AfriGIS’s Helen Hulett on how tech can help resolve South Africa’s water crisis

TCS+

Many municipalities in South Africa are struggling to maintain a reliable supply of clean water to households and industries. Thankfully, technology is here to help.
In this episode of TechCentral’s TCS+, Helen Hulett, newly appointed chief sustainability officer at geospatial information science specialist AfriGIS, tells Duncan McLeod about the Resolve Water project that she leads and how she and her team are working with businesses and municipalities to try to address a problem that has reached crisis levels in some parts of the country.
AfriGIS’s technology is able to have a real-world impact on this crisis, according to Hulett, who specialises in industrial water risk, water-related governance and social issues, and sustainability.
Hulett, who has consulted with leading companies on the topic – they include the likes of Coca-Cola, Illovo Sugar Africa, Sappi, Aspen Pharmacare and Sasol – said AfriGIS offers advanced mapping and data analytics tools to address water scarcity, improve resource management and support businesses in need.
In this episode of TCS+, Hulett also unpacks:
• Her background and why she took the role of chief sustainability officer at AfriGIS;
• What the field of geospatial information science involves and why it makes sense to apply it to this crisis;
• AfriGIS’s involvement in the Resolve Water project;
• How serious the water crisis really is in South Africa and what it will take to address it;
• The impact of the Resolve Water project so far, and how it’s using GIS technology to achieve its goals – including mapping, real-time data analytics and collaborative partnerships; and
• The role of artificial intelligence.
The interview with Hulett, who is passionate about the topic of water security in South Africa, is not to be missed.