Links between the Departments of Geography at the

University of Dar es Salaam and the University of Glasgow

There has been a long-established link between the geography departments of the two universities, dating back to 1982, and building on John Briggs’ links with University of Dar es Salaam (UDSM) which started with his appointment to a lectureship there in 1976. Between 1985 and 1993, the link was formally supported and funded by the British Council and ODA, and during that time, 11 different UDSM Geography Department staff spent periods of time in Glasgow on short research visits or longer training visits. Not only did three UDSM staff complete Glasgow PhD qualifications during this period, but another three technical (cartographic) staff spent extended periods of up to one year in Glasgow gaining practical lab experience and formal HND qualifications in cartography. In the opposite direction, seven Glasgow staff spent extended periods of up to 3 months at UDSM. In addition, two Glasgow postgraduates and seven undergraduates also visited UDSM for further study and fieldwork. Since 1993, the collaboration has continued with joint research on peri-urban agriculture and development around Dar es Salaam being conducted and subsequently published; with the establishment of a Commonwealth Universities Postgraduate Link Scheme (there is currently a UDSM postgraduate in Glasgow for the 2002-03 academic year); and with the continued involvement in cartographic and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) training and research.

The joint cartographic and GIS work has been particularly successful. During the British Council Link, a number of maps of the city of Dar es Salaam and the UDSM Campus were produced as a joint collaborative effort by the staff from both Geography Departments. More recently in 2002, departmental cartographer Mike Shand presented a research paper entitled Mapping and Imaging Africa on the Internet at an International Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ISPRS) meeting and workshop in Dar es Salaam. He has also given an illustrated talk entitled Mapping in Tanzania, to the BTS Scottish Group in Edinburgh in 2002. This latter paper details the history and the current state of Tanzanian cartography. Also in 2002, Mike Shand conducted a 2-week course in Advanced Cartography in Dar es Salaam, covering subjects such as internet mapping and cartographic design and layout. The course was attended by cartographic staff from the UDSM Department of Geography, the UDSM Institute of Resource Assessment (IRA), the University College of Lands and Architectural Studies (UCLAS), and the Tanzanian digital mapping company InfoBridge Consultants Ltd. Other current mapping work, in collaboration with Jim McCarthy and the Tanzania Wildlife Division, involves historical cartography and GIS research into the Royal Geographical Society (RGS) 1878-80 East Africa Expedition. A major focus of this work has been an ongoing series of expeditions in search of the lost grave of Scottish cartographer Keith Johnston who died at Behobeho in the Selous Game Reserve in 1879 while leading the RGS Expedition.