role players on the appointment of emerging contractors. The focus was only on public sector projects, and projects which undertake to use the JBCC 2000 Principal Building Agreement (various versions) in the Eastern Cape Province. For the study the research method adopted was a mixed methodological approach. The sample population is made up of DPW program managers, who are responsible for executing infrastructure programs and consultants such as architects, quantity surveyors and contractors. Eastern Cape Provincial Treasury, and the Department of Public Works (DPW) are required to carefully evaluate infrastructure projects for budget planning, and processes. The lack of formal preparation for emerging contractors in the form of seminars, presentations, and lectures was a significant weakness to improve new contractors' skill. DPW does not have a dedicated emerging contractors support programme. The main recommendation is that Eastern Cape Provincial Treasury, and the Department of Public Works should carefully evaluate infrastructure projects for budget planning and budget allocation. The aim is to address the problems leading to late payment of contractors. Moreover, DPW should have a dedicated emerging contractors support programme. , Thesis (MA) -- Faculty of Engineering, the Built Environment, and Technology, 2022
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2022-04
A Model for Recommending Related Research Papers: A Natural Language Processing Approach
- Authors: Van Heerden, Juandre Anton
- Date: 2022-04
- Subjects: Electronic information resources , Research
- Language: English
- Type: Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/58495 , vital:59651
- Description: The volume of information generated lately has led to information overload, which has impacted researchers’ decision-making capabilities. Researchers have access to a variety of digital libraries to retrieve information. Digital libraries often offer access to a number of journal articles and books. Although digital libraries have search mechanisms it still takes much time to find related research papers. The main aim of this study was to develop a model that uses machine learning techniques to recommend related research papers. The conceptual model was informed by literature on recommender systems in other domains. Furthermore, a literature survey on machine learning techniques helped to identify candidate techniques that could be used. The model comprises four phases. These phases are completed twice, the first time for learning from the data and the second time when a recommendation is sought. The four phases are: (1) identify and remove stopwords, (2) stemming the data, (3) identify the topics for the model, and (4) measuring similarity between documents. The model is implemented and demonstrated using a prototype to recommend research papers using a natural language processing approach. The prototype underwent three iterations. The first iteration focused on understanding the problem domain by exploring how recommender systems and related techniques work. The second iteration focused on pre-processing techniques, topic modeling and similarity measures of two probability distributions. The third iteration focused on refining the prototype, and documenting the lessons learned throughout the process. Practical lessons were learned while finalising the model and constructing the prototype. These practical lessons should help to identify opportunities for future research. , Thesis (MA) -- Faculty of Engineering, the Built Environment, and Technology, 2022
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2022-04
- Authors: Van Heerden, Juandre Anton
- Date: 2022-04
- Subjects: Electronic information resources , Research
- Language: English
- Type: Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/58495 , vital:59651
- Description: The volume of information generated lately has led to information overload, which has impacted researchers’ decision-making capabilities. Researchers have access to a variety of digital libraries to retrieve information. Digital libraries often offer access to a number of journal articles and books. Although digital libraries have search mechanisms it still takes much time to find related research papers. The main aim of this study was to develop a model that uses machine learning techniques to recommend related research papers. The conceptual model was informed by literature on recommender systems in other domains. Furthermore, a literature survey on machine learning techniques helped to identify candidate techniques that could be used. The model comprises four phases. These phases are completed twice, the first time for learning from the data and the second time when a recommendation is sought. The four phases are: (1) identify and remove stopwords, (2) stemming the data, (3) identify the topics for the model, and (4) measuring similarity between documents. The model is implemented and demonstrated using a prototype to recommend research papers using a natural language processing approach. The prototype underwent three iterations. The first iteration focused on understanding the problem domain by exploring how recommender systems and related techniques work. The second iteration focused on pre-processing techniques, topic modeling and similarity measures of two probability distributions. The third iteration focused on refining the prototype, and documenting the lessons learned throughout the process. Practical lessons were learned while finalising the model and constructing the prototype. These practical lessons should help to identify opportunities for future research. , Thesis (MA) -- Faculty of Engineering, the Built Environment, and Technology, 2022
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2022-04
Implementation framework for microgrids as an energy solution to uplift rural communities in the Eastern Cape
- Authors: Sibulelokuhle Xulaba
- Date: 2022-12
- Subjects: Renewable energy sources -- Eastern Cape , Microgrids (Smart power grids) -- Eastern Cape
- Language: English
- Type: Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/60071 , vital:62916
- Description: People in remote areas of most developing countries still face economic and environmental challenges despite our more accessible world of technology. Access to reliable and sustainable electricity is the most challenging developmental issue faced by rural communities in South Africa, as grid expansion has dwindled due to business challenges experiences by the state power producer, Eskom. Unless businesses and homeowners in unconnected areas use generators, which are costly to run and environmentally unfriendly, most will continue to remain without electricity for the foreseeable future. The purpose of this study therefore is to provide a model for the successful implementation of renewable energy microgrids to overcome poverty and promote economic development in rural areas of the Eastern Cape. The data for the study was collected from three district municipalities in the rural areas of the Eastern Cape. The province is divided into homeland and farms, with the farms that were sampled for the study situated on State-owned land. The sample group comprised small businesses operating in these rural areas. The study used a mixed-method research design, the methodology being found to be the most suitable for the study. The study uses a questionnaire-variant convergent design that consisted of a mixture of open-ended and close-ended questions. The sample group was situated in areas with limited electricity or internet access, therefore face-toface structured interviews were conducted. Meta-inference was used for data interpretation, and a combination of quantitative and qualitative data analysis methods was used to analyse the data. For the open-ended questions, thematic analysis was used, whilst descriptive statistics were used for the closed-ended questions. The study found that most businesses operating in rural areas do not have access to electricity. Those businesses which do not have electricity must make use of diesel-powered generators to continue to trade, which makes their businesses unprofitable. They spend a large proportion of their earnings purchasing fuel to achieve the desire thermal comfort for their stock, or to pump water via boreholes or piped dam structures. The study showed that implementing a renewable energy microgrids provides a viable option, supporting the literature reviewed. This will promote economic development in these areas of the Eastern Cape. Developing and enhancing the standard of living can assist in reducing the number of people migrating to urban areas whilst providing an opportunity to increase farm yields, grow rural business and change the lives of the poor for the better. , Thesis (MA) -- Faculty of Engineering, the Built Environment, and Technology, 2022
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2022-12
- Authors: Sibulelokuhle Xulaba
- Date: 2022-12
- Subjects: Renewable energy sources -- Eastern Cape , Microgrids (Smart power grids) -- Eastern Cape
- Language: English
- Type: Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/60071 , vital:62916
- Description: People in remote areas of most developing countries still face economic and environmental challenges despite our more accessible world of technology. Access to reliable and sustainable electricity is the most challenging developmental issue faced by rural communities in South Africa, as grid expansion has dwindled due to business challenges experiences by the state power producer, Eskom. Unless businesses and homeowners in unconnected areas use generators, which are costly to run and environmentally unfriendly, most will continue to remain without electricity for the foreseeable future. The purpose of this study therefore is to provide a model for the successful implementation of renewable energy microgrids to overcome poverty and promote economic development in rural areas of the Eastern Cape. The data for the study was collected from three district municipalities in the rural areas of the Eastern Cape. The province is divided into homeland and farms, with the farms that were sampled for the study situated on State-owned land. The sample group comprised small businesses operating in these rural areas. The study used a mixed-method research design, the methodology being found to be the most suitable for the study. The study uses a questionnaire-variant convergent design that consisted of a mixture of open-ended and close-ended questions. The sample group was situated in areas with limited electricity or internet access, therefore face-toface structured interviews were conducted. Meta-inference was used for data interpretation, and a combination of quantitative and qualitative data analysis methods was used to analyse the data. For the open-ended questions, thematic analysis was used, whilst descriptive statistics were used for the closed-ended questions. The study found that most businesses operating in rural areas do not have access to electricity. Those businesses which do not have electricity must make use of diesel-powered generators to continue to trade, which makes their businesses unprofitable. They spend a large proportion of their earnings purchasing fuel to achieve the desire thermal comfort for their stock, or to pump water via boreholes or piped dam structures. The study showed that implementing a renewable energy microgrids provides a viable option, supporting the literature reviewed. This will promote economic development in these areas of the Eastern Cape. Developing and enhancing the standard of living can assist in reducing the number of people migrating to urban areas whilst providing an opportunity to increase farm yields, grow rural business and change the lives of the poor for the better. , Thesis (MA) -- Faculty of Engineering, the Built Environment, and Technology, 2022
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2022-12
Translating subjugated narratives in post- colonial city texts: The design of a memorial literary resource Centre near Sophiatown, Johannesburg
- Authors: Mazibuko, Nibonge
- Date: 2020-09
- Subjects: Postcolonialism -- Sophia town -- Johannesburg , Apartheid and architecture
- Language: English
- Type: Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/59072 , vital:60261
- Description: The reality of a singular narrative is that it at its core it is exclusionary. A singular narrative is undemocratic as it asserts for dominance rather than forbearance. Through the key writings of theorists Henri Lefebvre and Edward Soja the built environment can be seen as a communicative text expressing the higher-level concerns and ideologies of that particular society. In the context of contemporary post-apartheid South African the cities previously entrenched colonial ideologies and systems continue to dominate and to exclude other narratives and expressions, particularly those of previously marginalised voices, from the greater expression of the democratic city text promoting a singular widely accepted narrative. This disparity has been a concern for many architects and built environment professionals who have had to grapple with the question of what is a democratic, authentic and cosmopolitan African identity within the registers of public architecture. The realities are that to ignore this question would be to allow the continual silencing and perpetuation of injustice against those who are marginalised by the residual effects of the apartheid regime. This exclusion from participation within the development of urban environments is dealt with in this treatise from the perspective of physical expression and representation in the exploration of elevating various narratives, stories, typologies for example within the same city text to reflect a more cosmopolitan, democratic narrative. Another area the treatise deals with is the spatial dimension in challenging local level colonial entrenchments of spatial injustice that continue to work to the disadvantage of the urban poor through an understanding of how these are distilled from higher levels. The Sophiatown/Westbury precinct in the western areas of Johannesburg is seen as one such area which continues to suffer from firstly the residual effects of apartheid segregationist planning as well as an embedded physically un-commemorated history which was erased from the physical realm of the city text through demolition during the apartheid regime and replaced with a newbuilt fabric and a new community of people as a stratospheric layer covering what used to be a vibrant, multicultural and hence highly anti-apartheid precinct. The treatise deals with the challenging and un-layering of this entrenched spatial injustice which is a concept defined and qualified in the writing of theorists Henri Lefebvre and Edward Soja. Ideas and themes expressed by Johnathan Alfred Noble on discovering and expressing cosmopolitan identities and narratives within the South African city text are explored to formulate a non-conclusive modus operandi in the scope expressing suppressed and embedded narratives and liberating them into the story and fabric of the built environment as apart of the wider ongoing conversation of redressing the wrongs of the past in rescripting post-colonial urban spaces. The architectural design dovetails from Nobles ideas regarding expression and representation and becomes like a perforated canvas over the site area which allows the emergent spatial and programmatic conditions of the site to interweave with the characteristics and attributes of the old Sophiatown/Westbury precinct to become a dynamic urban catalyst which liberates the legacy of the area into the physical realm of the city. The study was undertaken through desktop research, literature reviews and first-hand observations and analysis within the qualitative research paradigm. , Thesis (MA) -- Faculty of Engineering, the Built Environment, and Technology, 2020
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2020-09
- Authors: Mazibuko, Nibonge
- Date: 2020-09
- Subjects: Postcolonialism -- Sophia town -- Johannesburg , Apartheid and architecture
- Language: English
- Type: Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/59072 , vital:60261
- Description: The reality of a singular narrative is that it at its core it is exclusionary. A singular narrative is undemocratic as it asserts for dominance rather than forbearance. Through the key writings of theorists Henri Lefebvre and Edward Soja the built environment can be seen as a communicative text expressing the higher-level concerns and ideologies of that particular society. In the context of contemporary post-apartheid South African the cities previously entrenched colonial ideologies and systems continue to dominate and to exclude other narratives and expressions, particularly those of previously marginalised voices, from the greater expression of the democratic city text promoting a singular widely accepted narrative. This disparity has been a concern for many architects and built environment professionals who have had to grapple with the question of what is a democratic, authentic and cosmopolitan African identity within the registers of public architecture. The realities are that to ignore this question would be to allow the continual silencing and perpetuation of injustice against those who are marginalised by the residual effects of the apartheid regime. This exclusion from participation within the development of urban environments is dealt with in this treatise from the perspective of physical expression and representation in the exploration of elevating various narratives, stories, typologies for example within the same city text to reflect a more cosmopolitan, democratic narrative. Another area the treatise deals with is the spatial dimension in challenging local level colonial entrenchments of spatial injustice that continue to work to the disadvantage of the urban poor through an understanding of how these are distilled from higher levels. The Sophiatown/Westbury precinct in the western areas of Johannesburg is seen as one such area which continues to suffer from firstly the residual effects of apartheid segregationist planning as well as an embedded physically un-commemorated history which was erased from the physical realm of the city text through demolition during the apartheid regime and replaced with a newbuilt fabric and a new community of people as a stratospheric layer covering what used to be a vibrant, multicultural and hence highly anti-apartheid precinct. The treatise deals with the challenging and un-layering of this entrenched spatial injustice which is a concept defined and qualified in the writing of theorists Henri Lefebvre and Edward Soja. Ideas and themes expressed by Johnathan Alfred Noble on discovering and expressing cosmopolitan identities and narratives within the South African city text are explored to formulate a non-conclusive modus operandi in the scope expressing suppressed and embedded narratives and liberating them into the story and fabric of the built environment as apart of the wider ongoing conversation of redressing the wrongs of the past in rescripting post-colonial urban spaces. The architectural design dovetails from Nobles ideas regarding expression and representation and becomes like a perforated canvas over the site area which allows the emergent spatial and programmatic conditions of the site to interweave with the characteristics and attributes of the old Sophiatown/Westbury precinct to become a dynamic urban catalyst which liberates the legacy of the area into the physical realm of the city. The study was undertaken through desktop research, literature reviews and first-hand observations and analysis within the qualitative research paradigm. , Thesis (MA) -- Faculty of Engineering, the Built Environment, and Technology, 2020
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- Date Issued: 2020-09