Africa Surveyors Jan-Feb digital issue 2022 by Nailex Africa Publishing

Volume 4 issue no. 19

January - February issue 2022

Africa Surveyors

Fixed-Wing Drones Reasons to use Fixed Wing Drones

GPS Surveying Infrastructure Digital Twin Offshore Seismic Surveys

In this issue...... Learn More About a Career in Infrastructure Engineering......pg 32 www.africasurveyorsonline.com

Digital oilfield solutions power oil and gas sector in Africa....pg 14

How Shelter Afrique is changing Africa’s Housing Narrative....pg 32 January-February issue l 2022

January-February issue l 2022

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CONTENTS

Contents 28

Current Issue Fixed-Wing Drones, Infrastructure Digitall Twin, GPS Surveying & many more

REGULARS News Briefs

Events

Innovation

Opinion

Project review

Managing Editor Francis David

Editor-in-Chief Augustine Mwita

Editor Dorcas Kang’ereha

Writer

Violet Ambale Harriet Mkhaye Irene Joseph Innocent Momanyi

Sales Executives East Africa

Jimmy Mudasia Lydia Kamonya Caiser Momanyi Vincent Murono Sheila Ing’ayitsa

South Africa

COVER STORY Drones: Reasons to use Fixed-Wing Drones

Features Surveying: Advantages of GPS Surveying Marine: Offshore Seismic Survey Engineering: Infrastructure Engineering Digital Twin: Infrastructure Digital Twin Construction: Terrazzo Flooring Project Review: 88 Nairobi Condominium Tower project

Paul Nyakeri Sean Masangwanyi Lisa Brown Thembisa Ndlovu

ADVERTISER'S INDEX

Nigeria

Emelda Njomboro Uche Maxwel

Designed and Published by:

Nailex Africa Publishing, P.O. Box 52248-00100, Nairobi, Kenya.

Petrocontrants........................................................................IFC Insight Surveying....................................................................IBC Position Partners....................................................................OBC Advance Naigation................................................................pg 13 MacArtney...............................................................................pg 38 Deepwater Specialists..........................................................pg 34 Evologics..................................................................................pg 24 Civitech....................................................................................pg 30 Caroni........................................................................................pg 35 Resource4Africa.....................................................................pg 09

The Editor accepts letter and manuscripts for publication from readers all over the world. Include your name and address as a sign of good faith although you may request your name to be withheld from publication. We can reserve the right to edit any material submitted. Send your letters to: info@africasurveyorsonline.com

Disclaimer:

Nailex Africa Publishing makes every effort to ensure the accuracy of the contents of its publications, but no warranty is made to such accuracy and no responsibility will be borne by the publisher for the consequences of actions based on information so published. Further, opinions expressed on interviews are not necessarily shared by Nailex Africa Publisher.

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January-February issue l 2022

NEWS BRIEFS

Zambia pursues open-pit mine despite huge opposition

According to earth.org, the proposed site for the mine lies inside an International Conservation Union category II protected area in south-eastern Zambia, on the Zambezi River.

Egypt plans to extend submarine fiber-optic cable with Greece at a cost of US$60 million

gyptian Minister of Communications and Information Technology Amr Talaat has announced that technical studies are currently underway for laying a submarine cable at a cost of about US$60 million, linking Egypt and Greece to transmit data. A memorandum of understanding was signed recently according to an agreement between the two countries to extend a fiber-optic cable through the Mediterranean Sea. The minister said that the current stage will witness the start of technical studies to determine the route of the cable under the waters of the Mediterranean Sea between the

two countries. Talaat explained that Egypt’s strategic location allows it to play a vital role in transferring data between East and West. Egypt’s plan first included supporting local networks by increasing the number of paths in the country to find alternatives in the event of a failure of one of the paths so that the service is not affected. The minister added that about 5,000 kilometers of new paths have been extended, in addition to the establishment of four landing stations to increase the efficiency of services. The next step is to forge new partnerships with countries that have a strategic capacity in the field, he said including Greece, explaining that there are currently working paths with Italy and France across the Mediterranean Sea, and establishing a new cable with Greece will contribute to the multiplicity of connection paths with Europe. The submarine cables are scheduled to reach 18 cables within three years, and planning is underway to launch the HARP cable spanning around the continent of Africa by 2023.

Zambia pursues open-pit mine despite huge opposition

he controversial open-pit copper mining project in the Lower Zambezi National Park will go ahead, says the Zambian government. Many conservationists and civil society organisations have opposed the Kangaluwi Open Pit Mining Project by Australian-based company, Zambezi Resources Limited. In 2019, thousands of people signed a petition against it. But Zambia’s green economy and environment minister, Collins Nzovu, has told privately owned Radio Phoenix that after exhausting legal processes and the courts dismissing an appeal to stop the proposed large scale open-pit mine, the project will now go ahead. He says the state has been left with no option but to monitor the situation and ensure the developer operates within strict conditions. Zambians have taken to Twitter to express their feelings, many in opposition.

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Saice welcomes civil engineering prominence in capacity building

and the courts dismissing an appeal to stop the proposed large scale open-pit mine, the project will now go ahead. He says the state has been left with no option but to monitor the situation and ensure the developer operates within strict conditions. Zambians have taken to Twitter to express their feelings, many in opposition.

According to earth.org, the proposed site for the mine lies inside an International Conservation Union category II protected area in south-eastern Zambia, on the Zambezi River. The Lower Zambezi National Park provides refuge to globally threatened wildlife species such as elephants and wild dogs and is home to unique vegetation types including the only protected and intact lowland deciduous thickets in the southern African region. The organization warns that the potential longterm impact of this mine and the environmental threat it poses to the renewable resources of the Zambezi River ecosystem far outweigh any short-term economic benefits. River pollution caused by the mine could threaten the Zambezi river’s 2,000-tonne subsistence fishery, which provides food and protein security to 20,000 people along the river’s banks, adds earth.org.

ndustry body the South African Institution of Civil Engineering (Saice) welcomes that civil engineering features prominently on the scarce skills list President Cyril Ramaphosa referred to during his State of the Nation Address (SoNA) on February 10, when he articulated the need for capacity building, says Saice president Professor Marianne Vanderschuren. Employment remains a critical priority for South Africa and for the civil engineering sector. Saice reiterated its call on government to continue to engage the available resources, entities and professionals in mapping out the far-reaching plans that were detailed in the SoNA. “Saice, with our 15 000 members has the capacity to tap into the knowledge, skills and wisdom to move towards a sustainable, resilient and economically viable future,” she adds. A major concern for Saice was the minimal reference to maintenance during the SoNA. With a challenged infrastructure, this should be at the top of the agenda, Vanderschuren emphasises. “The President mentioned that this requires capacity in municipalities. To date, the lack of capacity has paralysed many municipalities, leaving inhabitants without services. “While government builds capacity, we need interim measures to ensure that civil infrastructure investment and maintenance is monitored or audited. How about identifying infrastructure auditors that assist the municipalities while they build capacity?” she proposes. Further, Saice would also like to see plans that identify building codes and standards to minimise the need for maintenance, she adds. “Instead of infrastructure failing three months after completion, why do we not build to last? We need to work on standardisation for durable infrastructure. “If the President commits to the capacity building and the commitment to education suggested, then scenario planning will need to take place unpacking what different future scenarios could look like, and what the advantages and areas of concern are on the journey ahead.

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NEWS BRIEFS

GTL becomes UAE’s first analytical testing lab to run on 100% solar power with support of Sharaf DG Energy

eoscience Testing Laboratory (GTL), a subsidiary of Dubai-based Prime Group and the largest laboratory in the Gulf Cooperation Council for the construction industry, has reached a pioneering milestone in the realm of clean energy mix by becoming the first analytical laboratory to run on 100% solar power. Facilitated by Sharaf DG Energy, GTL is now equipped with 950 photovoltaic solar panels that can generate approximately 723,500 kilowatts of electricity annually. This shift to full energy independence will reduce the laboratory’s greenhouse gas emission by 510 metric tonnes every year, which is equivalent to the annual carbon emissions of 110 cars. The project marks GTL’s tangible policy towards supporting the UAE’s Net Zero by 2050 strategic initiative, which aims to generate 50% of its power generation mix from renewable sources in order to balance economic and environment goals. Mr. Abdullatif Abdulla Ali Al Gargawi, Chairman of Prime Group, stated: “Our decision to utilise only clean energy at GTL is one of the most important corporate initiatives we’ve taken over the years. This initiative reduces our carbon footprint with the invaluable technological support of Sharaf DG Energy and reflects GTL’s commitment to the UAE’s key economic ambition to achieve a green sustainable economy.” Dr. Mary Jane Alvero-Al Mahdi, Group CEO of Prime Group, said: “In parallel with the national drive to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050, GTL looks at energy sustainability as a top priority now and in the future. We are glad to have partnered with Sharaf DG Energy in our endeavour to adopting this green energy project that now powers up our equipment and machineries using renewable power from the sun. We encourage other establishments to follow this path for the sake of our world and generations to come.” Mr. Nilesh Khalkho, CEO of Sharaf DG, said: “We are always looking for ways to support the UAE’s sustainability development goals by providing innovative green energy solutions to the country’s businesses and residential communities. The GTL project helped us show our commitment to the growth of sustainable energy and how businesses can benefit from it in their day-to-day processes while being part of the global efforts to mitigate the risks of climate change.”

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UAE Dragon Oil announces first oil discovery in Egypt

ragon Oil Company, wholly owned by the Dubai government, announced a new petroleum discovery in the Gulf of Suez in Egypt. The initial expected oil reserves estimated at about 100 million barrels in the northeast Ramadan concession area. The company said that there are possibilities to add a larger expected oil reserve when starting the development plan. It pointed out that the discovery is one of the largest oil discoveries in the Gulf of Suez in 20 years. The new oil field is the first discovery by Dragon Oil since it became an active player in the petroleum sector in Egypt, after it acquired 100% of the British BP’s assets in all oil production and discovery concessions in the Gulf of Suez.

The announcement came during a meeting on Tuesday for the CEO of UAE Dragon Oil company, Ali al-Jarwan, with the Egyptian Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources. Tarek al-Mulla. The meeting discussed the company’s activities in Egypt in the Gulf of Suez region.

Kenya extends Base Titanium Kwale lease

ustralian mining firm Base Titanium will not be exiting its Kwale location in mid-2022 after Kenya renewed its licence for 13 more months.

The news comes as a relief to more than 1,000 employees whose contracts would have been terminated at the end of June. Base Titanium, which has also started exploration in Tanzania and is eyeing Madagascar to extend its mining exploration in Africa, is allowed to operate in Kenya till November 2023. “Base Titanium is fully industrial. That is where we are aiming as a country, to encourage Kenyans to tap into and exploit the lucrative mining sector,” said Petroleum and Mining Principal Secretary Andrew Kamau. If the firm gets another licence on the variation of Bumamani area in North Coast, it will extend operations by a further six months until June 2024. Base Titanium’s General Manager for External Affairs Simon Wall expressed optimism after the renewal of the licence. “The government finalised a variation to our mining licence last year that provided us with an extra 13 months to continue through to 2023. Minerals within our mining tenure area will be depleted, but we have a boundary variation location with the government, which will take us up to June 2024,” said Mr Wall. He said the firm is at the back end of the project at the Coast as they identify satellite deposits. “We have several prospecting licence applications with the Ministry of Petroleum and Mining in some

parts of Kwale and North Coast closer to Lamu. If they are granted, it will allow us to take samples to determine whether the minerals that we are interested in exist in an economically viable quantity,” said Mr Wall. Thereafter, the firm will close those areas for future mining. Early last year, Base Titanium officials set up a company known as Base Explorations Tanzania, and applied for licences. “Our parent company has picked up a project in Madagascar but is in the early stages. In Tanzania, works started late last year, and it is very encouraging,” said Mr Wall. On the pandemic that disrupted businesses globally, Mr Wall said Base Titanium saw a spike in demand on the international market. “The majority of our products go into the production of pigment in paints,” he said. In the past two years, as parts of the world closed down and suspended travelling, people spent time at home renovating their houses, creating a spike in demand for pigments.

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INTERNATIONAL

Subsea Technology & Rentals reinforces global rental fleet with investment in iXblue Technologies

mdGroup acquires GeoCue to strengthen Drone Surveying offering, plans US expansion

dGroup has bought aerial Lidar mapping technology provider GeoCue Group for an undisclosed sum from its founders. The company already owns Microdrones, a Germanybased business that supplies aerial data to make digital twins of industrial sites. The acquisition is expected to complement Microdrones’s existing offering including high-end surveying drones, photogrammetric measurement tools and data interpretation packages.

ubsea Technology & Rentals (STR) is pleased to announce its continued investment in iXblue subsea navigation systems, strengthening its global rental fleet. STR’s investment notably includes the acquisition of iXblue’s long baseline (LBL) system; Canopus, making them the first rental company to offer the system for hire. Part of iXblue’s sparse LBL solution, Canopus brings together intelligent transponders, Ramses transceivers, Inertial Navigation Systems(INS), and Delph Subsea Positioning Software. It is also a third-party friendly solution able to be easily integrated within existing operational fields.

GeoCue Group brings its TrueView line of drone Lidar/Imaging sensors and Lidar data processing software TrueView EVO/LP360 with the acquisition. Lidar, an acronym for light detection and ranging, is a sensing method of eye-safe laser beams that creates 3D representations of the surveyed environment. The technology is used to establish the variable distance between an object and a sensor.

The addition of iXblue’s Rovins and Rovins Nano Inertial Navigation Systems,as well as Gaps M5 ultra short baseline (USBL) system, furthers STR’s already significant investment in these technologies. The new systems join their global rental pool available from their five international service hubs.

“This further establishes mdGroup as the go-to provider of industrial-grade, high quality and Western-made aerial surveying equipment and software,” said Francois Gerner, mdGroup’s chief financial officer. “In the medium to long term, mdGroup expects customers of both companies to benefit from the outcome of GeoCue and Microdrones collaboration in the technical field.”

STR’s Chief Operating Officer, Scott Johnstone says, “As we have entered 2022, we have welcomed the investment by Baird which will vault the growth trajectory of STR internationally in terms of our products and resources. This investment with iXblue is STR’s largest to date in our 20 years of offering our customers iXblue products. As a global leader whose proven technology is recognized worldwide within our industry, their systems are great assets to have and they’ve always met our customer’s requirements. In 2021 we invested in the Gaps M5and these systems have been widely utilized by our customers on geophysical surveys for offshore wind farm site investigations, and other tracking and towed services”. Based on fibre-optic gyroscope technology, iXblue navigation solutions have become standard in the offshore industry. An asset for offshore wind farms, Gaps M5 is a ready-to-use and calibration-free system that offers accurate location, positioning and unrivaled horizontal tracking of subsea assets. It integrates an Attitude and Heading Reference System (AHRS) for stable heading roll and pitch compensation and a true north reference. “STR has taken a position of expansion in the past year, and we are thrilled to help bolster their rental fleet to support their international growth,” says iXblue’s Regional Sales Manager, Maverick Piccininni. “It shows their commitment to their customers; by investing in a dynamic fleet of equipment they are able to adapt and respond quickly to their needs.” Added Piccininni.

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It’s part of a “one-stop” shop strategy under which mdGroup plans to collate drone and digital twinrelated services.

The deal is also set to expand mdGroup’s reach in the U.S., where GeoCue’s sales are focused, while offering GeoCue the opportunity to target European clients. Their services won’t change immediately but customers will have the choice of Microdrones’ survey equipment or GeoCue’s Lidar sensor package. GeoCue was founded in 2003 and started offering drone-based imagery services eight years ago. It now focuses on selling kinematic Lidar processing tools. GeoCue’s flagship hardware product, TrueView 3DIS, can be installed on any rotary drone platform to collect Lidar and camera sensor data, while also extracting photogrammetric measurements from the same flight. The sensor mount is marketed alongside cloud processing software as well as training, support and consulting services. Users can also log in to GeoCue’s Amazon Web Services-hosted platform, Reckon Portal, to calibrate their sensors, host product data and run visualization commands.

Flapmax Partners with Microsoft to Scale Africa’s Digital Ecosystem

lapmax has announced joining forces with Microsoft to help strengthen and scale Africa’s digital ecosystem with the launch of FAST, a startup accelerator. Entrepreneurs based in Africa are invited to apply by February 22, 2022 to participate in the program’s first accelerator cohort, starting March 2022. FAST is designed to help startups that are building cloud technology and artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled products and services supporting Africa’s communities, governments, and companies. “At Flapmax our mission is to enrich the lives of everyone on the planet and make the world more sustainable, using accelerated AI technology,” said Dave Ojika, founder and CEO, Flapmax. “We are proud to partner with Microsoft to make that dream a reality for startup founders committed to strengthening the digital ecosystem in Africa. Together, we can build an AI-enabled future that serves everyone, everywhere – improving industries from healthcare and education to agriculture and government services.” Created by Flapmax in partnership with Microsoft, the FAST program combines business development,

technology integration, funding and community building opportunities designed to enable African startups to scale more rapidly and sustainably. Program participants will work with Microsoft engineering team members on co-innovation projects ranging from product integrations to new offerings. Members of the Flapmax engineering team will help startups apply new technology solutions, including Measure, Coral Imaging, and Fast Portal. Participants will benefit from additional perks including up to $250,000 in Microsoft Azure cloud credits, access to Founders Hub, Dynamics 365, and Microsoft 365 (including Teams). “Africa is poised to become the next international technology hub,” says Gerald Maithya, SME and Startups Lead: Africa Transformation Office at Microsoft. “We are excited to partner with Flapmax in our mission of empowering every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more. The FAST program will provide direct investment in the technology leaders of tomorrow in the region, helping build key infrastructure that uses artificial intelligence as the basis for solutions development.”

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INTERNATIONAL

Subsea Europe Services wins six-figure funding to accelerate autonomous survey development

new round of funding has strengthened hydroacoustic technology specialist Subsea Europe Service GmbH’s commitment to taking autonomous technologies to the next level for marine survey applications. The investment boosts the company’s unique approach which focuses on the integration of new generation smart, A.I. and machine learning enabled hydroacoustic systems with diverse survey platforms including Autonomous Underwater Vehicles, Unmanned Surface Vessels, and crewed vessels as survey motherships. Subsea Europe Services is working with several autonomy-focused partners globally and the first fruits of these collaborations will be shown as early as April 2022, during demonstrations of a new solution created with MARTAC Inc., and based on the high-performance Mantas T12 Unmanned Surface Vehicle (USV) with a tightly integrated hydrographic survey payload. The solution is expected to be ready for operation in May, with short, on-demand surveys at offshore wind farms projected to drive demand for the combination

of a high-speed USV and increased autonomous payload functionality. “The autonomous and unmanned platforms available today are incredibly advanced, but survey technology payloads are still complex systems that require an experienced and professional operator to utilise properly,” said Sören Themann, CEO, Subsea Europe Services.

“This investment is a platform for our on-going autonomy R&D, which aims to unlock more agility and efficiency through the seamless integration of survey system and platform to create a single, holistic solution that ultimately, will collect more data, of higher quality and at a faster rate than traditional survey operations,” adds Luis Carlo Soto, Survey Manager, Subsea Europe Services.

Tropical Seafloor Secrets Discovered as Mission to Map World's Entire Seabed Gains Momentum maximum water depth of 30m. Stuart Caie, Manager Hydrographic Survey from LINZ, said: “The technology and processes are very clever – the satellite can see the shallow sea floor in exquisite detail, but to derive the water depth the software needs to get rid of obstructions such as shadows and waves.

atellite technology has been used to chart shallow areas of the Cook Islands’ seafloor in never-before-seen detail by scientists at the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA) and Toitū Te Whenua Land Information New Zealand (LINZ) working with the satellite data analytics company, EOMAP GmbH. The work was carried out as part of The Nippon Foundation-GEBCO Seabed 2030 Project – a collaborative project aiming to bring together all available bathymetric data to produce the definitive map of the world ocean floor. The discovery coincides with the One Ocean Summit, held in France, which saw UNESCO call on the international community to strengthen efforts in pursuit of mapping the remainder of the ocean floor – 20.6 per cent has been mapped to date. The chart of Suwarrow and Pukapuka in the Cook Islands builds upon decades-old surveys, with more accurate positioning and wider coverage, including information on harder to reach areas such as shallow lagoons.

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Kevin Mackay, a Researcher of Marine Geology at NIWA, also heads Seabed 2030’s South and West Pacific Ocean Data Centre – one of the project’s four Regional Centres, each responsible for data gathering and mapping in their territory. Commenting on the use of satellites as a tool for measuring the shallow parts of the ocean floor, Kevin says “To measure the depth of the ocean, you would traditionally have to send out a boat with an echosounder, which costs a lot of money and can be dangerous in rough and shallow seas. “With satellites, we can access extremely remote locations, with less carbon footprint, and without having to endanger people.” The images are taken from two commercially owned satellites, World-View-2 and GeoEye-1, which provide extremely high-resolution pictures of the earth’s surface. As a result, data accuracy is greatly improved. Satellite derived bathymetry can be used to a

“The software therefore strips away the water and uses complex algorithms to produce depth estimations before creating a map with colourings of what the seafloor would look like without any water, which we then use.” Seabed 2030 – which is formally endorsed as a flagship programme of the Ocean Decade – is a collaborative project between The Nippon Foundation and the General Bathymetric Chart of the Oceans (GEBCO) to inspire the complete mapping of the world's ocean and compile all bathymetric data into the freely available GEBCO Ocean Map. GEBCO is a joint programme of the International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) and the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC). The South and West Pacific Ocean Regional Centre is made up of NIWA, GNS Science and LINZ, who are working together to map over 123 million km2 of ocean. The nautical chart will be published in February and is hoped to improve ocean safety and scientific knowledge.

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EVENTS

PGMs Industry Day P

GMs Industry Day has established itself as a highly influential platform representing the views of the industry’s major stakeholders and brings together senior representatives from local and international mining companies, investors, government and users of PGMs. Major PGMs producers, investors, analysts and end users will discuss how the PGMs industry is changing, what the international trends are and what the future might hold.

Geospatial community takes on climate change

he Canadian geospatial community is tackling climate change at their annual conference this year. GeoIgnite: Winter Geo is the fourth national conference for the Canadian community. This year, it’s running online from March 1 to 10. Jon Murphy, chair and founder of GeoIgnite, is pleased to welcome the community back to conference, and expects great things from this year’s event. “I look forward to the engagement. Connecting the community together online. I love bringing people and organisations together to share ideas, news, updates, on all things geospatial. Its my life’s work. Its important,” said Murphy. “In terms of the format, we have kept our straightforward televisions style. One stream for the conference and a sack channel for networking. Our attendees can watch the conference off the side of their desk on their mobile devices or just listen. This allows our audience to work throughout the day while still being productive.” Murphy adds that this year anyone can take part in the conference through YouTube. Being introduced in 2022, a live stream will play host to the conference, allowing anyone who wishes to learn more about the geospatial world to tune in. As in previous years, the event will consist of speakers, panels and workshops, all presented by influential members of the community. This includes speakers like Barbara Ryan, executive director of WGIC, Brian Perry with NRCan, Prashant Shukle, president of Global Geospatial Group. One of three keynote presentation will be given this year by Will Cadell, CEO of Sparkgeo. When he’s not presenting, or running a workshop, Cadell says he hopes to learn how others are working with change. “Instead of thinking about maps, and pixels and data, I would like us to be thinking more about change. I think change is the core product for earth observation. I don’t think we should be thinking about the way we capture change; we should be thinking about the change itself. [We must] try to understand why that change is happening, how we can measure for that change, and how we can protect ourselves as a population against particular catastrophic events.” Another presenter this year is Nick Kellett, founder and CEO of Deploy Solutions, who will be taking part in his third GeoIgnite conference this year.

His presentation “Building Software Solutions for Climate Change: Closing the communication gap between citizens and trusted authorities before, during, or after a disaster,” will take place March. 2. During his talk, Kellett says he will discuss the progress and key findings from a climate change research and development project, which has been in the works since 2019. “In 2019, we recognized that in order to build our technology and our concepts and test everything out, we needed an application for a project that we could use ourselves internally to drive that work. We’re interested in climate change, obviously we think we’re going to be affected by it. So, we thought what would be better than researching software that could be used to help individuals and communities deal with climate change impacts,” said Kellett. “We started that in 2019, first by asking questions… so, we started interviewing Canadian citizens, NGOs, government officials, scientists and trying to identify what those top communication problems and obstacles to action were. The goal after doing that was to explore how software could help overcome those.” Kellett says the ultimate goal of the work was to build a prototype to help with this work. Each year, Kellett has used GeoIgnite to discuss the progress of his work on this project and showcase his research. This year, he plans to not only discuss progress on the prototype, but also do a deep dive into the work. GeoIgnite: Winter Geo, runs from March. 1 to 10.

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STRATEGIES FOR A LONG-TERM, SUSTAINABLE INDUSTRY Lead Sponsor

FOR PRODUCERS, INVESTORS AND USERS OF PLATINUM GROUP METALS

PGMs Industry Day | 6 APRIL 2021 Country Club Johannesburg, Auckland Park & online Resources for Africa is pleased to announce its fifth annual PGMs Industry Day taking place on Wednesday, 6 April as an in person and online event. Key stakeholders including PGMs producers, users and investors will take an open, honest and frank approach to tackling the key issues facing the PGMs sector in the coming years. This year’s speaker line-up includes: Nico Muller, CEO, Implats Natascha Viljoen, CEO, Anglo American Platinum Neal Froneman, CEO, Sibanye-Stillwater Steve Phiri, CEO, Royal Bafokeng Platinum Phoevos Pouroulis, CEO, Tharisa Minerals Stephen Forrest, Executive Chairman, SFA Oxford Brett Beatty, Partner, MD Australia, Investment Team Leader, Resource Capital Funds Tal Lomnitzer, Senior Portfolio Manager, Janus Henderson And many more…. Key topics to be discussed include: • Global long and short-term trends in the PGMs sector, including industry consolidation, price forecasts and macroeconomic influences • PGMs producers’ perspectives on growth and future supply, diversification, capital allocation and investment, ESG and net zero targets, and much more • International investors’ current views on the PGMs industry • Internal Combustion Engine vs FCEVs vs BEVs – which will be the ultimate winner? • The growth potential of other applications for PGMs, including industrial, jewellery and investment • The future role of PGMs in a low-carbon economy and South Africa’s potential to become a global green hydrogen hub The PGMs Industry Day is brought to you by Resources 4 Africa, the organisers of the Joburg Indaba. “By the industry for the industry”

The PGMs Industry Day is sponsored by: Lead Sponsor

Mining Industry Partners

Sponsors

REGISTER NOW! +27 (0) 11 463 7799 // +27 (0) 61 421 9492 registrations@resources4africa.com // www.pgmsindaba.com The organisers retain the right to amend the programme, content, timings and speakers. © Resources For Africa Investment Conferences (PTY) Limited

INNOVATION

1Spatial unveils new survey capabilities in 1Edit

Spatial has extended the capability of its survey application 1Edit, increasing support for photos and 2.5D data. 1Edit 3.1 allows users to attach feature photos, including automated geotagging, which enables surveyors to visualize assets and fine-tune their observations. The latest version now includes new validation functions and improved handling for heights (2.5D data), typically useful for detailed asset and land-management surveys. Enhanced styling, including bitmap fills and dashed lines, make it easier to identify and classify different asset types during surveys. Additional control of editable layers and fields provide protection for non-editable data and protects the quality of data.

Significant improvements to rendering of thematic mapping further enhances the speed and fluidity of the intuitive user interface. 1Edit also now supports the storage of photographs as an attribute on a feature. The photos can be captured from the front or rear camera and are stored as a Label object.

“1Edit’s new survey capabilities further expands our customers’ ability to collect trusted, validated data that is right first time,” said Robert Chell, chief product officer. “By increasing the number of validation options available during a survey, we improve both the quality and accuracy of data, and the effectiveness of survey processes.”

Aerovironment introduces switchblade 300 sensor to shooter kit

eroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ: AVAV), a global leader in intelligent, multi-domain robotic systems, has introduced the Switchblade® 300 Sensor to Shooter Kit, a capability that enables operators to instantly transfer target coordinates from AeroVironment’s small unmanned aircraft systems (SUAS) – Puma™ 3 AE, Puma™ LE, Raven® B or Wasp® AE – to Switchblade 300 loitering missile systems. “Sensor to Shooter maximizes the operator’s ability to see first, strike first, combining the superior intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance capabilities of AeroVironment’s SUAS with the precision strike capabilities of the Switchblade loitering missile system,” said Charles Dean, AeroVironment vice president for global business development and sales of UAS. The Switchblade 300 Sensor to Shooter Kit includes everything needed to quickly update FalconView®, a multi-platform mapping and mission planning application, with the Sensor to Shooter (S2S) software on a ruggedized Windows® 10 laptop and connect to the included Pocket Digital Data Link (pDDL™). Using the software’s intuitive tap-to-target user interface, target coordinates are instantly transferred via machine-to-machine communication

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from the SUAS to the Switchblade 300 to create an automated mission plan and launch sequence with no chance of data entry error.

assessment from the SUAS overwatch to reassess targets for follow-on or immediate re-attack strikes.

Upon launch, the Switchblade 300 can autonomously navigate to the designated coordinate position, allowing operators to scene match full-motion video downlink from both assets to ensure positive identification of the target. Once confirmed, operators can then engage the target with lethal effects and immediately capture the resulting battle damage

“The Switchblade 300 Sensor to Shooter Kit builds on AeroVironment’s commitment to deliver innovative, streamlined interoperable solutions that elevate the warfighter’s situational awareness, reduce engagement timelines and cognitive load, and increase mission success and operational safety,” Dean added.

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INNOVATION

EDGE unveils swarming drones at Umex 2022 in Abu Dhabi

op defence technology and contracting company EDGE unveiled swarming drones, its latest application for unmanned aerial systems (UAS), on the first day of the Unmanned Systems Exhibition and Conference (UMEX 2022), in Abu Dhabi on Sunday. The swarming drones are based on the Hunter 2 series of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) developed by HALCON. Designed to ensure a decisive edge in combat, the ground-launched drones fly in formation to perform a coordinated mission that can overwhelm an adversary. Leveraging advanced artificial intelligence (AI) technology, the tactical drones share information with one another to track and maintain their relative positions, and to effectively engage targets. Featuring a maximum take-off weight of 8kg, the swarm of drones are agile and responsive while being directed to their target, which may include enemy fighter jets on the tarmac at a military base, or an incoming convoy of enemy armoured vehicles, for example. The winged UAVs can be deployed in a matter of seconds, featuring a wingspan of 1.44m and a length of 1.25m.

Commenting on the addition of swarming drones to HALCON’s array of UAVs, CEO Saeed Al Mansoori said: “We see AI playing a critical role in the advancement of the defence sector and beyond, and EDGE and HALCON are determined to remain at the cuttingedge of these developments that are shaping our sector and the wider world, from our base in the UAE. The level of autonomy afforded by these swarming drones is a significant achievement for us, and we are

committed to fast-tracking R&D investments in these domains to bring related products to market with speed in the areas of autonomous systems and smart munitions.” UMEX is the only event in the Middle East dedicated to drones, robots, unmanned systems, and their components, and offers EDGE the opportunity to feature its state-of-the-art capabilities and solutions.

Esri Site Scan now supports DJI M300 drone, P1 mapping camera

sri Site Scan Flight for ArcGIS, a popular cloudbased drone mapping software, has added support for the DJI Matrice 300 (M300) RTK drone with the Zenmuse P1 photogrammetry camera. Calling DJI’s flagship enterprise aircraft “one of the most requested drones to add to the Flight app’s supported drones lineup,” spatial technology giant Esri confirms the development and testing for the products is now complete and that M300 RTK users can start using their drones in Site Scan Flight.

DJI M300 RTK and Zenmuse P1 bundle The M300 RTK is DJI’s most rugged and reliable commercial drone platform. It comes packed with a ton of safety features that facilitate operations in the most challenging of weather conditions. Offering a flight time of up to 55 minutes, the drone is ideal for large, complex job sites that require greater transmission distance (up to 15 km or ~9 miles), speed (23 m/s or 51.5 mph), and advanced collision avoidance and obstacle detection systems. The P1 payload, meanwhile, is designed specifically for photogrammetry missions. The full-frame camera

gimbal captures high-resolution images at 45 MP, allowing users to fly higher and capture large areas faster, while still creating the same resolution outputs as before with lower resolution sensors. Because of this faster drone flight speed, rapid shutter speed, and high-resolution camera, the M300 and P1 bundle can capture 250 acres in a single flight, delivering pinpoint survey accuracy. Esri Site Scan for ArcGIS The Esri Site Scan solution encompasses flight planning, data capture, data processing, analysis, data sharing, and drone fleet management. It is offered as “Software as a Service” (SaaS) with unlimited storage and computing. With this solution, organizations involved in construction, engineering, utilities, natural resources, and government agencies can: Plan and execute drone flights and manage flight data and metadata to support project requirements Manage their drone fleet to run safe and efficient drone operations Generate 2D and 3D mapping and analytics products from drone imagery Publish drone mapping products to ArcGIS Online, ArcGIS Enterprise, and Autodesk BIM 360 In addition to the newly added M300 RTK, Site Scan also supports several other DJI drones including the Matrice 200 series, Inspire 2, Mavic Pro, Mavic 2 Pro, and the Phantom 4 Pro series.

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January-February issue l 2022

ENGINEERING

Marinus Link launches largest underwater engineering survey of Bass Strait

arinus Link, the company behind the proposed 1.5GW transmission link to the Australian mainland, has begun an underwater engineering survey of Bass Strait to determine the most suitable corridor for laying the project’s undersea cables. The 87-metre long TEK Ocean Spirit departed the Port of Burnie over the weekend to begin the largest underwater engineering survey of Bass Strait, which will help to refine the final design and installation method for the proposed interconnector cable. MMA Offshore won the $5.5 million contract to carry out critical engineering surveys last year, its TEK Ocean Spirit will take between four to six weeks to survey the 255-kilometres stretching between Heybridge in North West Tasmania and Waratah Bay in South Gippsland, Victoria. The survey will take place over approximately 110 sites across Bass Straight in sea depths up to 80-metres. “This survey builds on the results and analysis of previous surveys we have conducted,” said Sean Van Steel, offshore lead for Marinus Link. “The locations chosen to take samples have been selected to minimise the impact on the seabed floor, reefs and marine life.” This is the third major marine survey for the $3.5 billion 1.5GW Marinus Link, and is designed to determine the most suitable corridor for the interconnector to take between Tasmania and

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Victoria, and is further proof of the company’s commitment to sensitively designing and building the connection.

Tasmania’s goal of becoming the ‘battery of the nation’ could be rendered obsolete, as the cost of big battery projects continues to plummet.

“Marinus Link is key to Australia’s clean energy future – increasing reliability, placing downward pressure on electricity prices and cutting emissions by making the most of our high quality renewable energy resources,” said Bess Clark, CEO of Marinus Link.

Meanwhile, the existing interconnector between Tasmania and the mainland National Electricity Market, Basslink, remains in troubled waters, after its commercial contract with the Tasmanian government and state-owned utility Hydro Tasmania was terminated, last week.

The Marinus Link has passed a Regulatory Investment Test for Transmission (RIT-T) overseen by the independent Australian Energy Regulator (AER), and is included as an important part of the the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) Integrated System Plan. However, it does not have universal support. Many critics have been calling for the money to be redirected to building battery storage systems instead. Currently, Tasmania’s aim to be the “battery of the nation” by connecting its huge renewable energy resources to the mainland, has the approval of the Morrison federal government. But a number of people have been calling for distributed battery storage to be developed across Victoria. There has also been opposition to a further build-out of massive wind projects and transmission lines in Tasmania from former Greens leaders Bob Brown and Christine Milne. In November 2021, a new analysis suggested that

Tasmania energy minister Guy Barnett said on Thursday that the state government and Hydro Tas had taken “another step” towards protecting their legal rights, by cancelling the Basslink Services Agreement (BSA). The move is the latest in a years-long dispute between the two parties, that started when the Tasmanian state government sued Basslink for damages over the long interconnector outage that hit the island in 2015. Barnett said that the termination of the commercial contract would not affect the state’s energy security, which remained on “firm footing” thanks to strong hydro storage levels and the Cattle Hill and Granville Harbour wind farms. The undersea cable, meanwhile, would remain in service while negotiations continued with Basslink’s administrators “on alternative commercial arrangements, suitable for the receivership period,” Barnett said.

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OPINION

Digital oilfield solutions power oil and gas sector in Africa he world is moving away from traditional fuel sources towards renewable energy sources. Over the last decade, markets directed more investment toward sustainable energy-focused innovations. These redirections have forced the oil and gas industry to improve its operation and production efficiency to survive and thrive in the future.

The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the already weak oil and gas market industry. Two years later, African countries are still struggling to recover from the impact. As a result, companies in the oil and gas sector need to optimise their technology to maintain and expand their revenue streams. According to official estimates by Future Market Insights, the global digital oilfield market will be worth $37 billion by 2022 and reach approximately $54bn in 2028. This represents a healthy CAGR of 6.5% over the same period.

Why do we need digital oilfield solutions? In the first half of 2020, oil prices slumped due to decreased demand. This meant enormous losses for oil producers in the African region. However, oil producers realised that modifying their perspective is required to overcome market vulnerabilities. Traditional oilfields are rife with inefficiencies that widen their supply and demand gap and hinder

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Author: Nikhil Kaitwade is Associate Vice President (AVP), Market Research at Future Market Insights

optimum reservoir utilisation. Vandalism and theft of petroleum products have further shaken investor confidence, making it hard to find investments for ongoing oil and gas projects in the African region. As a result, the rising overhead cost of deep-sea oil mining has exacerbated the problem for oil and gas producers. Thus, organisations are incorporating modern technologies to address these challenges, and digital oilfield solutions are the first step towards profitability and sustainability. As a result, oil companies are adopting digital oilfield solutions and systems for deepwater production and exploration activities, which lower recovery time. Safety is the biggest concern among oil and gas producers, as the oilfield workers must work in dangerous and inhospitable working conditions. This hazard has seen leading companies increasingly invest in digital oilfield solutions like remote monitoring solutions and control centres that eliminate the need to visit oilfields and enable geologists, engineers and operations professionals to work from any location. For instance, Shell Nigeria recently installed KONČAR-built Random Phase Multiple Access (RPMA) modules integrated end devices in the flow-stations, manifolds, wellheads and other facilities. These devices provide a bidirectional connection between the field and the office, delivering reliable data streams from the area, including pipeline pressure,

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OPINION flow rate and temperature. These RPMA modules can encrypt transmitted data and control overall power consumption. The device can also encrypt transmitted data, control power consumption, perform over-the-air (OTA) configurations and updates and perform scheduled alarm reporting. In addition to this, they can perform OTA configurations and updates and perform scheduled alarm reporting through smart alarms, sensors, actuating devices and reservoir monitoring control systems.

Solution providers eyeing Nigeria for investment Nigeria holds high value in the oil and gas exploration and production markets. The country is one of the leading producers of low-sulfur crude oil, with the highest demand globally. A rise in oil and gas activity across the country has attracted the attention of digital oilfield solution providers. The Nigerian government has taken proactive steps to address the liquidity, inadequate income and convertibility issues, preventing oil and gas companies from investing in the country. As a result, the government is taking vital steps to overcome the recession, looking for various alternative sources of income, primarily through gas marketing and infrastructure development. With resuming exploration and production activities and increasing several upstream projects in the country, the demand for digital oilfield solutions will increase significantly. As oil producers look to enhance operational performance and improve investment return, they partner with digital solution providers to revive old wells and reduce the total cost of ownership (TCO) and production downtime. For instance, in November 2021, Avanceon, in partnership with PE Energy Limited (PEEL), secured

the contract for providing digital oilfield solutions to revive the Kalaekule oilfield in Nigeria. In addition, Avanceon and PEEL will combine their expertise and resources to offer electro-hydraulic wellhead control panels to revitalise the critical oilfield. PEEL will provide industrial end-users/customers with modern integrated control and automation solutions to achieve this feat. In addition, it will be responsible for running the project at the Main Automation Contractor (MAC) level. At the same time, Avanceon will work with PEEL to install, commission and test the Well Head Control Panel (WHCP). Tech giants are introducing digital oilfield solutions to recognise health, security and environmental issues and prevent vandalism. For instance, Huawei unveiled an all-digital oilfield IoT solution at the Nigeria International Oil Summit 2020. The company will use 4G LTE broadband and artificial intelligence (AI) technology to enhance operational transparency and security in the oil and gas industry. This new solution is expected to provide a wide range of wireless network coverage to Nigerian oilfields, depots and pipelines.

The influential digital twin Technology leaders are adopting Industry 4.0 powered dynamic software models and simulations. The oil and gas industry is no different. The industry uses this concept to ensure efficient, safe and continuous operation and design new technologies and systems. Digital twin technology is a significant leap in the oil and gas industry. It creates a complete virtual replica of every physical aspect of an oil rig, including turbines, compressors and heat exchangers. Digital twin tech revolutionises processes and controls modelling in a virtual environment and monitors equipment overall health. It has made it easier for oil companies to move past traditional methodologies

and pave the way for digital transformation. Digital twin tech can combine cloud computing, advanced simulation, virtual system testing, virtual/ augmented reality and machine learning into one integrated package. The solution can analyse realtime data from the equipment, underground geology and reservoirs. Digital twin technology has begun forming roots in the African oil and gas industry. Oil companies are using these technologies for offshore platform design. For instance, Shell Nigeria uses Akselos SA’s structural digital twin on FPSO Bonga to realise many operational objectives, including critical area identification, cargo tank inspection and extreme weather scenario planning. The structural digital twin operates on Akselos’ patented reduced-basis finite element analysis (FEA) technology and is said to perform an accurate fatigue life assessment of the asset.

In conclusion Initially, African oil companies were reluctant to adopt new technologies. However, we can expect an uptick in the movement as top companies adopt digitalised oilfield solutions and show interest in predictive maintenance systems. Digital oilfield technologies are becoming an integral part of the oil and gas industry and are revolutionising oil and gas exploration and production operations. Market influencers include major oil companies such as Shell and Equinor, which have accumulated considerable experience developing technologies to make digital oilfields a reality. They are looking to use digital oilfield solutions for asset management and get the best return on investment. Companies are likely to use digital twins and other technologies to control all aspects of their asset lifecycle to ensure long-term sustainability.

“

Digital twin tech revolutionises processes and controls modelling in a virtual environment and monitors equipment overall health. It has made it easier for oil companies to move past traditional methodologies and pave the way for digital transformation.

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”

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January-February issue l 2022

DRONES

Zipline in Kenya expands Medical Drone delivery across Africa

nstant logistics leader Zipline formed an agreement with Kisumu County, a member of the Lake Region Economic Bloc (LREB), that will see Zipline make use of its warehousing facility and autonomous aircraft technology for the storage and delivery of COVID-19 vaccines, blood products and other medical supplies to health facilities within the County. Per the agreement, a Zipline distribution hub will be established and operated in Kisumu County, where it will act as the base of operations for the Zipline uncrewed aerial system (UAS) and Zipline services that will service health projects and facilities throughout 16 counties in western Kenya. “We have made some significant efforts in improving the overall healthcare delivery of our people,” said The Governor of Kisumu County, H.E. Prof Anyang’ Nyong’o. “It is heartwarming to note, therefore, that our mission of achieving universal health coverage is on course with this historic partnership which will ensure that no one is left behind as a result of their location”. “It is our commitment as LREB to deliver an aggressive agenda of building a robust health delivery system that will not only serve a few but the vast majority of people within LREB Counties,” said the Chairman of LREB and County Governor of Kakamega. “Zipline’s technology is one we can resort to in accelerating the transformation of our health systems to provide timely healthcare solutions to the people on whose mandate we serve”. “I am happy to note that this is one step towards reducing operational inefficiencies that inhibit access to universal healthcare in our country and

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region,” added Dr. Gregory Ganda, CEC of Health. “We’ve seen how automated, on-demand delivery can transform healthcare systems to make them more efficient, effective and equitable,” said Zipline co-founder and CEO Keller Rinaudo. “Zipline’s expansion into Kenya, our seventh country, in partnership with Kisumu County, is a pivotal step forward to expand these important benefits to more communities around the world.”

“This Zipline and Kisumu County partnership is a powerful collaboration that will solidify transformational logistics medical delivery in Western Kenya and put Kenya on the forefront of health excellence”, said Daniel Marfo, Senior VP for Zipline Africa. After the distribution hub is established and UAS delivery operations begin taking place, Zipline and Kisumu County will work together in a project operations phase with the goal of providing medical commodities such as COVID-19 vaccines to health facilities within the operational area. Zipline has several business partnerships throughout Africa, with partners in Rwanda, Ghana, Nigeria, Côte d’Ivoire and now Kenya, where it intends to establish an industrious technology driven transformation in the health sectors.

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DRONES

Swoop Aero expands operations in Africa

rone services company Swoop Aero has expanded its African operations with the delivery of vaccinations and medical supplies to distant locations in central Africa’s Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The company’s drones replaced small aircraft in its efforts to extend access to healthcare to the remote and largely inaccessible places. Authorities in the Équateur region used Swoop Aero as a drone medical delivery network, with the success of that operation leading to to a campaign to vaccinate 90 per cent of Équateur’s population against yellow fever.

increase the scale, reach, and impact of the technology to deliver positive and long-term health outcomes for those isolated and remote communities in the Équateur province.

Équateur’s yellow fever medical drone delivery effort was backed by UNICEF, the World Health Organization, healthcare nonprofit VillageReach, and others.

“Swoop Aero’s involvement in the yellow fever campaign demonstrated the power and value of drone logistics to reduce critical journey times of vaccines to these communities to ensure those communities received the healthcare they needed to remain protected against this preventable illness.”

The program involved operating six drones that flew 7,363 kilometres to five provincial vaccination centres delivering 32,460 yellow fever doses. “Over 27,780 people received the shot during the campaign, many of whom were in areas difficult to access – except by UAV.”

Australian aerospace composites manufacturer Quickstep bought a stake in Swoop’s parent company, Kookaburra Aerospace and inked a supply deal. Quickstep received an initial order worth $1.5 million which would see them provide engineering and manufacturing services, as well as an initial production run of ship sets for Swoop’s KITE cargo drone. Swoop CEO Eric Peck said: “In DR Congo, Swoop Aero and VillageReach have continued to exponentially

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January-February issue l 2022

FEATURE

Reasons to Use Fixed Wing Drones Image Courtesy

fixed wing drone can perform different tasks than quadcopters. Unlike quadcopters, a fixed wing drone can carry a beacon, a spraying device, or a carrying compartment. This type of drone can be used for mapping, surveying, and military applications. Another reason to use a fixed wing drone is for the ability to carry cargo. Because fixed wing drones use forward momentum to fly, they can carry a heavier load. Because of this, batteries used to power quadcopter drones must be larger. But this can mean increased flight time.

Efficiency A fixed-wing drone uses a single propeller for lift. A single-forward thrusting propeller is used to generate lift. A fixed-wing drone is more efficient than

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multirotor aircraft, making it ideal for long flights. “Considering the commercial application of UAVs, fixed-wing drones are effective to take vast-distance flights for a long time and at a high altitude. However, high performance is typical not for all of them, but for smaller UAVs only. If maximum take-off weight of a fixed-wing drone is more than 30kg, a pilot might face some problems because their UAV requires a catapult or hand-launch to take flight. This imposes tough restrictions upon the drone use without equipped airstrip,” Says Andrey Grudev, Deputy Director of Strategic Projects in Geoscan. Compared to a conventional quadcopter, a fixed-wing aircraft can fly for hours on end. It is more efficient when you need to cover wide areas or long range, this is according to Gianni Baggio of UP - Caeli Via s.r.l. “Regardless the wingspan and payload capacity, a fixed wing aircraft will be always more efficient

than a multi-rotor,” states Steve Wong, Marketing manager for ZOHD & Sonicmodell. “Fixed-wing UAV is considerably more efficient for long-endurance missions,” adds Aliaksei Stratsilatau, CEO at UAVOS. This makes it the most popular type of commercial grade aerial vehicle. Aside from being more efficient, fixed-wing aerial vehicles are easier to transport.

Benefits In contrast to quadcopters, fixed-wing drones have longer flight times. They can be used for longer-range surveys. Their longer flight times enable them to cover large areas in one trip. “Long range deployment, all weather operation, payload capacity, higher top and cruise speeds/altitude, less noise are among the benefits of a fixed-wing drone,” adds Wong. The battery life is the most important feature of a fixedwing aerial vehicle. Compared to a normal drone,

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FIXED WING DRONES a fixed-wing aircraft can fly for up to 50 km. A few models allow for vertical take-off and landing and have the ability to change directions. “Fixed wing use the power to keep the plane up by wings, so you can stay up more time with the same energy at disposal,” comments Gianni. Unlike multirotor drones, fixed-wing aircraft can fly near the coast in conditions where a high-speed flight is dangerous. Besides, the drones are more stable than a commercial jet and can produce clearer imagery. If you want to fly your drone over a large area, it is best to get a Fixed-Wing Drone that can take high-speed photos and video.

ultraviolet cameras, Lidars, magnetometers, gas analyzers, gamma-ray spectrometers),” says Grudev. “Heavier UAVs can compete with manned aircrafts in delivering goods, especially in B2B commerce and within corporate application (for instance, an agriculture company can utilize drones to spray reagents),” he adds. According to Gianni, a fixed wing drone is suitable for photogrammetry, surveying or delivery. However, fixed-wing aerial vehicles are more expensive than

their multirotor counterparts. The main difference between the two types of drones is their design. A multi-rotor drone can maneuver around buildings and map a large area. A fixedwing drone can also fly long linear flight plans. Its maximum speed depends on the type of payload it can carry. If you're looking to use a drone for inspection purposes, a Fixed-Wing model is the best choice.

According to Grudev, comparing fixed-wing drones with multirotor and hybrid VTOL aircrafts, the former differs higher energy efficiency as well as greater safety and reliability in case of single system failures. These advantages allow fixed-wing drones to fly much longer and cover much more ground. In addition, while carrying out aerial photography, UAVs of this type (especially electric powered) are characterized by relatively low airframe vibration, which has a positive impact on the data quality.

Suitability

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A fixed-wing drone can be used for mapping. These aerial vehicles are more stable in windy environments. This makes them better suited for surveying windy areas. “Fixed-Wing aircraft is designed for surveillance, communications relay, and target indication. It is ideal for multispectral and radar monitoring of ground objects and marine areas, for cargo transportation to the areas where ground support equipment is required,” remarks Stratsilatau. Wong notes that, any missions where the distance/speed and altitude are critical, where you need to transport heavier payloads without much noise over rough terrain, Coastal/forest survey, Fixed-Wing drones are suitable for the job. The take-off and landing area for a fixed-wing drone depends on the model and configuration of the unit. “Among application scenarios for fixed-wing drones with the take-off weight of less 30kg, are long-term surveying, monitoring of large areas and extended objects with almost all payloads (photo, video, multi- and hyper-spectral cameras, thermal imagers,

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January-February issue l 2022

FEATURE

Advantages of GPS Surveying

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he main advantage of GPS Surveying is that it does not require the use of a huge technical knowledge. It can be used to take accurate measurements anywhere, be it on land, sea, or even the air. It is also useful for taking continuous measurements of structures. The use of GPS technology eliminates the need for geodetic survey networks and conventional survey observations. However, this method of surveying is not suitable for underground or underwater environments and requires the use of more than two stations. In addition, it is expensive to install the necessary equipment, such as survey grade receivers. Another advantage of GPS Surveying is the fact that it does not require to fix the satellite anytime a survveyor wants to work. This means that the

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GPS SURVEYING time required for a single measurement is much shorter than for conventional static GPS surveying. The length of the baseline is critical. The number of satellites that can be tracked can vary. The geometry of satellites also plays a role. Usually, the receiver occupies a baseline for ten to thirty minutes. In most cases, dual-frequency phase measurements are sufficient. In some configurations, a dual-frequency pseudo-range measurement is also necessary. While it is rare in static GPS surveying, it is common with some newer systems to mix two or more receivers for accurate data.

key advantages of GPS Surveying:

This technique has some liberating characteristics, such as the absence of long observation periods or static antennas. In addition, it does not require specialized hardware and software. It is also possible to carry out conventional static GPS surveying using a GPS receiver. While the methods are different, the planning process remains the same. There are several benefits of this technique, including lower cost and greater accuracy. If you have the time, GPS Surveying can be a good option.

1. It allows working in a longer distance thereby enabling covering a larger area in a shorter time 2. It requires fewer people to use it unlike a Total Station where there is the need for a prism man 3. It offers a higher level of accuracy than conventional surveying methods 4. Calculations are made very quickly and with a high degree of accuracy 5. GPS technology is not bound by constraints such as visibility between stations 6. Land surveyors can carry GPS components easily for fast, accurate data collection 7. Some GPS systems can communicate wireless for real-time data delivery 8. A more reliable data as human error from setting up are reduced when using a permanent reference station. 9. Aid in the Machine Control technology development for heavy construction control and time management.

According to Charles Tannor, Business Development Manager at PDSA Company Ltd, the following are the

The main benefit of GPS Surveying is that it contributes to sustainability. This method is easy to

use and does not require highly trained survey crews. The process is also less prone to hazard because it does not rely on weather conditions or the visibility of the line of sight. If you're planning on using GPS Surveying, you'd better learn the fundamentals of the technology so you can make the right decision for your project. While GPS technology can be expensive, it is worth it. The accuracy of the results of the data will be higher. This technology allows the surveyor to make fewer mistakes than with conventional methods. The accuracy and speed of the data will improve. So, GPS Surveying is a good option for you. If you want to make sure that the work is done correctly, it will be cheaper and faster. It will also reduce the number of errors that occur while using the conventional method. The accuracy of GPS surveys is limited to a few centimeters, but it is extremely useful when you need to take accurate measurements. It is not enough to have a GPS receiver, though. It must have a satellite in orbit. The satellites must be in a position to receive accurate data. Ideally, the GPS system should be able to provide accuracy of 100%.

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January-February issue l 2022

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SURVEYING

ComNav helps bring GNSS benefits to Africa

omNav Technology Ltd. is providing GNSS technology to Africa for projects in land mapping, continuously operating reference station (CORS) construction, precision agriculture and other fields, according to a Feb. 11 article in People’s Daily, the largest newspaper in China. Every day, thousands of users in Africa are using GNSS products, the newspaper stated, highlighting specifically the use of China’s BeiDou satellite navigation system. For instance, CORS using ComNav GNSS/BeiDou receivers have been built in 11 sub-Saharan African countries, including Kenya and Uganda. Uganda. To meet the demand for high-precision GNSS, the government of Uganda purchased ComNav’s real-time kinematic (RTK) receivers to build its own CORS. Thirty stations have been built so far, creating the most advanced CORS network in East Africa. Its high-precision spatial and temporal information supports land mapping, mining, vehicle management and meteorological monitoring, among other industries.

A surveyor in Burkina-Faso surveys the site of a new hospital for infectious diseases. (Photo: ComNav)

Augustin Bamouni, secretary-general of the country’s national surveying association. Tunisia. The China-Arab BeiDou/GNSS Center is located in the Ghazara Science Park in northern Tunis, the capital of Tunisia. Inaugurated in 2018, it is China’s first overseas BeiDou center, providing satellite navigation training, test evaluation and technical research for African and Arab countries. On average, the center receives real-time data from more than 12 BeiDou satellites at once. The center will help Tunisia and other African countries train professionals in GNSS technology to support development of the digital economy, according to Amiri Khalil, state secretary in charge of scientific research at Tunisia’s Ministry of Higher Education.

China-Africa Forum. The first China-Africa BeiDou System Cooperation Forum was held in November 2021 in Beijing to encourage cooperation between China and Africa and promote use of BeiDou. Four cases from ComNav Technology were described in the forum’s document citing application scenarios of BeiDou in Africa. ComNav Technology has deepened its cooperation with Africa since China’s Belt and Road Initiative began in 2013. Besides providing products and technologies, ComNav arranged employees to go abroad to provide technical support, traveling to Cameroon, Nigeria, Mali, Zambia, and other African countries. Despite the pandemic, ComNav continues to provide professional service and training both in person and remotely.

In 2015, Mulindwa David, chairman of the Uganda Surveying Association, and others visited the Shanghai headquarters of ComNav to learn about its high-precision products and technologies. After training, David and others mastered basic RTK operation and learned simple maintenance. David used to carry heavy optical equipment every day, but now he only needs to hold a BeiDou receiver to process the relevant data, which has greatly improved his work efficiency and accuracy. “It took at least three days to survey a dozen kilometers of road with optical equipment,” he said. “With BeiDou highprecision receivers, only 10 hours is enough.” Burkina Faso. In response to the COVID-19 outbreak, the Burkina Faso government decided to build a hospital for infectious diseases. In April 2021, it used ComNav GNSS high-precision technology to provide survey data for the hospital’s construction. The land security and topographic surveying tasks were completed in six days, half the time scheduled, said

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The Uganda CORS network. (Image: ComNav)

January-February issue l 2022

FEATURE

Offshore Seismic Survey T

he process of obtaining an offshore seismic survey permit begins with an application. This document must be submitted to the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management. The review timeframe will vary depending on the region and the type of survey. BOEM will also need to review incidental take authorizations from the Department of Commerce and the Interior. If these are all granted, the seismic survey can begin. The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management will then send the permit to the marine exploration company. The seismic survey is a process that involves sending sound pulses into the ocean. The sound waves reflect off of the seafloor and are read by special equipment to determine the potential oil or gas reserves. During the survey, scientists can study the sounds that marine animals make. This information will help them avoid predators and locate mates. The resulting information will then be analyzed to detect oil deposits. There are several methods of seismographic acquisition. The single streamer cable method is the most basic and cost-effective method. A cable is paid out from the aft of the vessel and towed along a track line. Hydrophones and air guns are used to collect the required data. “Hydrophones are sensors that detect seismic waves in water bodies. They are to water what geophones are to land. They could be coupled

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with geophones if the seismic line traverses water,” says ‘Mma Azubuike Okezie, Managing Director, Geomarine Systems Limited. The single streamer cable method gives the user a general idea of the subsea surface and is less expensive than a 3D seismic survey. The Offshore Seismic Survey is the most cost-effective way to map oil and gas reserves. This method works by locating subsurface structures and recording refraction and reflection data. The survey requires more than one source, which is why more WGs are used to collect data. “Seismic survey is the pre-eminent way to map the subsurface to detect the presence of potential oil and gas accumulations. it is the first and most important step in the actual process of oil and gas exploration, of course after the initial gravity survey to find candidate basinal structures,” comments ‘Mma. Besides, the method can image deeper subsurface interfaces. It is a good method to detect oil reserves. However, the process is costly and time-consuming.

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The single streamer cable method is the simplest and least expensive seismographic acquisition method. It is the most effective method of acquiring seismic data. Its cost is lower than the 3D method. The single streamer cable method is a cheaper option than 3D. The data from the single streamer cable method will be recorded on one seismic line. It will allow you to map the subsea surface. A single streamer cable method is a simpler and less expensive way to obtain seismic data. This method uses an air gun or hydrophone to create waves that are created by a single streamer cable. This technique allows for a wide range of applications for offshore oil and gas exploration. There are two main types of offshore seismic surveys: the 2D survey and the 3D mapping. The twodimensional survey is more expensive than the 3D one.

January-February issue l 2022

FEATURE

How to Get Started With Infrastructure Digital Twins

Image Courtesy

f you're an architect, engineer, or project manager, you may have heard about the use of Digital Twins in the construction industry. In the construction industry, these models can help you manage and optimize existing assets. They can also assist in reducing costs, setting schedules, and estimating performance.

These tools can also be useful in contract negotiations. They can be mandated in new infrastructure projects and operations contracts. But before you get started with Digital Twins, consider these key considerations. What are Infrastructure Digital Twins? They are essentially simulations of infrastructure assets. These models are built from a range of data sources, including sensor measurements, maintenance and operating data. The fusion of these data types enables a holistic understanding of an asset's condition. It also helps you improve efficiency and sustainability. It also makes asset management easier and more cost-effective. But the development of digital twins requires careful planning and rigorous testing. While BIM data is the most challenging of the three types of data used in infrastructure digital twins, it is an important one. It often represents the future state of the twin. As with any other data source, it is important to remember that multiple valid states can exist simultaneously, so the best approach is to integrate all three into a single model. This can help you develop a more accurate and efficient infrastructure. If you're an architect, you should be familiar with BIM, as it is the industry standard for infrastructure design.

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January-February issue l 2022

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DIGITAL TWIN

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The biggest advantage of infrastructure digital twins is their ability to fuse different types of data, and you can use them to optimise it. Image Courtesy

Infrastructure Digital Twins can fuse many types of data, including historical, real-time, and forecast data. They can be used to increase the performance of assets, reduce cost, and improve sustainability. This technology has many applications in the building and infrastructure industry. And while it can help you create more sustainable designs, it requires careful planning and secure data collection. The key is to have a platform that is open-source and secure. You don't need to be a software programmer to make this happen. The biggest advantage of infrastructure digital twins is their ability to fuse different types of data, and you can use them to optimise it. This tool has many uses, from predicting failures to training staff and optimising individual performance. It can be used to plan future projects and prepare for unexpected changes. If it's a project, it can also be used to improve the performance of existing assets. Its advantages are numerous. If your company is an infrastructure developer, you can use an Infrastructure Digital Twin to assess current and future asset. The use of Digital Twins is a vital element of BIM-centric processes. It has the potential to improve the efficiency of a project by allowing it to be built more accurately. In addition to saving money, this technology also improves the quality of construction. In addition to these benefits, Infrastructure Digital Twins are easy to use. But to truly maximize its benefits, you must have an effective and flexible workflow. It is critical to have an open-source data ecosystem.

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January-February issue l 2022

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INFRASTRUCTURE ENGINEERING

Learn More About a Career in Infrastructure Engineering

f you have been looking into a career in infrastructure engineering, you are not alone. Thousands of people are interested in this field. Many people choose to work in infrastructure engineering because of the wide variety of opportunities it offers. While you will be responsible for overseeing a variety of projects, you'll be working on multiple projects at once. This means that you'll be juggling multiple deadlines. Besides technical knowledge, you'll also need excellent communication skills. You'll be able to relay important information, understand challenges, and train others. In addition, you'll need to know about data privacy laws and the ways to keep your clients' data safe. An Infrastructure Engineer's job is a demanding one. You'll need to be able to adapt quickly to the changes in technology. Whether it's changing regulations or evolving business needs, you'll be tasked with finding new solutions. Ultimately, it's a rewarding career with endless opportunities. It can be challenging, but the benefits are substantial. If you're looking for a career in this field, there are many options to consider. While the field is very competitive, you'll find many opportunities for advancement. As an Infrastructure Engineer, you'll work with a variety of software and hardware. Your work may involve a combination of maintenance tests, digital networks, and more. As an Infrastructure Engineer, you'll have the opportunity to build your network, improve the quality of services, and contribute to the success of the organization. You'll be able to apply these skills in any industry, from government to business to the private sector. An Infrastructure Engineer will work with a variety of systems in a production environment. In addition to the general requirements for an Infrastructure Engineer, he or she must be familiar with the various

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technologies that make up the infrastructure of a business. This will ensure that an organization can continue to operate at a high level of efficiency. A skilled Infrastructure Engineer will have good analytical skills and a solid working knowledge of Microsoft Excel. A strong technical background will prepare you for this career. An Infrastructure Engineer will need to be able

to work with multiple systems in a production environment. Some jobs in this field will require you to work with big data structures and cloud migrations. If you have these skills, you will be able to navigate these challenges and be a part of the success of the organization. If you want to get a great job in this field, a degree in infrastructure engineering is the right path. In this field, you'll be able to apply for many positions and get the experience you need.

January-February issue l 2022

CONSTRUCTION

How Shelter Afrique is changing Africa’s Housing Narrative

he Group Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Shelter Afrique, Mr Andrew Chimphondah has propelled the company back on the path of profitability.

As Pan-African development financier Shelter Afrique hits 40 years of existence, it continues to demonstrate resilience and endurance by steadily spreading its footprint across the African continent against all odds. Recently, the company was named Africa’s Best Real Estate Finance Company, 2021 by London-based Capital Finance International. The award was in recognition of the company’s dedication to funding affordable housing developments throughout Africa.

Mr Andrew Chimphondah, Group Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Shelter Afrique.

The journey has not always been smooth sailing. It was only three years ago, under the leadership of the current Group Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Mr Andrew Chimphondah, that Shelter Afrique was propelled back on the path of profitability. Before his tenure, it had recorded continuous losses for more than four years. Andrew Chimphondah joined Shelter Afrique in 2018 at a pivotal time for the organisation, which was going through some turmoil at the time. The company’s executives were battling to keep the financial institution afloat. “I was fully aware of the situation when I joined,” he said. “At the time, you could draw parallels between the company’s challenges and the industry’s struggles. However, Shelter Afrique has a 40-year history of redefining itself to adapt to any climate in which it finds itself. With the unambiguous backing of the board and the excellent management team, we were able to return the institution to profitability and set it back on the path of doing what it does best, which is furthering and facilitating affordable housing across Africa.” Before he was appointed CEO of Shelter Afrique, Chimphondah was the CEO of Housing Investment Partners, a fund management organisation in South Africa that specialises in fundraising for affordable housing. With him at the helm, the company raised at least R1 billion every year in funding while also boasting R1 billion in assets under management, expanding at a rate of R1 billion each year.

November-December issue l 2021

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HOUSING

Nigeria in His Sights The United Nations has reported that Nigeria could face a housing deficit of 22 million homes by 2030 if its government does not take strategic measures. Chimphondah believes Shelter Afrique is in a prime position to tackle the crisis in Nigeria head-on, declaring that every African deserves an affordable home. “Nigeria has Africa’s greatest population by far, and Nigeria’s population is expected to reach over 400 million people by the year 2050, according to the United Nations. This is the situation of things. Right now, we believe the housing deficit in Nigeria is 17 million homes. This is a massive number, and it’s part of the reason why we have chosen to pay special attention to Nigeria.” Nigeria’s homeownership rate remains at 25 per cent, the lowest among other African nations such as Kenya, which has a rate of 75 per cent, and South Africa, which has a rate of 56%. This housing deficit is particularly visible in major Nigerian cities such as Kano, Lagos, and Ibadan, where housing demand is spiralling at 20% per year. Chimphondah has expressed his belief in both the capital market and public-private partnerships as avenues in the quest to solve Nigeria’s housing challenge. The impact of government policy is also not lost on the man at the helm of Shelter Afrique. He said, “We have found that the capital markets are an underutilised source of money. This is why as part of our process, we also use our contacts and networks to crowd-fund affordable housing projects. Some of the multilateral entities we collaborate with include the African Development Bank, the European Investment Bank, and the World Bank. “We actively explore public-private partnerships because working with government bodies, we can streamline the entire process of erecting housing structures. Governments can subsidise infrastructure and provide financial incentives such as tax cuts. They can also enact policies that make the environment more conducive for developers to work freely.” The affordable housing trailblazer has collaborated with an impressive number of organisations and countries across the continent and beyond. In its 40-year existence, Shelter Afrique has amassed an impressive footprint across various African markets including Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Mauritius, Madagascar, Somalia, and Burundi. In July 2021, Shelter Afrique inked its most extensive partnership with an organised body. The Pan-African housing financier and REDAN (Real Estate Developers Association of Nigeria) signed a Memorandum of Understanding on 29 July 2021. The cooperation with REDAN will result in the construction of 12,000 affordable housing units across the six geographical zones of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. While commenting on this collaboration, Chimphondah stated, “We’re excited about our partnership with REDAN, especially because it allows us to have an impact on a group we believe are best positioned to drive these projects, the developers. With this endeavour, we are helping developers across Nigeria build capacity. “It also follows our annual general meeting in Yaoundé, Cameroon, where we became the first organisation to bring together 44 housing ministers and 44 finance ministers to discuss how to address Africa’s 56 million housing shortfall. We came up with the historic Yaoundé Declaration, in which African governments, housing and finance ministers, and policymakers all vowed to improve sustainable housing delivery in Africa.” The need for residential real estate in major Nigerian cities is predicted to rise due to shifting work formats brought on by the COVID-19 epidemic, as remote work becomes a key driver of space demand. The rise in warehousing demand and an e-commerce and online trade expansion are propelling rapid growth in the industrial sub-sector.

Shelter Afrique’s Growth in Numbers The company’s total comprehensive income grew to USD 1.85 million in 2020, up from a total comprehensive loss of US$1.26 million in 2019, marking a 247 % year-onyear rise – despite the COVID-19 pandemic’s arrival in the first quarter of 2020. Despite the challenging economic environment in 2020, the company was successful in concluding its long-awaited Debt Restructuring Agreement (DRA) with six Development Finance Institutions (DFIs) and two commercial banks, namely the African Development Bank, the European Investment Bank, Agence Française de Développement, The KfW, West African Development Bank (BOAD), Islamic Development Bank, NCBA Bank Kenya, and Ghana International BV. Shelter Afrique seeks to resolve Africa’s housing difficulties by developing public-private partnerships to turn slums into acceptable dwellings, sponsoring programs to rebuild homes devastated by conflict, and advocating for truly sustainable housing initiatives. It has set aside upwards of $1billion in its 2019-2023 strategic plan to support new housing developments, intending to raise $20million in annual equity capital from new and existing members.

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January-February issue l 2022

FEATURE

Terrazzo Flooring The durable and stylish flooring option

errazzo flooring is a type of composite material that can be either poured in place or precast. It is typically made from chips of suitable material, which are combined with a cementitious or polymeric binder. Demet ÇALIŞKAN, Export Manager at Karoistanbul defines Terrazzo as a floor covering material obtained by mixing natural marble aggregates, glass, natural stone powder, granite and color pigments with cement which is in certain proportions. “In the 15th century, this material was discovered by Venetian workers and at the beginning, it was prepared with recycled marble powders, clay and goat milk which was used as an adhesive,” comments Demet vividly. This material is extremely durable and is commonly used for floors and walls. It is also known as “terra cotta” or “tanalith”. There are many types of terrazzo, including ceramic, travertine, marble, and slate. Although the term “terrazzo” is traditionally given to Italians, the name is actually derived from the Greek word for “marble.” Its history goes back as far as

January-February issue l 2022

10,000 years, but its popularity has soared in recent years. It can add a touch of class to a room or create a modern industrial look. “With more than a centenary history, this building material has a high rate of use thanks to its durability for ages. Since the ancient times, it has been enriching several residential, commercial, ındustrial and institutional buildings’ floors with its range of color and silky finishing options,” adds Demet. Apart from being a natural and durable tile product, it is also easy to maintain and can last for decades. It is a durable, stylish flooring option. Its Italian roots are unmistakable, and the technique originated in the late 18th century, when fragments of marble were mixed with cement to create inexpensive flooring. Its popularity increased when divider strips and an electric grinding machine were invented. These innovations made terrazzo more durable and allowed for the creation of curved patterns.

Terrazzo material was discovered by Venetian workers and at the beginning, it was prepared with recycled marble powders, clay and goat milk which was used as an adhesive

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FLOORING

Where to use Terrazzo tiles

Choosing Terrazzo Flooring

For commercial purposes, terrazzo is a great choice for a variety of reasons. It is extremely durable and economical, which means you’ll see a long lifespan for your investment. “They can be used as a floor and wall covering material for indoors and outdoors and perfect materials for crowded places like lobbies, corridors, halls regarding to its highly stainrepellence feature,” says Demet. You can choose the exact color and logo you want, as well as any other details you might want to include. It is also quiet and smooth, making it a great choice for floors. You can even customize the design to match your brand.

When choosing terrazzo flooring, consider the cost. Its price is not cheap, but it is definitely worth it if you can afford it. It’s easy to maintain and comes in a variety of styles. “Among the various manufacturers, the quality should be considered as a priority,” he insists. It is more expensive than most other flooring options. So if you’re looking for that beautiful flooring for your project, this is an excellent choice.

Advantages of Terrazzo While terrazzo flooring is a great alternative to plain concrete, it has the same properties and benefits of plain concrete. Its added texture and interest helps soften the sharp edges of hard surfaces. This flooring material is a popular choice for homes because it is extremely versatile and low maintenance. “It is a precast material obtained by being pressed of the mix of marble, granite and stone aggregate with hydraulic machines. Abstract designs can be achieved with the aggregates in different dimensions and materials, metal strips and stainless- steel materials, besides that patterned cement tiles can be done with some certain designs,” explains Demet. It comes in a wide range of colors and aggregates, and it is easy to pour into unique shapes. It is also a durable option for commercial spaces. “Terrazzo is ecofriendly material and very well known for its extreme durability,” he applauds.

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Terrazzo is a great choice for a variety of reasons. It is extremely durable and economical, which means you’ll see a long lifespan for your investment.

January-February issue l 2022

Duration at depth Magellan, 175:56 hours continuous operational ROV dive at 5,100m. Sonardyne SPRINT-Nav 500 system

cNode mini beacon 0m

1000m

2000m

Reson T-50 dual frequency MBES

Edgetech 2205 side scan sonar

3000m

4000m

5000m

8 km

8 km 6000m

Magellan, performance where it counts. Operating the MBES and SSS from an ROV mounted skid allows real-time display of acquired data, excellent terrain follow capabilities and permitting rapid response to target acquisition. SUBSEA MINERALS

EMERGENCY RESPONSE

INTERVENTION & RECOVERY

WWW.DEEPWATER-SPECIALISTS.COM

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January-February issue l 2022

PROJECT REVIEW

88 Nairobi Condominium Tower project

January-February issue l 2022

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88 NAIROBI CONDOMINIUM TOWER PROJECT

he 88 Nairobi is an impressive 44-floor tower of elegance and sophistication. High above Upper Hill and the City Center, each apartment offers a breathtaking view of the pulsing Nairobi city and the far African horizons. This inspirational tower consists of ultra-modern serviced apartments, with different options. Studio, 1 and 2 bedroom fully furnished executive apartments; 2 bedroom executive-plus apartments; duplex junior penthouses and Lordship penthouses at the top.

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Working with international Architects and Interior Designers, the layout of every apartment is superbly conceived, down to the smallest of details. Living rooms and bedrooms with generous covered terraces and balconies, protected by transparent safety glass balustrades. You choose what your vista will be – towards State House and the Arboretum, the open fields of the Nairobi Club, or the morning sky over the CBD.

Other than the residential space, 88 Nairobi Condominium Tower will provide approximately 1,486 square meters of garden space in addition to amenities such as meeting & facility rooms, garden level lounge café, and convenience store, children play area, and running track on the podium level. Others are an indoor pool, spa and wellness, Turkish bath, 30th-floor terrace with a splendid view of the splendid Nairobi skyline, Sky Club Lounge, a supermarket, a restaurant, a gym, a heated indoor swimming pool, and parking space for 435 vehicles.

January-February issue l 2022

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Africa Surveyors Jan-Feb digital issue 2022

Articles inside

88 NairobiCondominiumTower project

Learn More About a Career inInfrastructure Engineering

How to Get Started With Infrastructure Digital Twins

Offshore Seismic Survey

Advantages of GPS Surveying

Reasons to UseFixed Wing Drones

Digital oilfield solutions power oil and gas sector in Africa

News Briefs

Innovation

Events