Die satellitengestützte Radarinterferometrie liefert Informationen zu vertikalen Bodenbewegungen in hoher raum-zeitlicher Auflösung. Moderne Auswerteverfahren in Kombination mit hochauflösenden Sensoren ermöglichen die Anwendung dieser Monitoringmethode auf Tagebaukippen. Die damit verfügbare Datenbasis erlaubt eine flächenhafte Analyse des Setzungsverhaltens der Oberfläche der Tagebaukippe und erweitert damit die bisherige punktartige Betrachtung unter Nutzung von Höhenfestpunkten. Der vorliegende Beitrag demonstriert, wie aus den räumlich verteilten Zeitreihen eine flächenhafte Modellierung des Zeitsetzungsverhaltens von Tagebaukippen erfolgen kann. Dazu werden klassische Modelle des Zeitsetzungsverlaufes auf die Ergebnisse der satellitengestützten Radarinterferometrie angewandt. Im Ergebnis kann geschlussfolgert werden, dass das hier vorgestellte Verfahren eine nahezu rein datengetriebene Prognose von wichtigen Indikatoren, wie z. B. Zeit bis zum Abklingen der Setzung oder zu erwartende maximale Setzung, erlaubt. Weiterhin liefert das Verfahren eine reiche Datengrundlage zur detaillierten Untersuchung weitere Einflussfaktoren auf das Setzungsverhalten von Tagebaukippen.

Climate change has come to be understood as a deleterious phenomenon, which threatens business, society and ecological systems, thus making it imperative to understand its impact on human, social and economic activities as well as the impact of these activities on climate change. Against this background, this research sought to determine climate change intervention strategies in the mining supply chain in general, specifically focussing on opencast mining contracting and plant hire companies’ practices. This focus on the mining industry was driven by its importance in South Africa and globally, despite its significant direct and indirect contribution to climatic changes. The mixed-methods multiple case study focused on the climate change management of the Mutual Construction Company Group of Companies (MCCGC), an open cast toll mining firm and equipment supplier. Limited to two sites, Pilanesberg Platinum Mines (PPM) and Tharisa Minerals (Tharisa) Mines, the researcher gathered data through interviews, questionnaires, observations and document review. Data was analysed through deductive content analysis. The research made three major findings: (i) the MCCGC, like its principals PPM and Tharisa, does not have an explicit climate change management strategy. Instead, climate change is managed indirectly through implicit strategies seeking to manage environment, health and safety concerns of the mines, (ii) as a contractor, the MCCGC has had to adopt PPM and Tharisa’s implicit approach to climate change management strategies to meet contractual obligations, instead of an explicit approach and, (iii) the MCCGC and its principals’ commitment to environment, health and safety management, and implicitly climate change management, is not mere rhetoric but is being put into practice. The research concluded that MCCGC’s lack of expressed climate change management intentions and practices exposed the firm to climate change risks, most notably financial risks and reputation risks. Financial risks arise from possible ex post climate change liability. In addition, MCCGC is risking its contract tenures, particularly if the two mines change ownership and the new owners insist on an explicit rather than implied climate change strategy with all its suppliers. Reputational risks arise from the possible failure to attract new clientele and investors who may perceive MCCGC as a risky partner, due to an inept climate change intervention strategy / College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences / M. Sc. (Environmental Management)

Universities want to go where the learners are to share their rich scientific and intellectual knowledge beyond the walls of the academy and to expand the boundaries of the classroom. This desire has become a critical need, as the worldwide economy adjusts to globalization and the need for advanced education and training becomes ever more critical. Unfortunately, the work of creating, processing, distributing and using quality multimedia learning content is expensive and technically challenging. The work combines research results, lessons learned and usage findings in the presentation of a fully open source based scalable lecture capture solution, that is useful in the heterogenous computing landscape of today’s universities and learning institutes. Especially implemented user facing applications and components are being addressed, which enable lecturers, faculty and students to record, analyze and subsequently re-use the recorded multimedia learning material in multiple and attractive ways across devices and distribution platforms.