By: Tshepiso Kaibe – 16 April 2024

As part of their annual roadshow, the Data Intensive Research Initiative of South Africa (DIRISA) conducted a two-stage visit to the Vaal University of Technology (VUT) on 12 April 2024. The event was designed to engage students studying Information Technology (IT), Computer Science, and Computer Systems, as well as staff members from VUT including Prof. Tranos Zuva. Among those present were representatives from DIRISA, including Mr. Sthembiso Mkwanazi, the Senior Projects Manager, VUT mentor Mr. Rito Khosa, alongside several staff members and other key figures.

An explanation of the benefits of DIRISA, a component of the National Integrated Cyber Infrastructure System (NICIS) was provided to the staff of VUT, offering a comprehensive national data infrastructure along with data management services that yield extensive advantages across various sectors. This comes after DIRISA’s aim to enhance the national data setup in response to researchers’ rising demands for data storage for their research. Their data services include a research data archive offering 100GB of storage for registered users, a long-term storage facility of 20 PB, as well as data discovery and analytical services supporting faster research innovation across all academic disciplines.

It proudly fosters numerous collaborations with both local and international organizations, including the National Research Foundation (NRF), Research Data Alliance (RDA), Committee on Data International Science Council (CODATA), and many others. Mkwanazi outlined the mission of DIRISA as contributing to the facilitation and support of a dynamic research infrastructure ecosystem which includes the necessary technologies, practices, expertise and skills for conducting data-intensive research.

Under the scope of DIRISA’S ongoing initiatives, they also target students through their annual Datathon Competition. The challenge aims to demonstrate how open research data can be utilized to discover creative and innovative solutions for various socioeconomic issues in South Africa. Each institution is permitted one team entry comprising of six students and an institutional mentor. Registrations for the Datathon Challenge will commence in June 2024 while the event itself will take place from November to December 2024. Any registered VUT student interested in partaking in the competition may contact Mr. Rito Khosa via email,  ritok@vut.ac.za , or alternatively students can also join the WhatsApp group (https://chat.whatsapp.com/IeRI0qgRNRD8has0tdD1t4).

The session concluded with a lively and interactive question and answer session, allowing participants the platform to network and engage.