Tuesday 26 August 2014

Bursary for full-time Master’s study

The Information Systems for Smart Cities in Africa research project is offering a bursary for a student to complete a full-time Master of Commerce by research in Information Systems during 2015 and 2016.
 
More information about the research project can be found on this site. In 2014 the project has examined conceptions of Smart Cities by information systems researchers, the approaches being taken by different African cities to Smart Cities agendas and the demand for information-enabled services in the City of Johannesburg. In 2015 we will explore the types of information, potential sources, and the ways in which information might be packaged into services to meet the needs of residents. We will examine service catalogues created in previous studies and adapt them to the local context. We will also examine how South African cities have connected demand to services to understand approaches and how effective they have been, as well as how information services have been implemented and are used.
 
The bursary is valued at (South African rand) R40 000 per annum and can be used towards fees and living expenses. The research project will also cover expenses incurred in conducting the research. The successful student will be provided with shared office space and the tools needed to complete the research. In return they will be expected to take responsibility for aspects of running of the research project and to participate in seminars and departmental activities. More information about postgraduate studies at the University of the Witwatersrand can be found at http://www.wits.ac.za/prospective/postgraduate.
 
Interested applicants should have a good honours degree in information systems with solid research experience. Please apply online (https://www.wits.ac.za/applications/portal/index) for entry into the MCom degree and also send a complete CV and a letter motivating your selection to the project to Professor Judy Backhouse (judy.backhouse@wits.ac.za). Applications for the bursary close on the 10th October 2014. You can contact Professor Backhouse by e-mail or on +27 11 717 8161 for more information.

Monday 25 August 2014

Paper Accepted to ACCC2014 Conference

Professors Judy Backhouse and Jason Cohen have had a paper accepted for the African Cyber Citizenship Conference 2014 (http://accc2014.nmmu.ac.za/) which will be held from the 5th to the 7th November this year in Port Elizabeth, South Africa.
 
The paper, entitled “What is a Smart City for information systems research in Africa? Review protocol and initial results” presents the initial findings of a systematic literature review of research into information systems for Smart Cities. In particular the paper analyses the ways in which a Smart City is defined by information systems researchers and investigates the possibility of a consensus definition. It also interrogates the smart city efforts of five African cities (Cairo, Cape Town, Johannesburg, Lagos and Nairobi) to understand the relevance of the definitions used by researchers to practitioners.