African Utility Week to focus strongly on water solutions for continent"

Nature or Water, exploring how we can use nature to overcome the water challenges of the 21st century“ is the theme of this year‘s World Water Day which is on 22 March. The scientific discipline of biomimicry employs the same approach.

Biomimicry = nature’s genius
"Every so often an idea comes around that is a game changer. After we hear it and understand it, we never see the world quite the same ever again. Biomimicry is such an idea,“ says Claire Janisch, the founder of BiomimicrySA. She adds: "it shows us that genius solutions to our challenges already exist. Right outside, in nature. Tested over eons.“

Claire is a keynote speaker at African Utility Week, taking place from 15-17 May in Cape Town, with a presentation entitled: Biomimicry: Learn from and emulate nature’s genius to create more sustainable designs. She explains: "when you realise that the simple act of learning from and emulating nature’s time tested genius is so profoundly impactful, it’s one of the most inspiring approaches to Africa's big challenges. I will share case studies and core principles to illustrate this.“

"Our vision is that the designers of our world - and particularly the designers of our infrastructure - look to natural systems as model, measure and mentor to design abundant and resilient cities that function like natural ecosystems.“

Cape Town not unique
African Utility Week will also focus strongly on water challenges on the continent, including investment needed in water solutions by the public and private sectors to enable universal access, water security and resilient societies. The water conference will furthermore showcase how partnerships, financial models and latest technological advances can make the greatest impact in meeting Africa's water demand.

“What is happening in Cape Town could happen anywhere,” says water expert Paul Yillia about the current water shortage in the Mother City. A guest research scholar (Water Programme) at the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis in Austria and formerly part of the Global Facilitation Team at Sustainable Energy for ALL (SEforALL) focusing on the Water-Energy-Food Nexus, Paul returns as chairman of the water conference track at African Utility Week.

He explains: “as populations in cities grow and economic activities increase, the demand for water will continue to increase. If we now factor in climate change and extreme weather events such as prolonged heat waves and droughts, all of this will put additional pressure on water availability both on the supply and demand side. This is not unique to Cape Town. Utilities worldwide should take the threats posed by climate change much more seriously and focus additional resources on adaptation measures to cope with water security challenges that will be exacerbated by climate change.”

African Utility Week’s water conference programme topics and highlights include:

-  World Bank Report on latest status on water infrastructure projects
-  What is the impact of conflict and governance towards meeting Africa’s water demand?
-  Exploring the impact of climate change on Africa’s water demand
-  Panel discussion: How is the City of Cape Town working towards shifting cultural behaviour of water consumption?
-  Roundtable with country spotlight sessions, sharing investment opportunities and projects that are making the greatest difference to Africa’s water sector. Countries in focus will be Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda, South Africa, Egypt, Botswana, Namibia, Ghana, Singapore, Dubai, Denmark, Singapore and Israel.
-  A debate on the pricing methods for the continent’s water
-  Panel discussion: What does a bankable project look like in the water sector?

The full interviews with Claire Janisch, Paul Yillia and more expert speakers can be read here: http://www.african-utility-week.com/expertinterviews 

Event going ahead as planned Meanwhile, the organisers of African Utility Week have assured all stakeholders in this long running conference and exhibition that the event will go ahead as planned despite the current water restrictions in Cape Town. “As a major event in the City, African Utility Week plays a crucial role in contributing towards the in-ward bound travel market,” says event director Evan Schiff, “by holding the event as planned, African Utility Week will continue to support the Cape Town economy as we cannot allow for there to be massive job losses on top of a water constrained situation.”

Award-winning energy platform
The 18th annual, multi-award winning African Utility Week will gather over 7000 decision makers from more than 80 countries to discuss the challenges, solutions and successes in the power, energy and water sectors on the continent. Along with multiple side events and numerous networking functions the event also boasts a seven track conference with over 300 expert speakers.

The African Utility Week expo offers an extensive technical workshop programme that are CPD accredited, free to attend, hands-on presentations that take place in defined spaces on the exhibition floor. They discuss practical, day-to-day technical topics, best practices and product solutions that businesses, large power users and utilities can implement in their daily operations.

Industry support
African Utility Week has already secured important industry support including Landis+Gyr, Hexing and Eskom Rotek Industries as platinum sponsors and SAP, Sensus, Utility Systems and Aberdare as gold sponsors.

Dates for African Utility Week:
Conference and expo: 15-17 May 2018
Awards gala dinner:  16 May 2018
Site visits: 18 May 2018

Location: CTICC, Cape Town, South Africa
Website: http://www.african-utility-week.com  & www.african-real-estate-summit.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AfricaUtilities    #AUW2018  
Linkedin: African Utility Week

Contact:
Senior communications manager:  Annemarie Roodbol
Telephone:  +27 21 700 3558
Mobile:  +27 82 562 7844
Email:  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Revolutionary Aeroview Scout in-field app launched by Aerobotics helps highlight problem areas in the orchard, helping farmers save costs and water.

Cape Town, 6 December 2017 – Leading South African technology company, Aerobotics, which specialises in providing on-demand satellite and drone analytics for farmers, today officially launched the revolutionary Aeroview Scout in-field smartphone app that highlights problem areas in the orchard with GPS co-ordinates, allowing farmers to make notes, take pictures and remedy any issues early. Aeroview, developed by Aerobotics, uses artificial intelligence (AI) and a unique set of algorithms to transform satellite and drone imagery into useful information to assist farmers and help them optimise profits and yield by identifying problem areas in the orchard. Using visual and multispectral camera, the drones map the outlined area in 3D, highlighting individual trees with health or growth problems, and can even detect leaks – all leading to cost savings for farmers in the long run.

Farmers can look at each individual tree’s statistics, including health, height, canopy size and canopy volume. Crop health maps highlights problem areas on the farm and moisture index maps reveals any leaks to help reduce water usage and facilitate more effective irrigation. Aeroview Scout, the in-field smartphone app launched today, complements the Aeroview platform with GPS co-ordinates for individual trees so farmers can locate trees with issues, make notes, take pictures and remedy the problems early. The app also tracks progress of each affected tree (including in-field notes) so farmers can better manage their time and resources on a regular basis, reducing wastage in irrigation and pest management and helping farms to be more sustainable in their use of herbicides and pesticides.

First Fruits Consulting, a well-regarded citrus farm consultancy based in Simondium in the Cape Winelands, has been using Aeroview to help citrus farmers across the country improve their yields. “Since we started using Aeroview in 2016, the data has helped farmers find problem areas in their orchards and correct these areas through differential application of ameliorants and other area specific inputs, thereby increasing overall productivity in the orchards. In some cases, improvements could be seen clearly using drone data within only a couply of weeks after amelioration. With the Aeroview Scout in-field smartphone app, farmers can better react to problem areas in orchards, find the affected trees easily and remedy the issues quickly,” said Hein Gerber, Managing Director, First Fruits Consulting (Pty) Ltd.  For farmers growing fruits for the lucrative export market, being able to spot problems in trees early can help reduce crop failure and lost income. In a study conducted by Aerobotics on a 3.75 hectare Western Cape peach orchard, the Aeroview data highlighted how the farm could generate more exportable fruit by addressing the trees in need of help – the data would have mitigated a R400,000 loss in income for the farm.

The on-demand satellite and drone scans are not only limited to trees in an orchard. In 2016, the South African Cane Growers’ Association (CANEGROWERS) formed a partnership with Aerobotics to provide data for sugarcane farmers so they can reduce costs while increasing yields, improve sustainability and maximise profitability in today’s tough economic times. “Aeroview is becoming a key tool for us and our growers. The analysed data allows us to identify crop stress and address threats early, before the damage become widespread. Improving crop yields starts with the measurement and monitoring capability provided by Aeroview, which provides a key technological tool for improving farming practices and yields,” said Richard Howes, Head of Innovations at CANEGROWERS. James Paterson, Chief Executive Officer, Aerobotics, agrees: “Aeroview Scout is precision farming in the palm of your hands.

This smartphone app is going to be the next essential tool for all farmers who aim for greater yields and profits, while saving water at the same time.” Since its launch in 2014, Aeroview today has users in South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Malawi, Zimbabwe, Mozambique and the UK. Aeroview Scout is available on both the Apple and Android App Store. For more information on Aeroview and Aeroview Scout app, please visit aerobotics.co.- End -For high resolution screenshots of the Aeroview Scout app, please visit: https://drive.google.com/open?id=0BxVcu9bF02QSRjlqU1pmanFFY2c

About Aerobotics
Established in Cape Town in 2014, Aerobotics is a leading South African company providing on-demand satellite and drone analytics for farmers to help them farm better. It is the developer of Aeroview, which uses artificial intelligence (AI) and a unique set of algorithms to transform satellite and drone imagery into useful data to identify problem areas on the farm with crop health maps, moisture index maps and individual tree statistics, including health, height, canopy size and canopy volume. Using the Aeroview Scout in-field smartphone app, farmers can locate each problematic tree using GPS co-ordinates, make notes, take pictures and track progress of treatment for each tree over time.

For more information about Aerobotics and Aeroview Scout, please visit aerobotics.co

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