Antony K Cooper is currently a Principal Researcher in the CSIR’s Built Environment Unit. Professional registration:: Registered Professional GISc Practitioner email: [email protected] Tel: +27 (0) 12 841 4121

Research interests

Antony’s research interests are quite varied, including geographical information science (GISc) theory and applications, especially spatial data infrastructures (SDIs), crime mapping and analysis, volunteered geographical information (VGI), classification, addresses, metadata and quality; standards; standards development; standards lifecycle; policy development; location-aware technologies and transport modelling; formal concept analysis (FCA); palaeontology; numerical modelling of armour units around harbours; the integrated criminal and civil justice system; bloodstain pattern analysis; ethics; research and mentoring colleagues. He has also been invited to various select international seminars and workshops on crime mapping and community policing, humanitarian logistics, and bloodstain pattern analysis.

Antony recently completed his PhD in Information Technology, entitled “An exposition of the nature of volunteered geographical information and its suitability for integration into spatial data infrastructures”, at the University of Pretoria, with Dr S. Coetzee (CGIS) and Prof DG Kourie (Computer Science) as his supervisors. In reflecting on the context, challenges and opportunities for VGI and SDIs, his research made original contributions to information science, theoretical computer science and geographical information science, developing lemmas on stability in a lattice, assessing taxonomies qualitatively and using formal concept analysis, and explaining why the Internet cannot be controlled.

 

Qualifications

• BSc (Inf Proc)
• BSc Hons (Rhodes University)
• MDP (UNISA)
• MSc (Univeristy of Pretoria)
• PhD (University of Pretoria)

Student projects

• Susan Henrico, "An Adapted Technology Acceptance Model to Test GIS Software Users' Perceptions about FOSSGIS", PhD in Geography, ongoing.
• Nicole Govender, "A South African Analysis of the Quality of Volunteered Geographic Information in OpenStreetMap", BSc (Hons) in Computer Science, completed 2011.
• Niell du Plooy, "Assessment of OpenStreetMap Data Quality Across Different Urban Hierarchic Levels: A Comparative Study", BSc (Hons) in Geoinformatics, completed 2012.
• Mercy Phaphana, "Using a Geographical Information System (GIS) in Determining the Availability and Accessibility to Fresh Fruits and Vegetables, Transport and Food Shops in Arcadia and Eastwood’s Food Environment", BSc (Hons) in Geoinformatcs, completed 2013.
• Sibusiso Lubisi, "Investigating the availability and accessibility of healthy and varied food in the Hatfield and Hillcrest student areas", BSc (Hons) in Geoinformatics, completed 2014.
• Anastassia Rakitianskaia, "Digital Forensics in Second Life", MSc in Computer Science, completed 2015.
• Ndamulelo Mudau, "Exploring the use of ontologies for combining different spatial planning regimes", BSc (Hons) in Geoinformatics, completed 2015.
• Susanna Henrico, "Analysing the practical feasibility of using free and open source software for geographical information systems (FOSSGIS) in military operations", MA in Geography, completed 2016.
• Ntombifuthi Tshabalala, "Understanding and mapping the food environment of an informal settlement called ‘Marry Me’ in Soshanguve", BSc (Hons) in Geoinformatics, completed 2016.
• Tarryn Whittle, "Urban food environment investigation: Pretoria Gardens", BSc (Hons) in Geoinformatics, completed 2016.
• Sibusisiwe Hlela, "Competency maturity model for geographic information for South Africa ", PhD in Geography, ongoing.
• Petronella Tizora, "Modelling land use and land cover change in the Western Cape Province", MSc in Geoinformatics, completed 2018.
• Matsubu Ragoasha, "Geospatial accessibility analysis of primary health care clinics in Mbizana local municipality in the Eastern Cape Province", BSc (Hons) in Geoinformatics, completed 2017
• Moshidi Mokgukulushi, "Using Accessibility to Investigate the Level of Integration of the Various Public Transport Systems within the City of Johannesburg", BSc (Hons) in Geoinformatics, completed in 2017
• Ernest Yzel, "Assessment of the quality of OpenStreetMap road data in the Pretoria Moot area", BSc (Hons) in Geoinformatics, completed 2018.
• Nicolas Kemp, "Spatial and Temporal Theories of Crime", MSc in Geography, ongoing.
• Sam Motswenyane, "The South African Spatial Data Infrastructure Framework Role and Responsibilities in Terms of Cadastral Data in a Municipality", MSc in Geoinformatics, ongoing.

National & international involvement

• Member of the Executive Committee of CODATA (Committee on Data for Science and Technology, an interdisciplinary Scientific Committee of ICSU, the International Council for Science), 2010-2012.
• Convenor of Working Group 7, Information Communities, of ISO/TC 211,
  Geographic Information/Geomatics, 2002-2017, and before that, Convenor
  of Working Group 2, Spatial Data Models, of ISO/TC 211, 2000-2001.
• Chair of the Commission on Geospatial Data Standards of the International Cartographic Association (ICA), 2007-2015.
• Member of the Committee for Spatial Information (CSI), since 2010.
• Vice-Chair of the Geo-Information Society of South Africa (GISSA), 2009-2012.

Research publications

Scopus H-index | ORCID ID

Antony’s publications are accessible on the CGIS and CSIR web sites at:

• CGIS's publications
• CSIR Research Space - available publications of Antony K Cooper

Projects

• South African Address Standard (SANS 1883) Workshop, GSDI Small Grants Program (2007-2008).
• Volunteered geographical information (VGI) for spatial data infrastructures (SDI) and geoportals, Joint research grant under the SA/Poland agreement on cooperation in science and technology (2010-2011).
• Modelling a national health spatial data infrastructure for Namibia, joint research grant under the South African - Namibia research partnership programme bilateral agreement (2012-2013).