First day done and (very) dusted!

8:30am: Sunscreen lathered on, Check. Hats ready to be shoved on heads, Check. Water bottles full, Check. Peanut butter sammies and other snacks just waiting for consumption, Check, check and check!

Off to an early start and all is well. Caught a bus through to Alaska, Mamelodi to be welcomed by beaming faces and glittering smiles. After a short introduction from the Viva Foundation we set off on our adventures.

The equipment we will be using for the in-situ data collection is

1) A handheld GPS. This bad-boy will help ensure the accuracy of our points captured.

2) Epi-collect+ mobile app. This app allows for the addresses, location and a photo of the house to be captured. Epi-collect+ works on the basis of "forms". These forms are created by the user (us) for our specific need and then allows you to simply fill these forms out while in the field. The forms are then saved to a server which we created. The server is hosted by epi-collect+ which we can then later be accessed thus allowing us to gain our in-situ data. One of the best parts of epi-collect+ is it allows you to upload your data later ie: Once you're back on campus in a wifi zone. Nifty eh?

Checking the accuracy of last years data proved harder than expected. The biggest struggle was locating the house which matched with last years GPS point. This was tricky due to the handheld Garmin's accuracy level. The accuracy ranges from 3m-5m which is great in the suburbs of Pretoria where a garden is about that size but pretty tricky within the informal settlement of Alaska whereby 5 houses can fall within the same radius. Another tricky part of the collection process stems from the fact that there is no real, systematic address arrangement present within Alaska. New houses pop up almost every day resulting in houses with absolutely no formal address present. The addresses are also constantly updated therefore resulting in a constant shift of the data occurring.

All in all, wandering through the footpaths and streets of Alaska was a real treat. Houses spray painted from top to toe with beautiful graffiti, friendly doggies and tantalizing aromas were all part of the new experience.

Some advice to our fellow peers following in our footpaths in the future would be this:

1) Delegate work between your group members whilst collecting data. What we found to work best was having one person in charge of the GPS collection, two people epi-collecting and one very skilled and patient person trying to figure out the map of last years points.

2) Ensure your phone is fully charged before going out into the field. Epi-collect didn't prove to be too strenuous on the battery but this is a good "just in case" measure.

3) Don't be shy to interact with the locals. Many a time, the houses doesn't have an address spray painted on it. If this is the case, don't fret, simply ask. Interacting with the locals will also prove very helpful when coming up with a project idea. By conversing with them, you can come to truly understand their everyday struggles and thus needs and wants.

4) Pack lots of food! No, seriously. Do it! Oh, and a hat. Like bruh!

Looking forward to returning next Tuesday.

Signing out

The Alaskan Assimilators