Darwin's theory of natural selection defines a conscious process of self organisation in which traits become more or less common in such a way that an organism is able to survive and flourish in a particular environment. Rapid growth in the last fifty years made possible by more and more efficient ways of harvesting resource has created rapid environmental change. Intricately balanced ecologies that have taken millions of years to evolve are suffering from unravelling diversity. It is essential that ballooning populations around the world develop systems in which individual settlements positively affect surrounding ecologies. The effect of sick ecologies and drained resources are most harshly felt by the poor in developing countries. The situation boils down to provision of an element which firstly provides the vital requirements for survival while positively affecting the ecologies of which it is a part; secondly allows settlements to adapt over time according to the traits of users in an environment rather than those of a hierarchical disconnected third party and thirdly insures that survival does not depend on having lots of children. The seed pod aims to grow a localized ecology which allows urbanisation for the poor in developing countries to follow self organizing settlement patterns. Goals: Healthy living becomes possible in the local ecology without employment (unemployment is a reality) Financial resources are freed up for facilities such as schools Social support networks strengthen Minimization of strain on resources allows diversity to flourish Construction of instant communities is replaced by a robust self organizing process of development with the capacity to adapt to rapidly changing conditions The seeds are sown and the settlement grows organically from each unique social and ecological environment Empowerment, self reliance and local skills are generated A community lease and a community-managed register of rights holders with the potential for upgrade to individual ownership provides people the opportunity for long term investment in a great living environment. Resolution at a micro scale is likely to result in more conflict then provision of large scale identically defined units. If systems are put in place to help resolve conflict, however, the process would be tangibly more democratic. The seed pod goes hand in hand with a system for conflict resolution illustrated by the phased growth of Green Park an informal settlement in Driftsands Nature Reserve and by notionally suggesting the integration of the education system into the community through a transition of safe, contained learning spaces and permeable public spaces.

The Nubia-Somalia boundary is one of the least well defined plate boundaries. The southern extension, as it extends through the latitudes that are co-incidental to South Africa's geographical extent has not been defined. This project analyses Trignet data, supplemented with other available Nubian GPS data, to determine whether the North East Region of South Africa is segregated from the Nubian Plate. A ten year GPS time series (processed using the Bernese 5.0 precise GNSS software) is minimally constrained to the ITRF2008, using the reprocessed IGS08 products. This processed data was managed to alleviate GPS time series bias, which includes seasonal effects, the determination of GPS velocity uncertainty using a white+ icker noise model, discontinuity detection using Roggero's (2012) discontinuity algorithm and an outlier detection using an algorithm developed for this project for each of the 104 stations incorporated in the network. The computed velocities were compared to the ITRF2008 published velocities and a RMS of the post t residuals of 0.4, 0.4 and 0.7 mm/yr for the North, East and Height were computed respectively. This RMS is of similar magnitude to the WRMS of the post t velocity residuals in computing transformation parameters from ITRF2005 to ITRF2008, suggesting that the threshold of ITRF2008 velocity precision has been obtained. The resultant Euler vector was scrutinised on three fronts: an Euler vector rep- resenting the geographical extent of South Africa, an Euler vector in which the height velocity was minimised to zero and an Euler vector representing the North East Region of South Africa. All computed Euler vectors are consistent, suggesting a uniform South African GPS velocity field. The Euler vector representative of South Africa's uniform velocity field has an angular velocity of 0.273 deg/Myr, with a pole of rotation at lat 50.85 and long -82.83 degrees and is consistent with the Euler vectors computed by Altamimi et al. (2012) and Malservisi et al. (2013) for Africa and South Africa respectively. The consistency of the Euler vector suggests that South Africa is underlain by a single plate (i.e. the Nubian Plate), and that the East African Rift valley does not extend into South Africa. Hence, for future tectonic studies and long term reference frame solutions, stations such as HARB, HRAO and RBAY should be included, as they are not located in deformation zones.

Bibliography: p. 84-86.

Summary in English. / Bibliography: leaves 148-150. / This thesis investigates the contribution of land information systems (LIS), integrated with video evidence, to improving security of tenure during the creation of a communal property association (CPA). To this end a case study was conducted of the Algeria community, a community in the process of creating a CPA.

Bibliography: leaves 161-174. / The traditional methods for the documentation of archaeological heritage sites are challenged today by developments in geomatics, information technology and the computer industry. Non-contact spatial measurement methods, as well as new spatial information systems technologies and computer visualisation tools have introduced a new age for conservation and site research. This thesis uses the instance of the documentation of the 3.6 million-year-old hominid footprint trackway in Laetoli, Tanzania, to address the need for an adequate scientific method to acquire, manage and visualise spatial data for the re-creation of archaeological heritage sites in a three-dimensional virtual world. The Laetoli site presents the first physical evidence of human bipedalism. Its consequent significance to human evolutionary science justifies the need for highly detailed and accurate documentation of its characteristics. The thesis explores digital photogrammetric techniques as data acquisition tools for this kind of close range archaeological environment. Specifically, it examines issues such as non-contact measurements, cost-effectiveness, and functionality in harsh conditions.The data collected at Laetoli had to be organised, managed and presented to allow future research on the footprints and to allow the general public to "visit" the site. This thesis shows how a spatial information system is used to manage spatial and meta data, while an integrated visualisation tool offers a virtual 3D reconstruction ofthe heritage site.

Includes bibliographical references (leaves 107-111). / Recent studies indicate that the population of Cape Town generates approximately 2.2 milliontons of waste annually. Numerous waste minimization strategies have been developed whichhave not been successful in reducing the amount that needs to be disposed of at a landfill site.This results to mounting pressure on existing waste disposal sites thus necessitating an urgentneed for a new regional landfill. According to CCA Draft Environmental Impact Report (2006),the former Cape Metropolitan Council (CMC) appointed technical consultants in 2000 to identifyand assess the potential sites for a landfill to service Cape Metropolitan Area (CMA), presentlyreferred to as the City of Cape Town (CCT). The construction of a landfill has significant impacts on the environments. It is for that reason Integrated Environmental Management (IEM) has to be followed to assess the impacts. The principle of IEM is broadly interpreted as applying to the planning, assessment, implementation and management of any project proposal or activity that has a potentially significant effect on the environment. Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) process, which lies in the heart of the IEM, is enforced to examine the environmental effects of development. These impacts are directly related to the physical location of the project. That makes site selection for proposed project a very important stage of the EIA process. Laws have been enacted to minimizeenvironmental impacts, including strict guidelines for siting landfills. Using landfill siting criteria and site selection methods, the technical consultants identified four potential sites, Atlantis being the only site falling within the City of Cape Town. The interviews, backed by secondary data sources such as websites and project reports, revealed that the techniques used to identify potential sites for the landfill, even when combined are costly and time consuming. Several scenarios were run using various ArcGIS extensions, including the ModelBuilder to identify sites that met the stated criteria. GIS analysis yielded agreeable results with the recommendations from the consultants who used techniques other than GIS to identify the regional landfill. The research findings demonstrate that GIS is an efficient and dependable stand-alone technique that can be implemented in landfill site studies thus expedite the decision making process.

Includes abstract. / Includes bibliographical references. / Since flooding is worldwide one of the most common natural disasters, a number of flood prediction and monitoring approaches have been used. A lot of research has been conducted on the prediction and monitoring of floods by using hydrological models. The problem is that current hydrological models do not offer Disaster Management officials or township residents with timely data and information. In South Africa, possible flood warnings are usually communicated by Disaster Management officials using traditional approaches such as loudspeakers, radio and Television (TV). Making calls to warn residents about the possible occurrence of floods by using such means are, however, neither sufficient nor effective. As the result of improved communication, sensor, software and computing capabilities, the use of sensor networks and sensor web for predicting and monitoring environment have been considered in recent years. In order for sensor data such as sensor measurements, sensor descriptions and alerts to be integrated, the Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) introduced the Sensor Web enablement (SWE) standards and suggested different specifications with respect to the geospatial sensor web. The first implementation of the sensor web framework is available. In this research, the results of using the sensor web technologies for predicting and monitoring floods in the urban areas are presented. The aim of this research project is to illustrate how the sensor web technology can help in the prediction and monitoring of floods in the urban areas, particularly in the Alexandra Township (Greater Johannesburg) which has experienced floods each and every year. The focus of this research is on the incorporation of the sensor data into the sensor web technology. The data used as input to sensor web and the hydrological model was historical rainfall data from the South African Weather Service (SAWS). Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) free data from the internet was also used in this research.

Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references.

Includes abstract. / Includes bibliographical references.

Includes abstract. / Includes bibliographical references. / The natural environment is deteriorating and electricity demand is outstripping supply partly due to our growing built environment and economy. In response there is a need for energy efficient office space to accommodate economic growth and help with the conservation of the environment. The inner city is a perfect location to achieve this using already deteriorated land and increasing the inner city density to reduce urban sprawl. There is an urgent need for developers to invest into the idea of energy efficiency however this has been restricted because of our economic environment and the need for just usable space. The creation of energy efficient buildings is typically more expensive mainly due to the introduction of new technologies and materials.