Information and communications

Automatic speech recognition in all languages to become a reality The Meraka Institute's automatic speech recognition (ASR) team is making headway in its efforts to develop acoustic models for speech recognition in all South African official languages.

It's all systems go for the South Africa-Finland Knowledge Partnership on ICT programme The South Africa-Finland Knowledge Partnership on ICT Progamme (SAFIPA) has hit the ground running since it started operating in July 2008, thanks to the single-minded focus and passion of its team.

Blue Gene for Africa initiative to catalyse research activities The launch of the Blue Gene for Africa (BG4A) initiative at the Centre for High Performance Computing (CHPC) in Cape Town on 7 October 2008 marks a significant milestone in South Africa's expanding cyberinfrastructure.

Digital Doorway expands its operations The Digital Doorway - a joint initiative between the South African Department of Science and Technology (DST) and the Meraka Institute of the CSIR - is making good progress in realising its vision of making a fundamental difference to computer literacy and associated skills.

Young researcher elected to atmospheric science society Mary-Jane Kgatuke, a research scientist at the Centre for High Performance Computing (CHPC), was recently elected to the executive council of the South African Society for Atmospheric Sciences as a secretary.

Enhanced ICT portal for disabled persons boasts improved usability and accessibility The release in October 2008 of the latest version of the National Accessibility Portal (NAP) presents a significant step forward in the drive to integrate persons with disabilities into the mainstream economy and society through the use of information and Communication Technology (ICT).

Deputy Minister Hanekom's visit puts the spotlight on progress at Meraka Institute A visit to the Meraka Institute of the CSIR during August 2008 by Derek Hanekom, Deputy Minister of Science and Technology, gave the institute the opportunity to showcase significant milestones in a number of projects and initiatives.