The constitution of the Republic of South Africa has mandated government to keep in touch with the citizens, by regularly updating them on the services available for the improvement of their lives, and further to constantly report back on progress made in implementing government policies. In recent years, the country has been experiencing sporadic service delivery protests especially at the local sphere of government (municipal level). The aim of the study was therefore to examine the success of the communication and information system of the South African government in disseminating information to citizens. The area of the study was the Province of Mpumalanga which is one (1) of the nine (9) provinces constituting the Republic of South Africa. For the study, quantitative research method in the form of a survey was adopted, the hypothesis tested and the findings generalised. In creating a sample frame for the study, both probability and non-probability sampling techniques were adopted. The type of data collection instrument adopted was a structured questionnaire. Single-stage cluster sampling was adopted for heads of government communication whereas judgemental or purposive sampling technique was adopted for citizens. Data was analysed utilising data tabulation, descriptives, and data disaggregation quantitative data analysis procedures. The key findings of the study, amongst others, are: (a) That the current communication and information system being utilised by the South African government has an impact (it has improved communication with citizens); (b) That the citizens prefer government to communicate with them in their own indigenous languages (communicating in all eleven (11) official languages); (c) That the citizens prefer face-to-face communication; (d) That citizens would like to receive government messages via social media (given its immediacy and interactivity); and (e) That the low status of the communication function at the local government level denies communicators access to information to be communicated. Amongst others, the study recommends that (1) communication should be recognised as a strategic management function in all spheres of government; (2) the use of radio as the primary channel of information should be strengthened; (3) face-to-face communication with citizens should be strengthened; (4) information dissemination should be done in all eleven (11) official languages, including in Braille and sign-language; (5) social media and SMS notification should be included in the government communication policy as one of its official information dissemination channels. / Communication Science / M.A. (Communication)

The constitution of the Republic of South Africa has mandated government to keep in touch with the citizens, by regularly updating them on the services available for the improvement of their lives, and further to constantly report back on progress made in implementing government policies. In recent years, the country has been experiencing sporadic service delivery protests especially at the local sphere of government (municipal level). The aim of the study was therefore to examine the success of the communication and information system of the South African government in disseminating information to citizens. The area of the study was the Province of Mpumalanga which is one (1) of the nine (9) provinces constituting the Republic of South Africa. For the study, quantitative research method in the form of a survey was adopted, the hypothesis tested and the findings generalised. In creating a sample frame for the study, both probability and non-probability sampling techniques were adopted. The type of data collection instrument adopted was a structured questionnaire. Single-stage cluster sampling was adopted for heads of government communication whereas judgemental or purposive sampling technique was adopted for citizens. Data was analysed utilising data tabulation, descriptives, and data disaggregation quantitative data analysis procedures. The key findings of the study, amongst others, are: (a) That the current communication and information system being utilised by the South African government has an impact (it has improved communication with citizens); (b) That the citizens prefer government to communicate with them in their own indigenous languages (communicating in all eleven (11) official languages); (c) That the citizens prefer face-to-face communication; (d) That citizens would like to receive government messages via social media (given its immediacy and interactivity); and (e) That the low status of the communication function at the local government level denies communicators access to information to be communicated. Amongst others, the study recommends that (1) communication should be recognised as a strategic management function in all spheres of government; (2) the use of radio as the primary channel of information should be strengthened; (3) face-to-face communication with citizens should be strengthened; (4) information dissemination should be done in all eleven (11) official languages, including in Braille and sign-language; (5) social media and SMS notification should be included in the government communication policy as one of its official information dissemination channels. / Communication Science / M. A. (Communication)

This is a comparative study of the spatial patterns of peasant crop farming in Chibombo District between the 1980s and the 1990s. The study lists and discusses the agricultural support system, communication infrastructure and the crop production and patterns of the 1980s within the environment of centralised planning and then compares these to the structures and patterns of the 1990s in an atmosphere of economic liberalisation. This comparison in crop production, cropping patterns, institutional support systems and the communication infrastructure in five sampled farming wards of Chibombo District, leads to the conclusion that there is a marked change in the structures and patterns of the 1990s from those of the 1980s. Thus, in Chibombo District, the state of the communication infrastructure in the 1990s is generally poorer than the communication infrastructure of the 1980s, the agricultural support system of the 1990s is largely privately owned and found in fewer farming areas while the agricultural support system of the 1980s was state controlled and more widely spread, and crop patterns in some farming wards are different in the 1990s from those of the 1980s. In the 1990s, crop production in farming wards with a supportive environment has increased than it was in the 1980s but decreased in those where a conducive environment lacks. In this line, the study makes several recommendations for consideration on how to mitigate the problems that the peasant farmers are facing or how to enhance the positive changes that have occurred in Chibombo District. / Geography / M.A. (Geography)

Over the last decade, power systems have evolved dramatically around the world, owing to higher demand, stringent requirements on quality and environmental concerns that are becoming increasingly critical. With the introduction of new technologies like large-scale renewable energy, wide-area measurement based on phasor measurement units (PMUs) and consumer interaction in the distribution system, the power grid today has become more potent than ever before. Most of the defining features of the smart grid today rest on the integration of advanced communication capabilities into the grid. While communication infrastructure has become a key enabler for the smart grid, it also introduces new and complex control challenges that must be addressed. As we increasingly rely on information transmitted to distant areas over communication networks, it becomes imperative to model the effects of the communication system on the stability of the power grid. Several approaches exist in control theory to study such systems, widely referred to as Networked Control Systems (NCS). Networked control theory provides mathematical tools for system stability analysis and control in the presence of communication delays, packet dropouts and disordering due to transmission of sensor and actuator signals via a limited communication network. In this thesis, a networked control framework for smart grids with integrated commu-nication infrastructure (ICT) is developed. In particular, a networked control systems perspective is developed for two scenarios - wide-area monitoring control, and coordinated control of distributed generation sources. The effects of communication delays and packet dropouts on power system stability are modeled in detail. In the wide-area monitoring control problem, system state measurements are trans-mitted from remote locations through a communication network. The system is modeled as an NCS and a control design approach is presented to damp inter-area oscillations arising from various power system disturbances in the presence of communication constraints. In the coordinated control scenario, a power system with geographically dispersed sources is modeled as an NCS. A networked controller is designed to stabilize the system in the presence of small signal disturbances when system measurements are subject to communication delays and packet dropouts. A realistic output feedback networked control scheme that only uses voltage measurements from PMUs is also developed for practical implementation. The networked controllers designed in this thesis are validated against controllers designed by standard methods, by simulation on standard test systems. The networked controllers are found to enhance power system stability and load transfer capability even in the presence of severe packet dropouts and delays. Several extensions and theoretical problems motivated by this thesis are also proposed.

Diploma work deals with current aspects of information systems in public administration. The thesis assesses impact of introduction of the data box system on effective communication in public administration and evaluates to what extend the data boxes are beneficial to citizens of this state. After definition of terms used in this field, first part of the work is focused on the e-Government project and its four pillars. Further, thesis evaluates effect of the e-Government project on reduction of administrative burden for businessmen and on the lives of citizens in the information society. The following part of the work highlights gaps in the legislation, which creates rules for the data box system and has got an immediate impact on the efficiency of their operation. The work also surveys effects of the data box system introduction on effective communication between state and local governments on the citizens of our country. Diploma work points out the problems of the data box system, analyses their causes and offers possible solutions.

The thesis with the title “Designing and simulating a Car2X communication system using the example of an intelligent traffic sign” has been done in Chemnitz University of Technology in the faculty of Computer Science. The purpose of this thesis is to define a layered architecture for Infrastructure to Vehicle (I2V) communication and the implementation of a sample intelligent traffic sign (variable speed limit) application for a Car2X communication system. The layered architecture of this thesis is defined based on three related projects. The application is implemented using the defined layered architecture. Considering the availability of hardware, the implementation is done using the network simulator OMNET++. To check the feasibility of the application three scenarios are created and integrated with the application. The evaluation is done based on the result log files of the simulation which show that the achieved results conform with the expected results, except some minor limitations.