Institutes, Centres and Units

The Department of Information Science is concerned with how information is generated, organised, circulated and used in society. In today’s knowledge economy and Fourth Industrial Revolution, information is a currency that is shared in written, audio and visual form, and in print and digital formats. The Department conducts research in the fields of Information Science, Multimedia and Publishing.
 
Research chairs and entities
 
Our Department hosts a research centre, the African Centre of Excellence for Information Ethics (ACEIE), which was headed by Dr Coetzee Bester and an enthusiastic team of colleagues until 2020. Since 2021 the ACEIE is not funded, and has no fulltime or part-time staff. Small-scale activities are therefore undertaken by volunteers. The ACEIE, which is now managed by a steering committee, coordinates research, teaching, projects, contract work, webinars and other activities relating to Information Ethics.
 
TheDepartment of Information Science, Department of Mining Engineering, and Exxaro have come together to establish the Exxaro Chair in XR (Extended Reality) Technology. Thanks to Exxaro, one of the top five coal producers in South Africa and a constituent of the JSE’s Top 40 index, and the initiative and hard work of Prof Ronny Webber-Youngman and Mr Jannie Maritz from the Department of Mining Engineering, as well as Mr Koos de Beer from the Department of Information Science, the Exxaro Chair in XR (Extended Reality) Technology has been established. The University of Pretoria supports research to challenge the obstacles associated with the 4th Industrial Revolution. Researching XR technology, as part of a strategic intervention in dealing with mining-related challenges, is one of these initiatives. The all-pervasive nature of XR technology and its applications is evident, and its relevance for mining-related challenges will now be explored, to optimise the resources of companies like Exxaro.
 
A variety of research projects are undertaken in collaboration with a national and international network of partners and collaborators.
 
The state-of-the-art VRI Laboratory is set to facilitate new opportunities in the field of multimedia studies where students can engage in immersive research in several fields related to extended reality technology (XR).
 

Copyright © University of Pretoria 2024. All rights reserved.

COVID-19 Corona Virus South African Resource Portal

To contact the University during the COVID-19 lockdown, please send an email to [email protected]

FAQ's Email Us Virtual Campus Share Cookie Preferences