Visualisation of Data to Understand and Address Education Requirements


Discussion highlights

This episode is presented in partnership with 1map (Visit them)

The value in spatial representation of information for a school

• Visualising data on a map aids in analysis and is a tool to enhance current tasks. It gives an extra element to analysis that wasn’t present before.
• Monica explains the value in more detail.

Societal needs addressed by Curro

• Curro’s vision is to make independent schooling available to everyone within Southern Africa and to make sure each learner is accommodated for.
• Placement of schools need to be in areas where is has the largest impact. This is where spatial analysis comes in.

Major challenges faced by an organisation like Curro

• Getting clean and reliable data. Incorrect data results in unreliable analysis.
• Understand learner better. To make sure each learner regardless of their background is accommodated for and gets quality education.
• Placement of schools.

Overcoming these challenges

• If you don’t reliable sources, gather data yourself with user forms and using a geographical component and visualising the data on a map. Make sure data collection process limits user selection.
• Enrich current leaner data with area information to better understand what type of learner is being dealt with. It also helps to market certain schools and evaluate their competitors.
• Visualise where there is a real need for quality schooling that will make a large impact to learners in that areas.

GIS application to solve problems or assist with decisions made in other industries

• Can be applied to help with placement of any facility or warehouse to optimise operations.
• Can be used in crime monitoring and management. Visualise crime hotspots instead of seeing it on a spreadsheet simplifies actions.
• There are many more examples.

GIS as part of everyone's workflow

• Monica explains how we already use it every day without even realising.
• The application is extremely broad

Up-skilling and training staff to be comfortable with these new technologies

• Show them how it can benefit them, how easy it is to implement and how it will simplify and improve their work.
• Monica explains.

About Monica Rolo
I am an Industrial Engineer who is always looking for new opportunities to learn and challenge myself. My passion for problem solving, mathematics and programming together with the skills that I have developed throughout my BEng Industrial Engineering and MEng Industrial Engineering degrees enable me to assess problems and seek out and action improvements. In my current position at Curro Holdings Ltd., I am nurturing my data science skills by focusing on improvements around machine learning, operations research and GIS as well as enhancing my project management skills.

Source: LinkedIn

About Curro Holdings Ltd
Curro was established in 1998 and is the leading for-profit independent school provider in southern Africa. It develops, acquires and manages independent schools for learners from three months to Grade 12. We believe the purpose of education is to empower every person with the opportunity to achieve their potential as individuals and members of society. We further believe that education is the cornerstone in the development of quality leaders and responsible citizens who will positively impact the economy, environment and society.

Our vision is to make independent school education accessible to more learners throughout southern Africa.

Source: Website