QUALIFICATIONS

BA Hons (Geography), Potchefstroom University, 1968.

Transvaal Higher Teachers Diploma, Potchefstroom Teachers Training College, 1969.

Masters in Town and Regional Planning, University of Pretoria.

Ph.D. (Town and Regional Planning), "The Development and Management of an Integrated Information System for Town Planning at a Local Authority", University of Pretoria.

EMPLOYMENT

Associate Professor; Department Town and Regional Planning, University of Pretoria.

Part-time Consultant: Geographic Information Systems for Urban and Regional Planning.

LANGUAGES

Speak, read and write English, Dutch and Afrikaans

PROFESSIONAL REGISTRATION AND ASSOCIATIONS

Registered Town and Regional Planner(S A Council for Town and Regional Planners).

Member of the SA Planning Institution-. Member of the Urban and Regional Information System Association(URISA), Washington, USA.

Full Member of the IGU GISc Study Group Technical Editor, GeoInformation Africa. Geographic Information Magazine for Africa.

CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS

-Information systems for Town and Regional Planning. Presented at the Conference on Geographic Information Systems for Town and Regional Planning, University of Pretoria, 1988.

-An Integrated Information System for Urban Land Use Management. Presented at the Urban and Regional Information System Association Conference, Milwaukee, USA, August 1994.

-A Geographic Information Decision Support system for Urban Land Reform in the Republic of South Africa. Presented at the Joint European Conference on Geographic Information, The Hague, Netherlands, 26 to 31 March 1995.

-Educational Requirements for the effective use of GIS in South Africa. Presented at the Earth Data Information Systems Conference, Pretoria, South Africa, 19 to 21 February 1996.

-GIS diffusion in Local Government in South Africa. Presented at the Joint European Conference on Geographic Information, Barcelona, Spain, 25 to 30 March 1996.

-Geographic Information Systems in Urban Management: a South African Perspective. Presented at the GIS in Developing Countries Conference, University of Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands, August 1996.

-Educational Requirements for GIS in Developing Countries. Presented at the GIS in Higher Education Conference, Baltimore, USA, September 1996.

-A proposal for a development planning meta-database. Presented at the conference "Once Upon a Planner's Day", Pretoria, January 1998

-GIS for Development: An Analysis of GIS diffusion in Government Organisations in South Africa. Paper presented at the Earth Data Information Systems Conference, Pretoria, South Africa, July 1999.

PUBLICATIONS

-Van Helden, P. 1996. Educational Requirements for the effective use of GIS in South Africa. South African Journal of Geo-Information, 17/2, 58-64.

-Van Helden, P. 1996. GIS diffusion in Local Government in South Africa. In Rumor, M., McMillan, R., & Ottens, H.F.L. (Ed.), Geographical Information: from research to application through cooperation, IOS Press, Amsterdam, Vol 2, 841-844.

GIS RELATED RESEARCH PROJECTS

-An investigation into the implementation of a computerised information system for the Department of Town Planning of the City of Welkom, 1987.

-An investigation into the need for a computerised information system for the Town Planning Department of the Town Council of Centurion, 1987.

-The design of an information system for transport planning for the Department of the Town Engineer of the Town Council of Centurion, 1989.

-The design of an information system for the maintenance of road signs for Premet (Pretoria Metropolitan Transportation Area, 1990.

-A strategic information plan for the Department of Urban Management of the City of Roodepoort, 1992.

-A strategic plan for the development of an integrated information system for the Town Planning Department of the Town Council of Sandton, 1992.

-A strategic information plan for the Vaal Triangle Regional Services Council, 1993.

-The development of an information system for the Department of Urban Management of the City Council of Roodepoort.

-The development of an information system to support the strategic planning function of the Regional Land Use Branch of the Central Witwatersrand Transitional Metropolitan Council, 1995

-Development of a structure planning and facility management information system for the Waterkloof Air Force Base, 1995

-The development of a Strategic information plan for the Greater Pretoria Metropolitan Council, 1996.

-Development of a planning information system for the Central Business District of Pretoria for the Greater Pretoria Metropolitan Council, 1997-98.

-Development of a Development Planning Meta-database for the Greater Pretoria Metropolitan Council, 1997

Return to Participants page

Date of birth: 30 August 1946

Marital Status: Married

Nationality: South Africa and Netherlands