Andrew Hanson, a BScHons Geoinformatics student, was selected to participate in the annual Data Science for Impact and Decision Enhancement (DSIDE) programme funded by the Department of Science and Technology (DST). DSIDE is a 12-week, mentor-guided and learn-by-doing training programme hosted by the CSIR. 

Andrew was part of an interdisciplinary team made up with students from various Universities to investigate possible solutions for the City of Tshwane debt issue. The group collected information from various sources and looked into why the services were disconnected. They found that Mamelodi had the highest number of electricity and water disconnections. They also looked at how long it took a person to pay once they had been disconnected.

When asked about his experience, Andrew shared that it was a steep learning curve, but he learned a lot and would recommend it to any student. 

You can read more about the programme here, https://www.iol.co.za/pretoria-news/students-help-solve-tshwanes-debt-issue-41791483