The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) in South Africa is one of the leading scientific and technology research, development and implementation organisations in Africa. It undertakes directed research and development for socio-economic growth.
Working together to learn about the Earth from space
Wabile Motswasele (right) with Asanda Ntsisana at the Geo Summit in November 2007
Each year, World Space Week is celebrated internationally from 4-10 October. The theme for 2008, which was selected by the World Space Week Association Board of Directors in close coordination with the UN Office of Outer Space Affairs, is ‘Exploring the Universe’. Wabile Motswasele is the point of contact at the CSIR for its 2008 stint as chair of the Committee on Earth Observation Satellites (CEOS). The CSIR’s role as CEOS chair is funded by the Department of Science and Technology.
CEOS membership encompasses the world's government agencies responsible for civil earth observation (EO) satellite programmes, along with agencies that receive and process data acquired remotely from space.
Motswasele, who is also contract manager for tracking, telemetry and command (TT&C) in Africa at the CSIR Satellite Applications Centre, has had a busy time since February 2007, pursuing the myriad activities that have been driven by the CEOS office. The CEOS office is based at the CSIR’s main campus in Pretoria.
He notes, “From space, we learn not only about astronomy, but we learn about the Earth in many ways. Earth observation is the gathering of information about the Earth’s physical, chemical and biological systems. It is used to monitor and assess the status of, and changes in, the natural environment and the built environment.”
He points out that EO is becoming increasingly more important due to the dramatic impact that modern human civilisation is having on the Earth and the need to minimise the negative impacts. As such, it provides opportunities to improve social and economic well-being.
Data democracy: a novel EO exploitation model
The CSIR is currently part of the CEOS troika, which comprises the outgoing chair, the United States Geological Survey and the incoming chair, Thailand’s Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency (GISTDA).
Speaking on behalf of Pontsho Maruping, CEOS chair, Motswasele explains, “Our role is to promote the goals of CEOS through proper international coordination of EO programmes and the maximum utilisation of their data.
“CEOS is about making the most of scientific missions undertaken to answer critical scientific questions about global change and earth observation,” he says.
As its special CEOS project, dubbed data democracy, the CSIR has committed to facilitating access for African countries (and other developing countries) to remote sensing data. Space agencies INPE in Brazil and CRESDA (Center for Resources Satellite Data and Applications) in China have committed to support the CSIR in its initiative to lower barriers to acquiring satellite imagery data. CBERS (China-Brazil Earth Resources Satellite) data will therefore be used as the pilot to demonstrate a model to realise the special project.
The CSIR will focus on disseminating country coverage initially to countries in the region, followed by the African countries that fall within its footprint. These include Angola, Botswana, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
Negotiations to use spare capacity on GEONETCAST of EUMETSAT (the European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites) will allow a simplified downlink over Africa through geostationary communications satellites.
The CSIR is also exploring options to replicate this model with space agencies from other countries such as CONAE in Argentina, ISRO in India, CSA in Canada and ESA in Europe.
The concept of data democracy will be the topic of the CSIR’s plenary session at the 7th conference of the African Association of Remote Sensing of the Environment to be held in Accra, Ghana, at the end of October 2008.
Around the world in (almost) 360 days
The CSIR's CEOS team met with GISTDA at the CSIR Satellite Applications Centre:
(Front) Wabile Motswasele (CSIR), Dr Darasri Dowreang, Deputy Director of GISTDA, Raoul Hodges (CSIR) and Dr Pakorn Apaphant (GISTDA); (back) Asanda Ntisana and Alex Fortescue (both CSIR)
As the point of contact for the CSIR in its role as the 2008 Chair of CEOS, Motswasele’s key responsibilities have been to provide administrative, operational and strategic support to the chairperson. He joins a team comprising CSIR staff members Raoul Hodges, Asanda Ntisana, Alex Fortescue and Dan Matsapola, who as the CEOS office are responsible for organising the diverse set of CEOS activities, “As a small group with a broad set of skills and experiences, we work well together and provide good mutual support.”
Apart from CSIR staff members in the CEOS office, various experts from different CSIR units and other institutions serve on a number of the CEOS working groups. Terence van Zyl of the Meraka Institute at the CSIR serves on the Working Group on Information Systems and Services, while Minette Lubbe and Lufuno Vhengani of CSIR Defence, Peace, Safety and Security are active in the validation and calibration working group. Alex Fortescue and Carol Tyson of the University of Fort Hare serve on the education working group.
Being intimately involved with CEOS has meant several trips for all concerned and particularly for Motswasele. After attending the plenary meeting held in Hawaii in November 2007, he travelled to the US in April to attend a CEOS strategic implementation team (SIT) meeting, SIT-21. In May he journeyed to Germany and France for meetings with EUMETSAT and IGOS-P, while more recently, he has visited the Far East, specifically China, Thailand and Japan to hold meetings with CRESDA and GISTDA and attend SIT-22 respectively.
The visit to Beijing, specifically to China’s CRESDA, was aimed at cementing relationships to support the CSIR’s data democracy project. “China is very active in the space arena, as witnessed by its first-ever space walk in September, which ranks as a major achievement,” Motswasele explains. “It has a number of institutions active in this domain, such as remote sensing agencies and institutions for space manufacturing and training, and meteorology.”
The visit to GISTDA in Bangkok was aimed at sharing learning with the incoming chair. Apart from “its abundance of water in many forms and other obvious geographic differences”, Motswasele found Thailand “a lot like home”.
“It is important to reflect consistency in the transfer of the chair,” he notes. “It has been our privilege to share our experience with our counterpart in Thailand.” Thailand has an active and growing space sector, with a growing number of young, trainee space scientists. On 2 October 2008 its first EO mission, THEOS (Thailand Earth Observation Systems) was launched.
The for thcoming CEOS plenary in George, South Africa, on 11-12 November, marks the handover by the CSIR to its successor, GISTDA. “The plenary is a closed annual assembly for the troika and CEOS members to reflect on achievements and actions of the past year. It also allows for reports from various entities, working groups and the strategic implementation team, and ratifies new memberships. One of the highlights will be the announcement of the new CEOS chair, Dr Darasri Dowreang, deputy director of GISTDA.”
Although attendance at the plenary is by invitation only, as current chair the CSIR will invite additional staff members to attend the event.
A diverse telecommunications background
Motswasele obtained a diploma in electrical engineering from Mangosuthu Technikon in 1991 before joining Siemens in its PABX (private automatic branch exchange) department. During this period, he received regular training on an ongoing basis. In 1998 he joined Telkom for a short period as a project manager, before taking on the role as chief engineering technician at Transtel in the same year. Between 1998 and 2004, he assumed various positions ending up as the national operations centre manager at Transtel. He was responsible for the design of a PABX configuration tool for the Lucent Definity switch.
In 2004 he moved to the CSIR Satellite Applications Centre in the role of manager of its TT&C group, before becoming TT&C contract manager for Africa in 2007.
He is grateful for his exposure to industry, “Distinct cultural differences exist between industry and the parastatal environment, such as the CSIR. It is important to recognise this and to realise that different organisations have different ways of doing things.” Such understanding, he believes, helps to develop and grow sound relationships.
Motswasele’s contribution was recently recognised when he received the Centre Manager’s award given by his unit. Previously, he received the Transtel Award as Innovator of the Year for his work at this organisation.
Plans for the future?
Motswasele is looking forward to the formation of the South African National Space Agency, which will assume future responsibility for dealing with CEOS and the Group on Earth Observations.
For the foreseeable future, he plans to return to the CSIR Satellite Applications Centre and resume his duties in marketing its TT&C services.
In his spare time, he is a keen software programmer and an open source software aficionado. “OSS has captured my imagination,” he confesses. He hopes to meet Mark Shuttleworth one day and reads articles by well-known American software freedom activist and software developer, Richard Stallman. He enjoys reading and is an avid F1 fan who relished watching the recent first-time night race in Singapore, “A fantastic race, similar to Monaco, in which ordinary streets become the racing circuits.”
