malicious usb devices, past, present and future · malicious usb devices, past, present and future....

APRIL 2020

ISSN 1991-5047

Automation and Control | Electronics | Measurement and instrumentation | Technology and IoT

Working at homenavigating the scams

Photon entanglementrevolutionises securecommunication

The planetarycomputer for ahealthier planet

Radar the car’svisual eye

Beacons to studytropo propagation

Reinventing theinternet for trust

Malicious USB devices,Past, Present and Future

The Now Media Group is the new owner of the EngineerIT and Energize titles.

The Marsh family, owners of the Now Media Group, and the Yelland family,the previous owners of the titles, go back a generation when their

parents ran their businesses out of London House in Loveday Streetin the centre of Johannesburg some 50 years ago.

That is where the coincidence ends. Yelland was in the electricalbusiness and John H Marsh, a journalist and best-selling author

of Skeleton Coast, was a magazine publisher.

Now Media was founded in 1953 by John andcontinues to be run as a family business by Dave,chairman (2nd generation), and Anton, CEO(3rd generation).

The company has taken an innovative approach topublishing, whether it be establishing quick-read high frequencytrade newspapers or running its own printing works to ensure itcan be first with the news.

Before the internet was popularised it launched its first online B2Bservice in 1989, Travelinfo, which changed the way the travel industryin South Africa operates. It continues to flourish today with over 4 000 travel

agents using it repeatedly throughout the day for their operations.

It now has a strong internet presence with three daily news sites in thefreight and travel sectors.

Nico Maritz, who heads up a division that focuses on B2B monthlies andupmarket magazines for large residential estates, will manage Energize

and EngineerIT.

Most critically we believe in being effective for our clients.Through niche publications with highly engaged audiences

we can provide solid, effective promotional solutions to theindustries and audiences we serve.

The Now Media Group is a level 2 B-BBEE companybased in Illovo, Johannesburg and employs around100 staff across: 5 business magazines, 11 security estate

publications, 3 daily news and 3 twice-weekly tradewebsites, a travel reference and training system, as well

as its printing works.

that conferences, product launches and customerface-to-face events will not be possible. Companiesmust rethink the way they will be keeping andincreasing their market presence.

Research carried out by Kantar, the world’s leadingdata, insights and consulting company, shows thatafter the 2008/09 financial crash, stronger brandsrecovered up to nine times faster in terms of stockmarket value than others. Several electronic deviceand software companies in the US that kept theiroperations and marketing intact were ready to go whenthe situation normalised, whereas others that had puteverything on hold took months to get back to the newnormal and had to step up their marketing efforts towin back some of their customers.

“Brand health becomes vulnerable whencompanies stop advertising,” says Kantar Insightsglobal head of media, Jane Ostler. “If they do this fortoo long, it destroys both short- and long-term health.”Instead, she advises brands to change their media,messaging and touchpoints to ensure they arereaching customers with communications that they aremost interested in. Marketers should look at howbudgets can be spent most effectively to maintain apresence and key brand metrics if spend does need tobe reduced.

Lockdown put sales and marketing events on hold,but you still have a sales budget to meet. Why notspend some of the budget on online advertising andpromotions? We at EngineerIT have vowed to keepthe technology stories flowing online and have createdonline advertising space at economical rates.

Rework your promotions budgets and move intothe online world. Send your customers and would-becustomers a strong message: “We are alive and welland ready to serve you!”

We cannot print our April edition at this time, andwe will review the position once the lockdown of ourprinting works and distribution channels is lifted. Rightnow, the April edition of EngineerIT is available online.

Check your inbox for our Tuesday and Thursdaye-newsletters and if you have news and new productsyou wish to share with the market, send me an email.

Happy readingHans van de [email protected]

The simple answer is no, not for a long time.Maybe never!In 1965 for a special issue of the journal

Electronics, Gordon Moore, at the time heading upFairchild, was asked to predict developments ofsemiconductors over the next decade. Observing thatthe total number of components in these circuits hadroughly doubled each year, he blithely extrapolatedthis annual doubling to the next decade, estimatingthat the microcircuits of 1975 would contain anastounding 65,000 components per chip. Today westill refer to Moore’s law as an illustration of the rapidrate at which developments take place, and thechanges in our world.

To come back to the question: will the world returnto normal, it is impossible to answer this pertinentquestion unless we can define what is normal. Theproblem is that the normal of today will change bytomorrow and then we will have a new normal. The2011 attack on the World Trade Centre in New Yorkchanged the normal in less than a day. It turned thetravel industry upside down and sent securityagencies and governments into a frenzy. The worldcame out of this but with a very new normal. TheCovid-19 pandemic will do the same. We will return tonormal, a very new normal.

Recovering from the pandemic lockdown will bea long process. There is however a major differencebetween lockdown and shutdown. In South Africawe have seen innovative ways in which somesectors of the industry have responded, andovernight, working remotely online took off. We areno longer zooming on our highways, but ratherZooming along wireless connections.

ICASA was quick to react by making large chunksof spectrum available to the mobile industry to fastexpand our wireless highways. For over 10 years,government was unmoveable on the spectrum issues.This is just one example of how the normal haschanged and how in future, companies will take thenew, enlightened view that working from home is not abad idea. Sure, there will be issues to overcome, butwe have learnt to adapt, overnight.

The way we are going to do business will bedifferent. The lockdown will only be lifted in stages,and for the foreseeable future, gatherings of largenumbers of people will remain restricted, meaning

EngineerIT | April 2020 | 1

After Covid-19, will the worldreturn to normal?

FROM THE EDITOR


APRIL 2020


CONTENTS

EDITOR

Hans van de Groenendaal -

MIng Honoris Causa (Stellenbosch)

Tel: 012 991 4662

Cell: 082 781 4631

Email: [email protected]

ADVERTISING

Merinda Lottering

Cell: 071 765 5702


DESIGNER

Adéle Gouws

PUBLISHED BY

African Destination

Publishing (Pty) Ltd

Tel: +27 (0)11 327 4062

Fax: +27 (0)11 327 4094

E-mail: [email protected]

Physical address:

Now Media Centre

32 Fricker Rd, Illovo, Johannesburg

South Africa

Postal address:

PO Box 55251, Northlands, 2116

PUBLISHER

Nico Maritz


PRINTED BY

JUKA

WEBSITE

www.engineerit.co.za

A VOICE FOR

Technology can unfortunately also

be used against us. Malicious uses

for USB devices have probably been

around for as long as the USB

standard. One of the earliest

malicious uses of USB devices was

malware spreading on flash drives.

Later, users would use unauthorised

network devices such as 3G modems to connect their corporate laptops to the

Internet, in order to bypass restrictive firewall policies. The U3 implementation

of a CD-ROM drive combined with a flash disk was abused to automatically

execute commands as soon as the flash drive was plugged in. This was

commonly exploited by leaving malicious flash drives lying around, in the

hope that someone would pick them up and plug them in to their computer,

and the payload would automatically be run by the operating system.

And you believed that USB devices, USB cables and receivers were safe.

Think again. In this explosive article, Rogan Dawes takes these devices apart

and shows how vulnerable they can be.

FROM THE EDITOR 1

NEWS 4

ICT CYBER SECURITYMalicious USB devices, Past, Present and Future 8

ICTThe difference between active and passive antennas 11Work at Home 12Quantum leap for photon entanglement could revolutionise secure communications 14Build data culture into the fabric of a digital business 16

AMATEUR RADIOBeacons to study inland tropospheric propagation 18

SCIENCEA healthy society requires a healthy planet 20

AUTOMATIONThe future of business lies in the combined power of man and machine 22

AUTOMATION AND CONTROL Managing operational efficiency in food retail 24

MEASUREMENT AND INSTRUMENTATIONRadar, the car’s virtual eye 26

TECHNOLOGYThe rise of conservation technology in Africa 28

SPACE SCIENCESSANSA plans for SA to profit from space 30

OPINIONReinventing the internet for trust 32

COMMENT AND OPINIONStart training the skills of the future, now! 34

NEW PRODUCTS 35


Copyright

Copyright of all material appearing in EngineerIT

is vested in African Destination Publishing (Pty)

Ltd. In submitting any article for publication, the

authors confirm that they own the copyright to

the said article, which is ceded to African

Destination Publishing (Pty) Ltd for publication.

The editor reserves the right to edit or shorten

articles submitted for publication. Editing and/or

shortening is done with due dilligence, where

necessary in conjuction with the author(s).

No part of this publication may be

reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or

transmitted in any form, or by any means,

except as described below, without the written

permission of African Destination Publishing

(Pty) Ltd. Copying of articles is not permitted

except for personal and internal use, to the

extent permitted by South African law.

Permission is not required to make abstracts, on

condition that a full reference to the source is

shown. Requests for permission for other kinds

of copying should be addressed to African

Destination Publishing (Pty) Ltd.

Disclaimer

Articles published in EngineerIT do not

necessarily reflect the views of African

Destination Publishing (Pty) Ltd or the editor.

In addition, views expressed by the editor do

not necessarily reflect the views of African

Destination Publishing (Pty) Ltd or any other

person or organisation associated with

EngineerIT.

It is a condition of publishing material in

EngineerIT that African Destination Publishing

(Pty) Ltd shall not be liable for any

consequential or other damages arising from

the publication in good faith of any article,

advertisement, picture, comment, view or

opinion. This applies to publishing, failing to

publish, late publishing or incorrectly publishing

any article, advertisement, insert, picture,

caption, etc.

It is acknowledged that errors in transcript,

human and technical errors can and do occur,

but that reasonable effort will be made to

minimise their occurence, and to acknowledge

and correct such errors when they are brought

to the attention of African Destination

Publishing (Pty) Ltd.

2028

4

26 3524

ICASA has considered applications for temporary radio frequencyspectrum to ensure connectivity for all during the National State ofDisaster period. Seventeen applications were in line with the criteria

and conditions outlined in the regulations.

Radio frequency spectrum in the 700/800 MHz bands Because analogue and digital television broadcasting services are stilloperating in the 700 MHz and 800 MHz frequency bands, sharing andco-existence in these frequency bands would have to be implementedsystematically through a geographic separation of International MobileTelecommunication (IMT) Systems and Broadcasting Services in affectedareas in accordance with the updated 2013 Terrestrial BroadcastingFrequency Plan as published. Telkom, MTN and Vodacom have been grantedtemporarily assignment of 40 MHz.

Assignment of the radio frequency spectrum in the 2300 MHz band Telkom has been temporarily assigned 20 MHz in addition to the 60 MHz it alreadyhas in this band. Vodacom has been temporarily assigned 20MHz.

Assignment of the radio frequency spectrum in the 2600 MHz band The total amount of available spectrum in this band is 170 MHz. The followingapplicants were assigned spectrum in this band: • Telkom has been temporarily assigned 40 MHz • Vodacom and MTN have been temporarily assigned 50 MHz • RAIN Networks has been temporarily assigned 30 MHz in addition to the 20

MHz it already has in this band.

Assignment of the radio frequency spectrum in the 3500 MHz band The total amount of available spectrum in this band is 116 MHz. As in other bands,the temporary assignments in the 3500 MHz band were made on the principles ofnon-discrimination to all qualifying applicants. The following applicants wereassigned temporary spectrum in this band:• Telkom has been temporarily assigned 12 MHz out of the 32 MHz applied for. It

is important to note that Telkom is currently assigned 28 MHz in the 3500 MHzband and was assigned 12 MHz to afford it adequate capacity spectrum to meetthe demand occasioned by the pandemic during this period.

• Vodacom has been temporarily assigned 50 MHz as applied for. • MTN has been temporarily assigned 50 MHz out of the 70 MHz applied for. • Liquid Telecoms has been temporarily assigned 4 MHz, which adds to the 56

MHz it already has in this band.

Authorisation to use TVWS during the National State of Disaster The Authority received applications from Mthinte Communications, Levin Globaland Morai Solutions for the use of TVWS in the 470 – 694 MHz band.

The authorisation for use of TVWS by these applicants was granted subject to anumber of conditions as set out in the regulations

Conditions associated with the temporary spectrum assignment All successful licensees for temporary IMT radio frequency spectrum assignmentsmust ensure that they support and create virtual teaching and classrooms asdetermined by the Department of Basic Education and the Department ofCommunications and Digital Technologies in various districts during the NationalState of Disaster. Furthermore, all radio frequency spectrum licensees must zero

ICASA Acting Chairperson, Dr Keabetswe Modimoeng


NEWS

rate all COVID-19 sites as identified fromtime to time by the Department of Healthand published in the Government Gazette.

The Authority exercised extreme care inthe assignment of this temporary spectrumto existing licensees, in order to achievethe objectives of the COVID-19 Regulationswhich are aimed at alleviating networkchallenges, easing congestion andensuring good quality of service forconsumers.

“I would really like to express mydeepest gratitude to all applicants andlicensees alike, and I believe the spectrumwill be used efficiently as well as optimallyfor the benefit of all South Africans. This willindeed bridge the communications divideduring this difficult period of our lifetime”,said ICASA Acting Chairperson, DrKeabetswe Modimoeng. n

ICASA issues temporary radio frequency spectrum

iSERT, a company specialising inturnkey testing solutions for EMC, RFand safety testing, has collaborated

with SqwidNet, the only licensed Sigfoxoperator in South Africa, to become thefirst, and currently only, Sigfoxaccredited test laboratory in thesouthern hemisphere. The partnershipallows iSERT to provide customers withtesting facilities to ensure they will notdegrade the Sigfox network. ForSqwidNet, the partnership allows forfurther investment into South Africaninnovation and development.

Established in 2017, iSERT may bea fresh face in the market, but it hasalready made significant inroads intothe industry. As one of the only labs inSouth Africa to offer a turnkey solutionfor EMC, RF and safety testing, it bringssomething crucial to the localelectronics industry.

“With the advent of the FourthIndustrial Revolution (4IR), we realised itwas essential for a test lab to have thecapabilities of testing products thatincorporate the latest technology in oneconvenient location,” says Riaan van denBerg, managing director at iSERT. “Ourpartnership with SqwidNet and Sigfoxensures that products are of goodquality and that they will not degrade theSigfox network. It’s similar to PTCRBtesting for cellular networks.” n

iSERT becomes first Sigfox accreditedtest laboratory


NEWS

Government sets up Covid-19 situational awareness platform

In response to the announcement by President Ramaphosaof a range of measures to deal with the Coronaviruspandemic, the Department of Science and Innovation (DSI)

in cooperation with the Council for Scientific and IndustrialResearch (CSIR), commissioned the set-up of a coresituational awareness platform.

The centre, led by the Department of Health in partnershipwith DSI and its entity, the CSIR, provides near real-timeanalytics and dashboards on the coronavirus outbreak perprovince, district, local municipality and ward.

The centre is housed in a secure facility at the CSIR inPretoria and provides a central situational awareness, givinga single view of the reality of the spread of the coronavirusacross the country.

The Covid-19 Information Centre is one of several projectsthe DSI is working on in support of the government'sresponse to the pandemic. Among the centre's capabilities isthe CMORE app, a mobile visualisation platform used bycommunity health workers to record screening data andsymptoms in the field and transmit the information to thecentre. The app enables a near-live display of the results ofthe work being conducted by the government's HouseholdScreening and Testing Programme.

The data and insights generated by the centre providesignificant input for decision-making by the NationalCoronavirus Command Council.

On Thursday 9 April the Minister of Higher Education,Science and Innovation, Dr Blade Nzimande, hostedPresident Cyril Ramaphosa at the centre. He wasaccompanied by the Deputy Minister of Health, Dr JoePhaahla.

The President commended the work being done at thecentre, as it produces detailed information not only on thespread of the virus but also on the availability of hospitals,

hotels, lodges, boarding houses at schools, etc that can beused in the fight against the pandemic. He thanked the dataanalysts and other workers, who have been working up to 16hours a day to collect data. He also welcomed the involvementof telecoms service provider Vodacom, which donated 20 000mobile devices to be used by the community health workersdeployed to conduct the household screening for the virus. Themobile devices assist in digitising the screen time data which isused for real-time reporting.

Dr Nzimande thanked the CSIR for the work it was doing onthe data platform and noted that "behind this platform is a set ofcompetencies that include epidemiological modelling, dataanalytics, high-performance computing and data visualisation.These are important investments that the DSI has been makingover a number of years to ensure that we have an innovation-enabled developmental state." n

President Cyril Ramaphosa being tested for a temperature ashe arrives at the Covid-19 Information Centre accompaniedby the Minister of Higher Education, Science and Innovation,Dr Blade Nzimande.


NEWS

Denel to manufacture ventilators and ambulances

Denel is mobilising its resourcesand expertise towards a priorityproject for the local design and

development of medical ventilators.Thecompany is also working on repurposingits Casspir mine-protected vehicles intoambulances.

Danie du Toit, Group Chief Executiveof Denel says engineers from DenelDynamics and Denel Aeronautics arealready working round the clock onProject Sabela – ‘we are heeding thecall’ – in partnership with other state-owned entities, research bodies andmedical technology companies.

The defence and technologycompany is also considering otherinitiatives in which it can repurpose its

current operations and technology toassist the national efforts. This includethe production of sanitisers and theconversion of Casspir mine-protectedvehicles into ambulances.

“We are proud to respondimmediately and positively to a requestfrom the Department of PublicEnterprises to drive the ventilatorproject. As a state-owned company weare committed to utilising our skills,technology and experience in support ofthe national objectives to combat thescourge of the Covid-19 pandemic atour doorstep”.

A task team has been formedconsisting of experts from Denel, Armscor,Eskom, the CSIR and other entities to

investigate designs and produce aprototype of a local medical ventilator.

Du Toit says Denel employs some ofSouth Africa’s top engineers, researchersand scientists who have worked onsophisticated technology projects in thepast. This accumulated knowledge andexpertise will now be mobilised to workclosely with medical scientists to producelife-saving ventilators.

“Through Project Sabela we are nowfocusing all our efforts on the currentmedical and humanitarian crisis facingSouth Africa and the world,” says Du Toit.“We are confident that we will soon makehuge strides in the development of locally-designed ventilators at a time when globalshortages are experienced.” n

IoT will become the biggest user ofedge computing amidst risingsecurity concerns

From less than $1.5 billion in 2017to an anticipated $9 billion by 2024,the worldwide edge computing

market is set to show significant growth inthe coming years. With expectations thataround 31 billion Internet of Things (IoT)devices will be online by the end of thisyear, businesses are on the cusp of anexciting new era where they can unlockmore insights from their data.

Gartner defines edge computing asan “emerging topology-based computingmodel that enables and optimisesextreme decentralisation, placing nodesas close as possible to the sources ofdata and content. The edge enables IoTdevices to process information rightthere and then, without having to sendthe raw data to data centres. “Accessingdata in real-time can even mean thedifference between life and death. Forexample, getting alerts on the medicalcondition of a patient or being notifiedof a car-hijacking taking place,” saysAndreas Bartsch, Head of ServiceDelivery at PBT Group.

Not only have IoT devices becomesignificantly more sophisticated in design

than earlier generations, but theubiquitous connectivity that 5G will bringmeans that the capacity of what haveessentially become mini-computers tocollect data across a myriad oftouchpoints will increase massively. Usingthe high computational power of the edge,

companies can more rapidly adapt theirsupply chain to ship products andservices where there is the most demandfor it.

“By performing all analysis at theedge, companies can reduce the load ontheir data centres, resulting in costefficiencies due to the reducedcentralised processing needed. This can,in turn, be enhanced with additionalanalysis at the data centre. Ultimately,companies become more agile in meetingcustomer demand or receiving alertsabout factors that could impactoperations,” adds Bartsch. n


NEWS

R7.5M Teraco grant for SABEN

South African BroadbandEducation Networks (SABEN)has received a R7,5 m grant

from Teraco via the Teraco ConnectFoundation. Over the next five years,Teraco will partner with SABEN tosupport the national drive to endbandwidth poverty among SouthAfrica’s schools and public TVETcolleges.

Jan Hnizdo, CEO of Teraco, saysthat the grant will help to facilitate thechanging landscape of education inSouth Africa. Digital infrastructureinitiatives, including remote learningand educational streaming will becomemore efficient and easier to implement.“The Teraco Connect Foundation seesthe grant as an investment in the futureof this country at a time when allsectors are facing significantchallenges.”

SABEN is a non-profit company

serving the public Technical andVocational Education and Training(TVET) sector in South Africa. It ispurpose-built to solve the digitalrequirements of this sector. Hnizdosays that the Teraco ConnectFoundation grant will not only enablethese educational institutions to accesscontent directly and grow theircollective digital strategy, but will alsoassist in laying essential foundationsfor future digital remote learningstrategies: “To enable digitaltransformation, SABEN’s need fordirect access to a rich ecosystem ofcontent and cloud providers can berealised, enabling efficient connectionsto education cloud services, streamingand remote learning possibilities.”

Technically, the grant providesSABEN a physical presence in Teracodata centres located in Durban, CapeTown and Johannesburg and gives

Digital transformation, oil and gasindustry opportunities

Digital transformation has created new opportunities for oil and gas companies(O&G) to lower monitoring costs, improve safety and optimise assetperformance and availability by outsourcing to third party companies.

Public sector industries such as hotels, banking and residential facilities have beenleveraging third party services (i.e. maintenance, logistics, catering etc.) for decades.

The obvious reason to outsource someof this work is to reduce costs byutilising a third-party expert to execute aservice when needed by the customer. Inthe Middle East and Africa, O&Gcompanies started the outsourcing ofassets health and performancemonitoring decades ago. However,companies have equipment from severalOEMs (for pumps, turbines, motors,valves, etc), which makes it difficult tomanage these assets in a cost-effectivemanner. This opens the doors for third-party service companies to address thescope of different OEM’s assets in asingle contract.

Emerson, a global industrialautomation provider, is addressing theneed of the O&G industry by leveragingthe power of IIOT (Industrial Internet ofThings) to deliver the Plantweb DigitalEcosystem. Plantweb leverages datagenerated by existing or new sensors ina company’s facility and offers analyticstools and secure connectivity to enablescalable monitoring services such as:health monitoring, condition monitoring,performance monitoring and providing afull turn-key monitoring solution. n

colleges direct network access toPlatform Teraco, where the institutionswill benefit from highly secure and directinterconnection to Africa’s largest digitalecosystem. n


ICT CYBER SECURITY

Malicious USB devices, Past,Present and Future

The Universal Serial Bus (USB)was a revolution when it wasintroduced, consolidating the

myriad of connectors previouslyrequired for peripherals into a singlecommon standard, and enabling amultitude of new technologies anddevices that would otherwise have beeninconceivable. But apart from theunified connector, one of the mostimportant changes brought about by theintroduction of USB was the ability tomake the peripheral self-describing, andthe development of common deviceclasses that peripherals could simplyimplement. It is this change that largelyeliminated the “driver hell” previouslyrequired, because the operating systemcould simply implement a driver thatdealt with an entire class of devices atonce, and it could be automaticallyloaded and applied to any peripheralsthat described themselves as a memberof that class.

Technology is not alwaysfriendlyTechnology can unfortunately also beused against us. Malicious uses for USBdevices have probably been around foras long as the USB standard. One of theearliest malicious uses of USB deviceswas malware spreading on flash drives.Later, users would use unauthorisednetwork devices such as 3G modems toconnect their corporate laptops to theInternet, in order to bypass restrictivefirewall policies. The U3 implementationof a CD-ROM drive combined with aflash disk was abused to automaticallyexecute commands as soon as the flash

drive was plugged in. This wascommonly exploited by leaving maliciousflash drives lying around, in the hopethat someone would pick them up andplug them in to their computer, and thepayload would automatically be run bythe operating system. That led tooperating systems like Windows

By Rogan Dawes, Researcher at Sensepost

And you believed that USB devices, USB cables and receivers were safe.Think again. In this explosive article, Rogan Dawes takes these devices apartand shows how vulnerable they can be.

disabling the practise of executingAutoRun programs by default, mitigatingthis particular vulnerability, andsomething that started as a simpleprank was quickly weaponised bysecurity researchers, and had probablybeen utilised as such by criminals formuch longer.


The Phantom Keystroker is adevice sold from around 2008 bya novelty store as a wayto play tricks onpeople. Whenplugged into acomputer, it wouldrandomly emit mousemovements andkeystrokes, intended toconfuse the user. A researchernamed Adrian Crenshaw sawthis device and recognised thepotential for automated attacks, if thekeystrokes could be scripted ratherthan randomly generated. This led tothe development of the “ProgrammableHuman Interface Device (HID) USBKeystroke Dongle (PHUKD)”, whichcould type out a pre-determinedpayload under various circumstances,for example, after a delay, or whentriggered by a sensor of some sort, forexample, when the lights were turnedoff. A variety of commercialimplementations of this idea followed,including the USB Rubber Ducky.

So-called Rubber Ducky attackshave been fairly successful since then,but the majority of attacks requirednetwork access to download andexecute a more advanced malware thancould easily be typed out. Companieshave been implementing more networkcontrols to detect and prevent malware,including intercepting and decryptingrequests to websites, and limitingaccess to sites based on reputation, orsubject matter. All of this made RubberDucky attacks less likely to besuccessful, and more likely to bedetected and prevented.

In 2016, I presented a device calledUSaBUSe (Universal Serial aBUSe),which extended the concept of RubberDuckies by adding an additional bi-directional communications channelbetween the victim’s PC and theattacker. This was achieved byintegrating a WiFi interface connectingto the attacker’s access point, andadding a Raw HID interface to theRubber Ducky’s existing keyboard andmouse. Data written to the Raw HIDinterface would be available on the WiFiinterface, and vice versa. A somewhatlarger than typical PowerShell payloadwas typed out, which opened the RawHID interface, and downloaded andexecuted a more advanced program.

This could then execute acommand prompt, and relay inputand output over the Raw HID interfaceto allow the attacker to interact with it.

A Raw HID interface was chosen,despite the problems actuallyexperienced using it, in order to avoidtools that check for unauthorised USBdevices. Most such tools are simplyblocking mass storage class devices(flash drives), and possibly networkinterfaces such as WiFi cards, modemsand phone tethering, but are notblocking anything as simple as akeyboard or a mouse.

In the intervening time, severalmore ingenious USB attacks havebeen developed. Samy Kamkardeveloped PoisonTap, which uses aRaspberry Pi Zero configured as anetwork adapter; when plugged into avictim’s machine, it tricks it into routingall of its network traffic over thatinterface. In this way, unencryptednetwork traffic can be captured andanalysed, and the victim can be trickedinto sending password hashes toPoisonTap. These can then be crackedoffline, or used in attacks against othersystems on the target network.

Another interesting attack,P4wnP1, was developed by MarcusMengs, and runs on a Raspberry PiZero W. When connected to a victim’sUSB port, P4wnP1 can present avariety of USB interfaces, from massstorage to network, but also as akeyboard and mouse, with a Raw HIDinterface. In this way, the P4wnP1 wasalso capable of carrying out so-calledUSaBUSe-style attacks, where theinitial payload was typed out and the

subsequent communicationschannel was carried over the

Raw HID interface. It was alsocapable of executing PoisonTap-styleattacks as well.

Tricking wireless mouse andkeyboard receiversBut so far, all of these USB attacks havehad one significant flaw; to carry out theattack, the attacker needs physicalproximity to the victim’s computer, atleast long enough to plug the device in,and hopefully not be noticed doing so.This could potentially be avoided bytargeting a USB device that is alreadyplugged in to the victim’s computer. Onesuch device is the receiver for wirelessmice and keyboards. Being wireless,the requirement for direct physicalproximity could be avoided.

In 2016, a researcher named MarcNewlin discovered that the receivers fornumerous models of wireless mice couldbe tricked into accepting keystrokes froma remote attacker and passing those onto the operating system. Wirelesskeyboards typically encrypt keystrokesthat they send to avoid eavesdropperscapturing sensitive information likepasswords, and, as a result, an attackerwith no knowledge of the encryption keywould be unable to encrypt their ownkeystrokes. Newlin discovered that thewireless mice did not encrypt theirmessages, and that a keystrokemessage could be sent through thesame path as the unencrypted mousemessages and end up being passed tothe operating system. This attack wascalled MouseJack, and a number ofparallel implementations appeared.

USB devices, howsafe are they?


ICT CYBER SECURITY

Marcus Mengs subsequentlyperformed some in-depth research intothe Logitech unifying receivers, whichpresent a Raw HID interface as well asthe expected keyboard and mouse,and, in 2019, proved that it was indeedpossible for an attacker to sendarbitrary binary data to a unifyingreceiver, and have it presented to theoperating system via the Raw HIDinterface. A Proof of Concept toolimplementing this was released, calledLOGITacker, which implemented bothsimple MouseJack attacks, as wellUSaBUSe-style Command and Control(C2) over Raw HID. This means that anattacker simply needs to identify atarget using a Logitech wireless mouseor keyboard with a unifying receiver,and, with a few minutes ofuninterrupted time with the computerleft unlocked, could compromise thattarget without ever touching it. In fact,the original MouseJack attacks couldbe performed from up to 80m away,given line of sight to the target!

USB cables with an attackertwist More recently, Mike Grover has beenworking on embedding a WiFicontroller into the A-male connector ofa USB cable, which appears as aninnocuous cable when plugged in, andcan even charge and transfer data to aconnected device. Only when theattacker initiates his attack does theconnected device disconnect, and thecable itself appears as a keyboard andmouse, again able to attack theconnected host operating system. Thisagain does not necessarily requiredirect physical access to the target, asthe idea is that the victim may plug it inhimself while charging his phone, forexample. Or it could be used as areplacement cable between the hostand a keyboard, particularly Applewireless keyboards that are chargedusing a lightning cable. These O.MGcables are available as lightning, microUSB and USB-C cables, and arevirtually indistinguishable from anyother legitimate cable. The O.MG cabledoes not yet support Raw HIDinterfaces, however.

Over the past several months, Ihave been working on refining thecovert channel implementations forUSaBUSe, P4wnP1 and

LOGITacker, as well as implementingit for O.MG cable. Each of the currentimplementations has significantlimitations that I intend to address inthe near future. In the course ofdoing so, I will unify the attacker’sinterface to the tools, as well asextending the capabilities of thevictim-side component.

USaBUSe has significantcomplexity in actually setting up andcarrying out an attack. There are anumber of moving parts that need to beprecisely orchestrated in order to besuccessful. The most significant changeto USaBUSe then will be to migratethose moving parts into the USaBUSefirmware itself, dramatically simplifyingthe overall experience.

P4wnP1 implemented the covertchannel, but this was removed duringconstruction of the P4wnP1 ALOA (ALittle Offensive Appliance) distribution.I intend to reimplement the covertchannel in P4wnP1 ALOA, andintegrate configuration anddeployment of it with the existingP4wnP1 user interface.

LOGITacker has a functionalcovert channel implemented in thefirmware of the dongle itself, makingit very easy and convenient to use,but the initial typed payload isexcessively large, resulting inopportunities for that payload to becorrupted by errant keystrokes.LOGITacker also has no way for anattacker to transfer binary databetween the victim and his owncomputer, meaning that arbitrary filetransfer is impossible. I am in theprocess of developing a new multi-stage client payload, whichminimises the number of typedkeystrokes required, while allowingmore fully featured client executablesto be transferred to covert channelitself to upgrade the client’scapabilities. I will also develop an

attacker side program that allows forfull binary data transfer through theserial port of the Nordic dongle to theattacker’s computer.

As mentioned, O.MG cable has nocovert channel implementation at themoment. I am in the process ofimplementing this, and will integrate allthe changes for USaBUSe into theO.MG cable as well, as there could be asubstantial amount of shared code.

All in all, the work currently beingundertaken will harmonise the attackerand victim-side implementations anduser experience, making these sorts ofUSB attacks more achievable, andmore effective.

From a user’s perspective, becautious about what USB peripherals youconnect or allow to be connected to yourcomputer. In particular, Logitech’s non-Bluetooth wireless mice and keyboardsare an easily exploited avenue onto yourcomputer. But even a simple flash drive isstill something to be wary of, if you are notcertain of its origin. n

About the authorRogan Dawes is a senior researcherat SensePost and has been hackingsince 1998, which, coincidentally, isalso the time he settled on a finalwardrobe. He used the time he savedon choosing outfits to live up to hiscolleague’s frequent joke that he hasan offline copy of the Internet in hishead. He spent many years buildingweb application assessment toolsand is credited as having built one ofthe first and most widely usedintercepting proxies - WebScarab. Inrecent years, he has turned hisattentions towards hardware hacking,and these days many suspect him tobe at least part cyborg. A goodconversation starter is to ask himwhere he keeps his JTAG header. n

About SensepostSensePost is SecureData’s independent elite consulting arm, renowned for itsexpertise,19 year track record and innovation on the frontlines of cybersecurity.

With team members that include some of the world’s most pre-eminentcybersecurity experts, SensePost has helped governments and blue-chip companiesboth review and protect their information security and stay ahead of evolving threats.

SensePost is also a prolific publisher of leading research articles and tools oncybersecurity which are widely recognised and used throughout the industry andfeature regularly at industry conferences including BlackHat and DefCon. n

The differencebetween active andpassive antennas


ICT

Apassive antenna is a radiating element composed entirelyof passive components. Typically, this means that apassive antenna system is one with at least a passive

radiator (antenna element), passive impedance matching,passive balun, passive tuning (capacitive or inductive), andpassive interconnect (commonly 50 ohm or 75 ohm impedance).A circulator or isolator may also be considered part of a passiveantenna, depending on whether the antenna system is packagedas a unit or separate parts. Ambiguously, the term antenna maybe used to describe an antenna element or structure as well asan antenna system, in some cases.

An active antenna system uses some method of activeelectrical enhancement or control to provide improved antennaperformance for a given application. Active antennacomponents may consist of amplifiers, such as low-noiseamplifiers (LNAs) or power amplifiers (PAs), active filtering(tuneable filters or switched filter banks), or potentially evenswitched antenna radiator sections. Active antennas enablecontrol and performance enhancement which can either bemanually engaged/configured or can be enabled automaticallyby software or analogue/digital control systems. Activeantennas are crucial for many applications that requireadditional degrees of freedom, tunability, increased signalstrength to/from the antenna radiator, or configurable antenna.Active antenna can provide better rejection of unwanted signals,lower signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) using LNAs close to theantenna, high transmit power, better impedance match to theantenna, and other performance benefits depending on theactive antenna technology used.

A more advanced version of an active antenna is an activeantenna system (AAS) which may employ a completetransmit/receive (TRX) component along with phase andamplitude adjustment to enable beamforming. Other forms ofAAS include multi-input multi-output (MIMO) capability thatincludes digital processing that enables multiple spatialstreams from a multi-element antenna array. Antenna arrayscan use analogue beamforming, digital beamforming, or hybrid

beamforming depending on the technology employed to drivethe AAS beamforming antenna array. Even more advancedAAS may include all of the antenna array, TRX,modulation/demodulation, digital-to-analogue conversion(DAC), analogue-to-digital conversion (ADC), digitalprocessing, beamforming, MIMO, carrier aggregation (CA), andnetworking communication hardware in a single module, as isdone with the latest 4G LTE AAS modules and is planned for5G infrastructure.

Active antennas may also be part of a smart antenna, orcognitive radio, and include some awareness of theelectromagnetic (EM) spectrum in their environment or includethe ability to externally provide intelligence. In this way a smartantenna could reconfigure itself for best performance in itscurrent environment. A cognitive radio system may even be ableto learn about its environment and the dynamics of wirelesscommunications in its environment and develop strategies toenhance its service using active antenna technology or otherradio technology.

Typically, active antennas are more expensive and complexthan passive antennas, hence there are less available options forsuppliers of active antennas. Also, active antennas may be moredifficult to troubleshoot and service than passive antennas,though some active antennas and AAS may also include built-in-self test (BIST) and built-in-diagnostic (BID) technology that aidswith the troubleshooting process. In many cases, an activeantenna or AAS is part of a much larger communicationsinfrastructure and must perform in a very specific manner, makingthe active antenna or AAS only useful for that given application.With passive antenna, often a variety of different antenna may beused, given the need or changing requirements. n

For more information email [email protected]

By Peter McNeil, Pasternack

5G and active antennasActive antennas (AAs) support a myriad of wireless use cases that are evolvingwith next generation 5G cellular service. AAs promise performanceimprovements of more than 2-3X over conventional base station antennas inroughly the same form factor and at comparable costs.

Conventional base station antennas are connected to a remote radio unit viacoaxial cable and essentially transmit energy from high on a tower over a widecoverage area in horizontal beamwidths up to 120 degrees per sector. For 360-degree coverage, antennas are installed in 3-sector arrays with one or moreantennas per sector depending on the area and the number of active users. Inhigh-density applications, carriers use mechanical gear to point antennasdownwards to deliver more RF energy to a smaller coverage area on the ground.

By contrast, active antennas incorporate the RF source, basically a radio-on-a-chip, that connects to an array of small antennas all mounted in the sameshroud. Power and fibre optic cables connect directly to the AA, eliminating theremote radio unit. With integrated radios and antenna arrays under softwarecontrol, AAs dynamically deliver high-speed signals wherever needed in acoverage area to enable a range of new applications not feasible before. Withmultiband operation, AAs can support new high-speed, low latency 5G use casesacross many markets. This diversity of applications is creating a bandwidth-on-demand scenario that exceeds the limits of conventional base station antennas,but that AAs can handle.

AAs designs achieve these capabilities with Massive MIMO and dynamicbeamforming. n


ICT WORKING REMOTE

Work at Home

The whole country has beensent to work from home.We are well into the

lockdown and for mostbusinesses, things appear to begoing well. I see new pieces eachday telling us about the ability toderive greater productivity andreduce emissions while stillgetting the job done. Costs inoffice space can be reduced andeverybody can simply go aheadand thrive in the new normalworld of work.

As I sit in the home officewith my work slipslops on, I’mwondering if this is really trueand if we have we thoughtthrough it all.

With the possibility of beinganother voice in the cacophonysurrounding the lockdown and themassive security risks that comewith it, I hope to provide somepractical points to ponder on -now that your entire team is hardat work in their pyjamas.

From a cyber securityperspective, it is true thatattackers are using the COVID19pandemic to spread their malwareand target previously office-boundusers to try and extract money orinformation from them.

Tens of thousands of newdomains and ‘news sites’ havesprung up to spread fake news,malware and launch cyberattacks.They are working on people’s fearand uncertainty to get them toclick on their well-put-togethercampaigns of utter rubbish.

Your users (people) are stillthe last line of defense and acritical layer to protect you fromcyberattacks. The stats tell usthat most attacks start via email– this has not changed, but withthe human migration homewards,people are interacting with aplethora of new gadgets anddoo-hickeys.

Virtual meetings are Zoomingall around us, teams aregathering online and photos bythe Gigabyte are being sent ontosocial media pages. All of thisoversharing opens up more andmore points of entry for the partypooper cyber criminals.

Scams disguised as remote IT supportWe also see a rise in the number of scams done via telephone – remote support or phishingscams are flourishing because “Bob” from IT is on the phone to help connect to your machineand solve all your problems. Please do take care. Some key points to start with: 1. If you do not know the person on the other side of the call or have not sent a direct

support request, do not give them any information or let them connect to you, yourmeetings or your computer.

2. Never ever give anybody your username, password or pin over the telephone.3. Do not click on links from people you do not know.4. When you do know the person, do not click on links if this not their normal way of

doing business.5. If documents, language, grammar and so on look different to the normal way you interact

with service providers, clients etc. do not download, open or click. 6. If you didn’t enter the competition you did not win it.7. If you do not know a relative that suddenly died in the UK, you did not receive an inheritance.8. Be aware of fake sites, attackers are using the outbreak of COVID19 to spread their

attacks – use only trusted sources of information.9. Even with a layered security program in place for work-related items, several people are

using things like Whatsapp Web, Gmail, Outlook.com and Zoom. The attacks can alsocome through these systems. Please be vigilant.

10. If you are not sure on what security settings to use when hosting a virtual meeting, ask aprofessional. Passwords, non-public chats and similar measures can prevent beingbombarded by links, videos or pornography in the next meeting.

11. If something does not seem right, please verify before acting. Speak to the person viatelephone. Only use contact details you are sure of.

12. Ensure policy compliance and visibility. Just because the people are no longer in your officedoes not mean they should get away from basic cyber hygiene. User awareness training,activity monitoring and patching/updates are still crucial.

By J2 Software CEO John Mc Loughlin


ICT WORKING REMOTE

If you have any doubts, verify, and ifyou cannot do that – ask me or aprofessional who can guide you in theright direction. Take advantage ofsecurity capabilities on the platformsof choice and use things like multi-factor authentication.

I hear those at the back of the room,hiding behind the Twitter keyboardstelling me that this stuff is obvious.Maybe, but why do we keep seeingstatistics of the growing number ofsuccessful attacks, loss of data andspate of complete shutdowns due toransomware attacks?

Now we have covered the obviousstuff. What about those topics thatbusinesses should be thinking about thatmight not be quite as obvious?

Increased productivity is greatbut keep a balanceOur people are now always working,putting in the hours. This is ideal, theyroll out of bed and go directly to thehome office desk, or just stay in bed withthe laptop. Our people are hitting themail before the bathroom and many arebrushing their keyboards before theyhave brushed their teeth.

An increase in productivity isfantastic, but without the ability toaccurately monitor activity, are ourpeople doing the right things, keepingwithin policy and ensuring data securitycompliance requirements?

Having your people ‘always working’is amazing, but tired people takeshortcuts and miss the tell-tale signs

which can result in them downloadingthat payment file or clicking the link toget the ‘invoice’ or read their new‘payroll data’.

Encourage your people to remainactive and take a bit of time in the day tostand up. Walk around and even look atthe sun. Many people leave their desksto have lunch in the office, should thischange now?

Do you share sensitive companyinformation with other businesses andorganisations? You are very likely doingthat now. The home migration now seesdifferent businesses sharing resources.

Your significant other is likely at adifferent entity, but here we all aresharing resources for the internet, Wi-Fi,possibly computer time, USB devices,office space and online meetings.

We need to be fully aware thatthings that are being said in openmeetings are now being shared withpeople in different companies. Yoursecured devices could be used byothers in the household to access theircompany networks.

How secure are those interactionsand what measures are in place tomonitor for anomalous usage andaccess outside of your control?

Make sure that your people areaware of these risks and if they arepart of the thousands of householdswho share computing, office and WiFiresources please do it safely. Enforcevisibility on activity, monitor, secureand encrypt.

We do not know what the next weeks

and months will bring, but I am quitesure that working from home will be farmore widely used. Think through allapplications and situations andincorporate these into your riskdiscussions. It is important to adapt tothe new normal, whatever that may be.

Things are forever different. Don’tbelieve me? Well, almost no businesshad a 100% work from homesimulation in their risk strategies,continuity and disaster recovery plansthree weeks ago.

Put on your work pajamas and getthings done, and don’t forget to brushyour teeth!

Stay safe, stay at home. n

About J2 SoftwareJ2 Software is a security focusedAfrican technology business foundedin 2006 to address the need foreffective cybersecurity, governance,risk and compliance solutions inAfrica. J2 Software delivers essentialtools that empower organisations totake control of their technologyspend. The company's hand-pickedsolutions provide complete visibilityover its customers' environment,while reducing risk and loweringcosts. The company has providedservices and solutions to enterprisecorporations with sites running inSouth Africa, Angola, Botswana,Kenya, Malawi, Mauritius,Mozambique, Tanzania, Uganda,Zambia, Australia, UK and Malta. n

VISIT OUR WEBSITE FOR UP-TO-DATE NEWS

www.engineerit.co.za

Quantum leap for photonentanglement could revolutionisesecure communications

ICT EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES

Abreakthrough in the developmentof quantum-enhanced opticalsystems could pave the way for

advances in encryption, communicationand measurement, scientists say.

In a new paper published in thejournal Science Advances, a group ofresearchers, led by Matteo Clerici at theUniversity of Glasgow’s James WattSchool of Engineering and colleaguesfrom the UK, Japan and Germany,demonstrate a new method ofgenerating and detecting quantum-entangled photons at a wavelength of2.1 micrometres.

The ability to generate and detectthe quantum state of light underpins thedevelopment of secure communicationfor both guided wave and free spacesystems. Free space quantum keydistribution (QKD) has recently enabledquantum secured intercontinentalcommunication as much as 7 600 kmapart on Earth. Until now, on-satellitebased QKD was only possible duringhours of darkness. A further reason forthis research comes from the limitationsof guided wave optics. The current fibrenetworks face a capacity crunch.Solutions such as novel hollow-corephotonic bandgap filters, working at twomicrometres with reduced optical non-linearities and lower losses, are currentlyunder test for network implementation.

The unique, non-classicalproperties of entangled photons areused in applications includingquantum key distribution, whichmakes uncrackablecommunications between twoparties possible.

Methods of entanglingphotons at shorterwavelengths of between 700and 1550 nanometres arealready well-established.

However, those wavelengths arevulnerable to interference from thesun’s light when they are transmittedover open air, making them difficult touse in applications such as securesatellite-to-ground and satellite-to-satellite communications.

The Glasgow-led team’s newmethod of generating entangledphotons further into the infrared attwo micrometres wavelength, couldhelp overcome these problems forthe first time.

Dr Matteo Clerici, senior lecturer atthe University of Glasgow, said: “Whatwe have been able to do for the firsttime is carve out a band in theelectromagnetic spectrum where theentangled particles we produce are less likely to be affected by background solarradiation when they’re transmitted across free space.

“There is what we call a ‘transparency window’ in the atmosphere where therearen’t many gases which can absorb light at a wavelength of two micrometres. Also,the sunlight is much less overwhelming in this region – it’s one-third the brightnessthat it has at standard telecommunication wavelengths around 1550 nm, for example.

“Thus far, that has been one of the key stumbling blocks to advancing daylightquantum key distribution in free space - if the wavelength that the photon detector issensitive to is too close to the wavelength of the photons that are coming towards itfrom the sun, the detector can easily be blinded.”

This breakthrough has benefited from the cutting-edge expertise of UK photonicscompanies. In partnership with Covesion Ltd, Dr Clerici and his team have engineered

a nonlinear crystal made from lithium niobite, suitablefor operating at 2.1 micrometres. The

entangled photon pairs are generatedwhen short pulses of light from a laser

source, provided for this researchby Chromacity Ltd, pass through

the crystal.The entangled photons,

which have half the energy oftheir parent photon andwhich are perfectlycorrelated in polarisation,are then sent towards aspecially designed super-conducting nanowiresingle-photon detector.

QUANTUMSTATE DEFINED

A quantum state is simply something that encodes thestate of a system. The special thing about quantum states is

that they allow the system to be in a few statessimultaneously; this is called a "quantum superposition".A quantum state is a vector that contains all the information

about a system. However, generally you can only extract some ofthat information from the quantum state. This is partly due to the

uncertainty principle and mostly just due to the nature ofquantum mechanics itself. n


Dr Matteo Clerici


ICT EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES

Dr Adetunmise Dada, research associate at the University of Glasgow, added: “Alongwith our collaborators in academia and industry, we’ve found a way to reliably createhigh-quality paired photons at a new wavelength, making them well-suited to use inquantum communications. Our next step is to take our system out of the lab and start totest it under realistic outdoor conditions. It’s an exciting stage to be at and we’re lookingforward to seeing where we can take it from here.”

Andy Vick, Head of Disruptive Space Technologies at UK’s RAL Space and notinvolved in the research, commented: “Commercial quantum key distribution systems

will need to operate in cloudyenvironments, during the day as well asat night. Longer wavelength photoncounting systems are the vitaltechnology required to enable this, andso the breakthrough reported by ourcolleagues in Glasgow will underpincommercially viable QKD applications.” n

Glasgow is an international centreof excellence in quantum andnanoscience, translatingfundamental understanding ofthese phenomena into world-changing technologies.

On the smallest possible scale,researchers are studying how tocontrol particles of matter and lightin order to understand the buildingblocks of the universe. Theyengineer complex combinationsof materials over length scales,from nanometres to centimetres,with reproducibility that enableslow-cost components with thehighest levels of functionality andenergy efficiency. n

THE NANO AND QUANTUM WORLDPushing the boundaries of our understanding

In the May 2020 edition of EngineerIT Automation andControl is in the spotlight and will focus on the fourthindustrial revolution. It has moved from beyond aconcept to an urgent reality to get South Africa’seconomy back on track. Part of the challenge and themain drivers are Industry 4.0 and the Internet ofThings. Make sure you are featured.

Sub-features in May include • Intelligent building automation• SCADA• Control rooms• Process control• Predictive maintenance

We also invite your articles and product news about ICT,communication technology, electronics andmeasurement and instrumentation.

DeadlinesEditorial: 11 May 2020 Advertising: 14 May 2020Publication date: 20 May 2020

To support companies in their efforts to make a strong come back, we haveadjusted both our print advertising and online rates. Speak to Merinda Lotteringat 071 765 5702 to structure a campaign that meets your budget and callHans van de Groenendaal on 082 781 4631 to discuss editorial coverage.

Email detailsMerinda Lottering: [email protected] van de Groenendaal: [email protected]

Visit our webpages for timeous news articles and keep an eye on your inbox forthe Tuesday and Thursday EngineerIT newsletter.

Coming up in June are data centres and big data.

Special Feature May 2020 - Automation and Control

Build data culture into the fabricof a digital business

How we work is rapidly and irrevocably changing in response to global crises andmarket fluctuations, which have also shone a bright light on the need for

businesses to digitally transform – and sooner, rather than later. While there aremany key factors to consider on a journey to digital success, it is those

businesses that place a key focus on data first, and build a digital strategy aroundkey data elements, that will likely see the most success.


ICT

“While many businesses have a digitalstrategy in place, especially withinearly adopter sectors such as thefinancial services sector, for example,we find that there is still a lack ofunderstanding of what this strategyshould entail comprehensively. A keyingredient to success in this regard isthe support of high-quality data,” saysYolanda Smit, Practice Director ofInnovation at PBT Group.

Going digital is not a boxticking exerciseTo achieve digital status, oftencompanies too easily employ the likesof a chief digital officer and jump intorolling out aspects such as chat botsand other new engagement tools, butwith little thought given to the customerexperience and how data must supportsuch initiatives in order for them toprove successful. A successful digitalstrategy requires a digital culture thatleads to the establishment of aneducated workforce that knows what ispossible and is developing solutionsaround that. South African corporatesmust move beyond seeing digital as abox ticking exercise and implement it inmore practical ways throughout theorganisation, in order to get the mostout of their data and digital journey.

“Whether it is financial services orany other industry sector, it comesdown to understanding the use case ofdigital first and how data can beleveraged to enable it. Decision-

makers might certainly understand thetheoretical elements required, but theyneed to bridge the gap towardspractical implementation.”

This becomes even moreproblematic when looking at companiesthat operate outside of what may bedubbed as information services leadbusinesses and that do not necessarilyhave a grasp on aspects such as dataliteracy, digital ethics, privacy and so on.Education therefore forms an essentialcomponent of their digital journey.Human resources can greatly influencethis by introducing basic digital and dataliteracy programmes for new employeesand more advanced upskillingopportunities for current ones. However,executives must also be exposed towhat digital can do for the business ifthey are to formulate a strategy that isfeasible to use inside the business.

“Leadership becomes the criticalsuccess factor in building a long-termvision for the digital culture within thecompany, but it does not have to be animmediate overhaul of existingprocesses. Organisations can startsmall, experiment small, and fail goingforward. Establishing a digital culturemust be a practical approach,” saysSmit. “And understanding the concept ofdata fabric and how it fits into thecreation of a digital culture can greatlyexpedite such a transition. Gartnerrefers to data fabric as a custom-madedesign that provides reusable dataservices via a combination of data

integration approaches in anorchestrated fashion.”

“In more practical business terms,this is about creating a single datamanagement environment that consistsof the enterprise-wide infrastructure tohelp companies manage their data moreeffectively in real-time. Data fabrictherefore takes data management, acritical component of the digital strategy,to the next level by viewing it as a moreoverarching concept that integrateselements such as artificial intelligenceand machine learning for better dataintelligence,” says Willem Conradie,Chief Technology Officer at PBT Group.

Yolanda Smit, Practice Director ofInnovation at PBT Group


ICT

Data drives competitiveadvantageEverybody understands that datadrives competitive advantage. Thosecompanies able to do so efficientlywill build value. Consequently, anagile approach is necessary to enableemployees to become moreadaptable to evolving marketrequirements. Data fabric brings thisfluidity to data management.

“Of course, management mustacknowledge that changes in themarket have resulted in the spectrum ofdata management exploding. Theresultant newer capabilities provideintriguing opportunities to react toclients in real-time. This requires theenterprise data approach to solve thecomplexity of the data at hand andintegrate that into a digitaltransformation strategy. It thereforecannot be siloed according to businessunits but must talk to the organisation inits entirety”, Conradie said.

The data fabric can augment thecapabilities of existing systems andprocesses to greatly assist the businessin becoming more data driven. Forexample, by introducing things such asrobotic process automation, employees

can turn their focus to more strategicfunctions while repetitive, administration-intensive tasks are automated.

“The nature of data and how it isincorporated into a business’s digitaltransformation strategy will determinethe success of that strategy and howmuch benefit a business can derive fromthe data it has. The reality is that as datacontinues to grow, the data landscapewill be built around a more integrateddigital culture that looks to leverage datafabric to unlock additional growthopportunities. A digital strategy thatkeeps this in mind will not only succeednow, but well into the future.” n

About PBT GroupPBT Group are technology agnostic dataspecialists offering custom-made dataand analytics services and solutions thattransform information to create valuableinsights and predictions for businesssuccess. To continue the discussion visitwww.pbtgroup.co.za

Willem Conradie, Chief TechnologyOfficer at PBT Group

Gartner refers to data fabric as a custom-made design that provides reusable data services via acombination of data integration approaches in an orchestrated fashion.

Deriving value from analytics investments depends on having an agile and trusted data fabric. A data fabric is generally a custom-madedesign that provides reusable data services, pipelines, semantic tiers or APIs via a combination of data integration approaches in anorchestrated fashion. Data fabrics can be improved by adding dynamic schema recognition, or even cost-based optimisationapproaches. As a data fabric becomes increasingly dynamic, or even introduces ML capabilities, it evolves from a data fabric into a datamesh network.

What does data fabric enable?• Data fabric is more of a designed approach, mostly tending toward use cases and locations on either “end” of a thread. The threads

may cross and do handoffs in the middle, or even reuse their parts, but they are not built up dynamically. They are merely highlyreusable, normalised services.

• Data mesh is a fully metadata-driven approach. Statistics in the form of metadata accumulation are kept, relating to the rate of dataaccess, platform, user and use case access, the physical capacity of the system and the utilisation of the infrastructure components.Other data points include the reliability of the infrastructure, the trending of data usage by domain and use case, and thequalification, enrichment and integrity (both declared and implied) of the data. n


AMATEUR RADIO

Beacons to study inlandtropospheric propagation

The South Africa Radio League144 MHz beacon initiative is aimedat researching the occurrence and

frequency of inland troposphericpropagation (Tropo). One beacon is alreadyin operation in Bethlehem in the Free State,with horizontally polarised antennaspointing north and east, and a secondbeacon is planned for the northern Karoo.

The question is often asked iftropospheric propagation can only happenin coastal areas, for example around theWest Coast of South Africa where somespectacular openings occur regularly. Therehave been some sporadic reportsconfirming that it can happen inland buthow frequently remains unanswered. Thereare two main requirements - severalbeacons and a reverse beacon monitoringsystem that monitors the beacons, reportsand sends alerts on a telegram-basednetwork of radio amateurs and otherinterested persons.

The Bethlehem beacon (callsignZS0BET) was the easiest of the twobeacons to install as a high site wasalready available under the control of alocal radio amateur, Rickus de LangeZS4A. The beacon transmits on144,425 MHz.

While the SARL beacon project teamhad acquired two 144 MHz FMtransceivers, there was a challenge of howto generate a good clean CW signal thatcould be decoded by monitoring software.Various methods to generate a clean signalwere tested, but with no success. Therewas no system that allowed the voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO) signal to besuppressed, let alone switch the pre-amplifier on and off. Even pulling all buffertransistors to ground did not stop the radiofrom transmitting.

Eventually Brian Jacobs ZS6YZ,project leader of the SARL Beacon project,found that switching the biasing on thepower amplifier worked the best, but therewere still two issues to get around. The firstone was bleed-through from the VCO andthe second one was the noise or key clicksgenerated when switching the power

amplifier on and off. The VCO bleed-through was found not to be a majorproblem as it was internal to the radio andwith the covers on the radio, the bleed-through was not picked up more than acouple of hundred metres away from theradio. However, in terms of sound EMCpolicies it was not acceptable.

The key clicks became the nextproblem and again everything that wastried did not work. Not even the solutionsdiscussed in the ARRL handbooks.Eventually while monitoring the bias

voltage of the power amplifier andconsulting the manufacturer’s data sheetfor the power amplifier, it dawned onJacobs that the power amplifier onlyneeded 5V to provide maximum output andthat the bias voltage ramped up to over 6Vwhen switching on before returning to 5V.The manufacturer of the radio had anelaborate power control circuit which wasslow at responding. This radio wasdesigned for analogue FM voice, so thecircuit worked quite adequately for FMvoice, but this was far too slow for the fastswitching required to generate CW ataround 12 words per minute.

The solution turned out to be a simple5.1V zener diode to clamp the bias voltageto 5.1V. This sorted out the key clicks andthe radio was then able to generate a cleanCW signal that could even be decoded bysoftware, which was one of the designcriteria of the beacon.

The beacon is keyed by a simple ATtiny microprocessor.

Beacon inside its housing at the equipment cubicle at the foot of the tower


The beacon is keyed by a simple ATtiny microprocessor sending the following inMorse code: CQ CQ ZS0BET ZS0BET BEACON KG41DS, KG41DS being the gridlocator to identify the location of the beacon.

After extensive testing to ensure that everything kept running and that the radio didnot overheat running CW at 25W, it was decided to install the beacon at the Bethlehemsite. The beacon became operational on 7 December 2019 and has performedflawlessly to date.

Using a power splitter, the beacon RF output is connected to two 8 elementshorizontally polarised yagi antennas, one pointing north to Gauteng and one east toKwaZulu-Natal. Rickus de Lange, who was responsible for the onsite installation andwho is now the beacon custodian, explained that because of the way the yagis areinstalled, it would be a simple matter to change the pointing of the antennas to meetany future experiments.

Planning has started on the Northern Karoo beacon and there are two options onthe table: option one is a self-contained beacon with its own tower, remote controlsystem and solar panels, and option two is to find a suitable host which is prepared tomake space available on its mast and supply the housing and power for the equipment.“We would prefer option one, but currently we do not have the estimated R60 000required. We are continuing to look for a sponsor”, Jacobs said. To request moreinformation, send an email to [email protected].

A further requirement to make the Tropo research project more effective would be toinstall a number of receivers on remote sites around South Africa to record any signalsreceived; the data could then be transmitted to an amateur radio Telegram server thatwould distribute alerts to as many radio amateurs and persons interested in theresearch project as possible. n

Of the three atmospheric variables that influence refraction, watervapour has the greatest effect. The more moisture there is, the morerefraction there will be. Temperature on the other hand needs to below. In other words, the higher the temperature, the less refraction.Moisture and temperature are the two factors that affect refractionthe most. Pressure variations have a small influence on refraction.Normal refraction occurs under normal (standard) atmosphericconditions in which moisture, temperature and pressure all decreasewith altitude. Normal refractive conditions are found in areas withvery weak (or no) inversions, deep moisture, moderate to strongwinds and very unstable, well-mixed conditions. There are oftenshowers in the area, and distinct cloud elements (Cumulus orCumulonimbus, open convective cells, wave clouds, streaks orconvective cloud lines). Synoptic influences include a cyclonic

influence and post-frontal or unstable prevailing conditions. Sub-refraction occurs when the temperature and moisture

distribution create increased refractivity with height; the wave pathbends upward and the energy travels away from the surface.

In hot, dry areas (temperature > 30 degrees C, relativehumidity (RH < 40%), solar heating produces a homogenoussurface layer, sometimes hundreds of metres thick. Sub-refractiveareas are also formed by warm, moist air moving over a cooler,drier surface and near warm fronts because of warmertemperatures and an influx of moisture.

Ducting is an extension of super-refraction because themeteorological conditions for both are the same. The conditionsthat form a trapping layer are more intense than those that form asuper-refractive layer. n

THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN TEMPERATURE, PRESSURE AND HUMIDITY?

Installing the antenna

Tropospheric Propagationexplained

Tropospheric ducting occurs when a radiosignal is reflected off the troposphere andcontinues a path that allows the signal totravel beyond line of sight. This occurs whenthe temperature in the atmosphereexperiences a shift called an inversion. Whena temperature inversion occurs, radio wavesthat would normally continue into spacebeyond the Earth’s atmosphere are insteadreflected and continue to follow the curvatureof the planet. Radio waves have been able totravel in excess of 1,600 km because oftropospheric ducting.

The Earth’s troposphere is the lowest layerof the atmosphere. It extends from six to 60km above the surface. During normalconditions, this layer allows radio waves topass through into the upper atmosphere.During times of meteorological instability, theproperties of the troposphere can change.When cold air that is low to the ground has awarmer air mass pass over the top of it, itcauses a condition called a temperatureinversion. The cool air near the ground ismoving slower than the warm air. This meansradio waves that encounter a temperatureinversion will be carried faster over the coldmass, bending the path of the wave downwardand allowing it to curve with the surface.

Tropospheric ducting is most oftenexperienced during periods of relatively calmweather with clear skies. This is indicative ofhigh pressure fronts that can causetemperature inversions. The air masses have ahigh refractive index, causing the radio wavesto move more slowly and aiding in thebending of their trajectory. The actuallandscape between the source of the signaland the horizon also can affect the distance itcan travel, with flat land and water being themost effective. n

SCIENCE

A healthy societyrequires a healthy planet

Biodiversity and ecosystems in declineOne of the most important steps in this field has come from the United NationsIntergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services(IPBES), which is responsible for monitoring the health of the planet, and which lastyear issued its first Global Assessment Report on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services.The news was grim. A quarter of the planet’s species are threatened with extinction.Wetlands that purify and store water and provide habitats for thousands of species havebeen reduced by 87 percent. Coral reefs that provide aquatic habitats, food, naturalflood barriers, medicine and millions of tourism jobs have declined by 50 percent in themodern era. Mammals, birds, and other wildlife populations are down almost 60 percentin the last 40 years, and the number of species threatened with extinction continues torise rapidly. When an animal dies off, the ecosystem it called home begins tounravel and the implications can be catastrophic.

Take one example, the impact of insects on our health and economicprosperity. Insects are a group whose diversity and abundance has fallendramatically over the past few decades. Insects are the basis of the foodchain, consumed by birds, fish and small animals. Insect pollinators,including bees, are essential to the production of more than 75 percent ofthe world’s food crops. Without insects there is no food and without food,people can’t survive.

A principled approach to guide our workWhenever we take on a new and complex societal issue,we strive first to learn and then to define a principledapproach to guide our efforts. This has been fundamentalto our work around the protection of privacy, the ethicaldevelopment of artificial intelligence, our aggressivecarbon goals, and our approach to biodiversity andecosystems as well. Today we’re adopting fourprinciples to guide our work in helping achieveglobal biodiversity goals. These are:

Put data and digital technology to work. Wecan’t solve a problem that we don’t fullyunderstand. That’s why we will aggregateenvironmental data from around the world and putit to work through computing and machine learningin a new Planetary Computer.

Empower partners and customers around theworld. We will use the Planetary Computer to developand deploy the digital technology that helps our

partners and customers withenvironmental decision-making in theirorganisational activities.

Use our voice on ecosystem-relatedpublic policy issues. We will support andadvocate for public policy initiatives thatmeasure and manage ecosystems at thenational and global scale.

Take responsibility for our landfootprint. We will take responsibility forthe ecosystem impacts of our directoperations by protecting more land thanwe use by 2025.

Putting data and digitaltechnology to work: ThePlanetary ComputerWe do not know enough about species,biodiversity and ecosystems that arevital to our health and prosperity. Simplyunderstanding where the world’s forests,fields and waterways are remains adaunting task of environmentalaccounting. Understanding what speciescall those ecosystems home and whythey thrive or decline is largely unknown.We simply can’t solve a problem wedon’t fully understand.

The world’s first such assessmentwas launched by the United NationsIntergovernmental Platform onBiodiversity and Ecosystem Services, or

IPBES, in 2000, and took nearly fiveyears and more than 1,300 expertsfrom around the world to complete.IPBES’ more recent assessment,designed to close the gap betweensimple scientific insight and moreeffective policy implementation, was

1,700 pages, cited more than 15,000scientific sources, and wasn’t

published until 15 years afterthe first one. These are

years that we can’tafford as ourenvironmentalchallenges intensify.It is abundantlyclear that the worldneeds greater

access toenvironmental datain order to assess,

diagnose and treatthe natural systems

that society dependson. Therefore, datapowered by machinelearning will be agame changer.

Brad Smith - President Microsoft



SCIENCE

Assessing the planet’s health mustbecome a more sustained, integratedpractice that allows us to understandexactly what is happening in time toenable smart decision-making.Fortunately, there is massive potentialfor technology to revolutionise ourenvironmental assessment practices, sothey are faster, cheaper, and – for thefirst time – operate at a truly globalscale. It should be as easy for anyone inthe world to search the state of theplanet as it is to search the internet fordriving directions or dining options. Wemust use the architecture of theinformation age – data, compute,algorithms, application programminginterfaces and end-user applications –to accelerate a more environmentallysustainable future.

Two and a half years ago, we tookour first step in this direction bylaunching Microsoft’s AI for Earthprogram to put artificial intelligencetechnology into the hands of the world’sleading ecologists and conservationtechnologists, and organizations aroundthe world that are working to protect ourplanet. So far, we’ve worked to empowernearly 500 organisations in 81 countriesaround the world, working on game-changing environmental innovations.

Yet for all the great work of our AI forEarth community, we have also learnedthat they need more. They need muchgreater access to data, more intuitiveaccess to machine learning tools, and agreater ability to share their work andbuild on the work of others than ourprogram currently provides.

Our community needs a new kind ofcomputing platform – a PlanetaryComputer, a platform that would provideaccess to trillions of data points collectedby people and by machines in space, inthe sky, in and on the ground and in thewater. One that would allow users tosearch by geographic location instead ofkeyword. Where users could seamlesslygo from asking a question about whatenvironments are in their area ofinterest, to asking where a particularenvironment exists around the world. Aplatform that would allow users toprovide new kinds of answers to newkinds of questions by providing accessto state-of-the-art machine learning toolsand the ability to publish new results andpredictions as services available to theglobal community.

This Planetary Computer would provide insights into critical questions that scientists,conservation organisations and businesses already ask every day, often with no easyway to obtain a locally relevant answer, for example:

Understanding tree density, land use and size of forests has implications forbiodiversity conservation and climate change mitigation. Organisations often conductexpensive on-the-ground surveys or build customised solutions to understand localforests. The Planetary Computer will provide satellite imagery, state-of-the-art machinelearning tools and user-contributed data about forest boundaries, from which forestmanagers will have an integrated view of forest health.

Urban planners and farmers depend on forecasts of water availability and flood risksto make educated guesses about land management. The Planetary Computer willprovide satellite data, local measurements of streams and groundwater, and predictivealgorithms that will empower land planners and farmers to make data-driven decisionsabout water resources.

Wildlife conservation organisations depend on their own local surveys, global viewsof wildlife populations, and suitable habitats for wildlife. The Planetary Computer willcombine information about terrain types and ecosystems with the best available dataabout where species live, enabling a global community of wildlife biologists to benefitfrom each other’s data.

Combating climate change requires organisations to measure and manage naturalresources that sequester carbon, such as trees, grasslands and soil. The PlanetaryComputer will combine satellite imagery with AI to provide up-to-date information aboutecosystems, and provide a platform for leveraging predictive models to estimate globalcarbon stocks and inform decisions about land use that impact our ability to addressclimate change.

That’s why we are announcing, on 22 April 2020, the 50th anniversary ofEarthday, that we are entering the next phase of our AI for Earth program, dedicatedto building this Planetary Computer platform through dedicated investments ininfrastructure development. We will provide our AI for Earth community – more than500 grants in 81 countries – access to the world’s critical environmental datasets,and a computing platform on which to analyse those datasets. We will also furtherinvest in specific environmental solution areas such as species identification, landcover mapping and land use optimisation. We’re starting with a new AI for Earthcollaboration with the Group on Earth Observations Biodiversity ObservationNetwork. This $1 million AI for Earth grant will support projects that strengthen effortsto monitor Earth’s biodiversity and create useful measurements required for the study,reporting and management of biodiversity change that inform conservation decisionsacross the globe.

https://youtu.be/eOgIuw-JTUUThis Planetary Computer is incredibly complex and we cannot build it alone. We mustcontinue to learn from the work and demands of our grantees, while partnering with theorganisations best suited to advance global environmental goals. That is why we aredeepening our partnership with Esri, a company that is a market leader in geographicalinformation systems software with years of experience building environmentalmonitoring solutions.

We are deepening our partnership around the development of the machine learning-based geospatial solutions that are the foundation of the Planetary Computer. We arebuilding on work we started with the launch of AI for Earth: Jointly supporting keypartners such as the E.O. Wilson Biodiversity Foundation’s Half-Earth Project andNatureServe’s Map of Biodiversity Importance. We are making key geospatial datasetsavailable on Azure and accessible through Esri tools later this year. In addition, we willcontinue to partner to provide grants that ensure that conservation organisations haveaccess to the datasets, compute and other resources.

Our collective challengeThe clock is ticking on our ability to measure and manage the planet’s natural resources.We must work together to determine how we maximise the benefits that nature providesto people, while minimising the environmental harm of our activities. It won’t be easy, butit is possible if we put the pieces together. It is time to accelerate our work. n

The future of business lies in thecombined power of manand machine

AUTOMATION

In the current business landscape, a league of 21st century trail-blazing enterprisesare already successfully leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics to leapahead in innovation and growth, and ultimately to maximise profit. The book Human + Machine by Accenture leaders Paul Daugherty and Jim Wilson

for example, showcases how 1,500 enterprises are using AI to transform for thebetter, improving work processes, increasing productivity, driving innovation andengineering business models that are more fluid and adaptable, enabling them tochange spontaneously.

Whilst more and more businesses are indeed realising the business value of AI,most have only implemented it in certain areas of their business and our understandingof it remains limited. So, as our knowledge of AI matures in this post-digital world, weforesee that businesses will move beyond deploying AI in pockets, to integrating it withtheir very strategic and operational DNA, to unlock their full potential and gain acompetitive advantage.

The three burning questions on AI in business The three key themes for board-level discussions about AI should be: • the possibilities and limitations of AI • the role of data in AI and• the role of humans in AI.

What are the possibilities and limitations of AI?To date, the businesses who have typically derived optimal value from utilising AI, arethe businesses who are digital by design, including the likes of Amazon, Facebook andGoogle. For most other businesses though, the use of AI at an enterprise scale remainsan aspirational topic. AI and advanced analytics are increasingly recognised as keypillars in the digital strategy of organisations. The use of AI in pockets within theorganisation is important as far as demonstrating internal capability and gaining

incremental benefits is concerned; however to get ahead ofthe increasing disruption and competition of the

times we find ourselves in, businesses will haveto rapidly increase their knowledge of AI, and

make AI capability one of the keycornerstones on which their businesses

are built.

What is the role of data in AI? Data forms the very foundation of AIand machine learning systems.Businesses will thus have to use the

right technologies and techniques toensure they gather the right data, on the

right platform and in the right quantity. With

By Karthik Venkataraman, Head of AI, Data and Intelligent Automation forAccenture in Africa

Artificial intelligence (AI) isevolving, literally. Researchers have

created software that borrows conceptsfrom Darwinian evolution, including

“survival of the fittest,” to build AI programsthat improve generation after generation

without human input. The program replicateddecades of AI research in a matter of days,

and its designers think that one day, itcould discover new approaches to AI –

Edd Gent, sciencemag.org n

gathering data comes the hugeresponsibility of data governance andsecurity. Businesses must ensure theyhave up to date policies and processes inplace to govern how their data iscollected, used and shared across theentire organisation; they must becompletely transparent about the waythey collect, use and share their data, allwith a significant degree of automation tominimise human biases and errors.Finally, it is critical for businesses to neverlose sight of why they’re collecting thisdata in the first place, which is to improvebusiness outcomes.

The role of humans in AIHumans have a critical role to fulfil toensure that AI continues to achieve thebusiness’ strategic and operationalgoals and objectives. To this end:• Humans must train AI systems with

the right kind of data • Humans must be able to explain how

AI arrives at particular decisions• Humans must monitor whether AI

fulfils the purpose for which it wasdesigned, in a way that adds value.

Unleashing a business’ultimate potential Ultimately, people will always remain thegreatest asset of any business as theyare, after all, the ones who create thebusiness’ vision, and are able to see thatvision through, right through fromconceptualisation to execution. In thispost-digital era, businesses musttherefore continue to leverage AI for

Karthik Venkataraman



AUTOMATION

process data on equipment, materialsand processes, automate findings anddeliver actionable information to help thebusiness’ decision-makers to reducewaste and optimise their processes.

In banking, AI can predict futureoutcomes and trends by analysing pastinformation and behaviours to helpbanks swiftly detect fraud, anti-moneylaundering patterns and make informedcustomer recommendations.

These are just a few examples ofwhat can become possible when manand machine work in tandem.

Robots, machines for humans Top businesses worldwide are fastdebunking the myth that robots aredesigned to replace humans, by provingthat robots are indispensable forprotecting humans by fulfilling “dirty anddangerous” tasks. This ranges fromcollecting and packing radio-active waste

and lifting heavy objects, to working intoxic, contaminated environments. Butrobotics is no longer contained to thewarehouse or factory floor alone.Autonomous vehicles, delivery dronesand other robot-driven machines are fastentering the world around us, allowingbusinesses to extend this intelligenceback into the physical world. As 5G ispoised to accelerate this trend, everyenterprise must also begin to re-thinktheir business through the lens ofrobotics. Where will they find the mostvalue, and what partners do they needto unlock it? What challenges will theyface as they undergo this transformation,and what new responsibilities do theyhave towards their customers andsociety at large? n

executing all those mundane andrepetitive tasks to free up their people’stime. At the same time, business mustrethink how to best utilise that extra timeand consider reskilling or upskilling theirpeople to fulfil other, creative andintelligent tasks that hold higherbusiness value. However, to derive thefull benefit from their AI investments,businesses must expand their AIcapability beyond the mere automationof parts of their workflow. Instead, theymust make it a generative part of theprocess that proactively enablescollaboration between man and machineand that supports and drives tangiblebusiness results.

In the medical space for example, AIcan be used to rapidly process complexpatient data and provide a diagnosis andtreatment protocol, enabling doctors toassist more patients in a day.

In manufacturing, AI can quickly

In Human + Machine, Accenture leaders Paul Daugherty and Jim Wilson show that the essenceof the AI paradigm shift is the transformation of all business processes within an organisation—whether related to break-through innovation, everyday customer service, or personalproductivity habits. As humans and smart machines collaborate ever more closely, workprocesses become more fluid and adaptive, enabling companies to change themspontaneously or to completely reimagine them. AI is changing all the rules of howcompanies operate.

Based on the authors' experience and new research with 1,500 organisations, the bookreveals how companies are using the new rules of AI to leap ahead on innovation andprofitability, as well as what can be done to achieve similar results. It describes six entirelynew types of hybrid human + machine roles that every company must develop, and it includesa "leader's guide" with the five crucial principles required to become an AI-fuelled business.

Human + Machine provides the missing and much-needed management playbook forsuccess in our new age of AI. The book is available on Amazon. Proceeds are donated to non-profit organisations. n


Subscribe to our regular email newsletter:https://www.engineerit.co.za/home/subscribe/


AUTOMATION AND CONTROL

If you work in facilities or energymanagement for a food retailer, change issomething you handle every day. When

the way we live, work or shop changes, newfood retail technology is close behind.

Right now, all those things are changinglike never before. Megatrends such aselectrification, digital communications andthe fight against climate change are creatingboth opportunities and challenges for thefood sector, worldwide.

At Danfoss we see that first-handbecause we work with hundreds of foodretail chains in more than 60 counties. Wesee five big, overlapping changes that arecombining to shape today’s workload forsupermarkets’ teams, and five key waysto respond.

Pressure on operating marginsmakes cost savings essential The average profit margin for a large foodretailer currently stands at just 1.7%. Thisputs every operating cost under scrutiny —because it has a direct impact oncompetitiveness and profitability. What thismeans in practice: supermarket teams needcreative ways to save operating costs —including new technology and partnerships.They might also need to implement thetechnology for new revenue streams.

Increasing food safety andreducing food loss are moreimportant than ever According to the UN Food and AgricultureOrganisation (FAO), food wastageaccounts for 3,3 gigatons of greenhousegas emissions. Ten million tons of foodwaste is recorded in South Africa everyyear. Avoiding food loss has always beenessential to limit costs and it is now part ofsustainability too. What this means inpractice is that retailers will need to keeptheir focus on maintaining saferefrigeration temperatures - and avoidingequipment breakdowns that waste time,money and food.

Climate change regulation makesrefrigerant choice critical Initiatives like Europe’s F-gas regulationsand US Climate Alliance are having a directimpact on refrigerant availability and costworldwide. Choosing an alternative with lowglobal warming potential has growingadvantages. What this means in practice:choosing the right refrigerant bringsadvantages in cost, regulation, availability,environmental impact and sometimes tax.

Utilising waste heat as a resource More than half the world’s population now livesin cities, and the United Nations predicts that itwill climb to 68% by 2050. This means urbanneighborhoods will need new ways of meetingenergy challenges. This can put retailers at theheart of the energy revolution. What thismeans in practice: in some Nordic countries,retail stores divert around 30% of their excesscapacity into heating homes in the surroundingarea. This is a potential source of revenue.

Electrification is a challenge, but also an opportunity Bloomberg estimates 57% of all new cars worldwide will be electric poweredwithin the next 20 years, and many retailers are already providing chargingfacilities. But there are also significant opportunities to benefit from energyarbitrage. What this means in practice: as well as infrastructure, retailers needto find ways to prevent expensive short-term spikes in energy use as vehiclescharge. But those who can find flexibility in their energy demand may be able toproactively cut costs.

Overlapping challenges that demand a coordinated responseThese five trends influence each other. For example, the opportunity to reduceenergy tariffs by optimising electricity demand is all the more compelling because ofthe need to find cost savings wherever possible.

In the same way, the changing food retail energy landscape needs acoordinated approach. We’ve identified five technical strategies which, whencombined, will help supermarkets to stay ahead of — and in some cases benefit from— society’s emerging demands.

Use smart refrigeration case control to reduce operating costsIn order to optimise refrigeration efficiency, it’s important to match capacity todemand. Too much cooling, and you waste energy; too little, and you risk systemdamage and food loss. An adaptive case controller, like the Danfoss ADAP-KOOL® series, can balance refrigeration performance to the load. And ourAdaptive Superheat Control algorithm maintains the minimal stable super¬heat,so there’s always just enough cooling. The advanced controllers connect to theinternet and the compressor pack controller via a system manager. They’re alsoeasy to use, simplifying the complexity of a modern refrigeration system, so youcan focus on optimising efficiency.

Connect to the internet to eliminate food waste and cutservice costsConnecting your refrigeration system to the cloud is not just a trend. It offers aworld of possibilities to save money and improve food safety. Remote monitoringand management make it easy to check and triage system alarms, giving priorityto those with an immediate impact on costs or potential food loss. What’s more,

Managing operationalefficiency in food retailBy Alistair Bell, Danfoss, technical salesengineer, Danfoss South Africa


AUTOMATION AND CONTROL

it’s possible to fix some issuesremotely, cutting unnecessary calloutsby up to 30%.

There are also longer-term savings.Benchmarking performance data usingan online dashboard can help optimiseefficiency and save costs across a retailchain. Soon, it will be possible to use bigdata to predict exactly which equipmentis at risk of failure, before it happens.

Treat refrigerant selection as along-term decisionThe refrigerant you choose has asignificant impact on your costs — notjust at installation, but for the life of astore. For example, CO2 was once seenas an expensive option, best used incold ambient temperatures. But now it’sgrowing in popularity as new technologylike the Danfoss Multi Ejector Solutionmakes it a viable option for all climatesand store sizes.

The shifting legislation aroundrefrigerants means options with highglobal warming potential (hundreds oreven thousands of times higher thanCO2) can quickly become expensive,highly taxed, and difficult to obtain. In thiscontext, a natural, low-GWP alternativecould be a good long-term choice.

Integrate each store’s systemsto gain economies of scaleEvery cost saving is valuable, and yetmost retailers pay to run a heating andhot water system, while a separaterefrigeration system releases heat intothe atmosphere. Treating these facilitiesas an integrated solution can reduce astore’s carbon footprint, while reducinginstallation and operating costs. Whenintegrated, a store’s refrigeration systemcan usually supply all its heat too — eveneliminating the need for a boiler.

This integration was once difficult toachieve. However, the rising popularityof CO2 is making it more common. It canalso be a good idea to build airconditioning and ventilation into therefrigeration system — that way, you canget the additional cooling load almostfree of charge.

Reduce energy prices byoptimising demandAs supermarkets get better at energyefficiency, the fastest cost reductions areincreasingly found in managing demandpatterns. Reducing moments of the

highest load can help cut a store’s energy price for the rest of the year, as well asenabling infrastructure savings, such as using a smaller transformer.

In some cases, this flexibility can enable a retailer to receive incentives from theirenergy provider. Utilities companies are increasingly seeking help to match energyproduction to demand — discounting off-peak energy or seeking a temporary reduction inpower use to manage short-term “demand response” events.

There are several ways to achieve this — for example by using a battery bank,changing maintenance schedules, or storing the energy thermally. This could include pre-cooling freezers or using an ice-making unit to load up with excess renewable energy.

This isn’t the future. It’s happening right now.These five approaches can help retailers to cut costs, minimise environmental impactand find a competitive advantage, while safeguarding food safety. They’re best used incombination, for example, heat recovery is much easier with a CO2 system, and smartcase controllers maximise the benefit of monitoring online.

We call this joined-up approach Smart Store. Food retailers around the world arealready using it to improve efficiency, find new opportunities and meet the sector’scurrent challenges head on. n

Radar, the car’s virtual eye


MEASUREMENT AND INSTRUMENTATION

Faster, higher resolution radarsensors have enabled the nextgeneration of driver assistance

technologies through improvements invehicle safety and comfort. If globalinvestors know anything about wheremoney is to be made, the winners in theautomotive industry will be those whoembrace and master the three megatrendsdisrupting the market:• The proliferation of advanced driver

assistance system (ADAS) technologies,with the prospect that eventuallyautonomous vehicles (AVs) will belicensed for operation on public roads.

• Electrification.• Mobility-as-a-service, which is

challenging the traditional concept ofindividual car ownership.

The importance of these trends is reflectedin a comparison of the marketcapitalisations of Tesla, which makes fewerthan 400 000 vehicles a year, and Ford.Tesla bases its strategy on a series ofinnovations in battery-powered traction,autonomous driving, and robotaxicapabilities to support Tesla-brandedridesharing services.

Ford makes much of its money fromtraditional American pickup trucks thatfeature high powered internal combustionengines. Ford, with a 2017 productionvolume of more than six million units, had amarket capitalisation of just $37 billion in

by Donal McCarthy, Analog Devices automotive radar product line director

late 2019, while Tesla, tiny bycomparison, was worth $44 billion.

Adoption of mobility-as-a-servicehas been driven by business model andsoftware innovation pioneered by thelikes of Uber, and increasingelectrification depends on productioninnovations such as Tesla’s batterygigafactory. However, the focus ofinnovation in driver assistance is onhardware and software technology, acombination of sophisticated sensorsystems and artificial intelligence.

All assisted driving systems rely inpart on multiple forms of perceptiontechnology: in fully autonomousvehicles, optical technologies such asLIDAR (light detection and ranging) andvisual cameras will work alongsideelectromagnetic motion sensors(accelerometers, gyroscopes, andmagnetometers) and RF/microwavesystems (radar and satellite positioning).

It might seem surprising that radar, atechnology that first caught the public’sattention as long ago as the secondWorld War, should today be playing apart in the most exciting developmentsin automotive technology. In fact, many24 GHz radar sensors are mounted inthe bumpers of vehicles on the roadtoday— Analog Devices alone has, todate, supplied some 300 million units toautomotive manufacturers for use inapplications such as blind-spotdetection, automated lane changing andautonomous emergency braking (AEB).

Donal McCarthy

But demand for ever higher levels ofdriver assistance, supported by theevolution of functions such as AEB andadaptive cruise control (ACC) in newADAS implementations, is drivingsuppliers to develop new radar systemsthat offer higher precision, longer range,faster detection, and a more completepicture of the technology for two reasons:safety and comfort. Driver assistancesystems such as AEB and ACC savelives and prevent accidents. Cars thatfeature these systems are rewarded witha higher official NCAP safety score, amark that lifts the value and consumerappeal of new cars.

Both AEB and autonomous emergencysteering systems continue to evolve inscope and complexity to serve the growingmarket for vehicles in the Level 2 or Level 3(L2/L3) categories of driver assistancetechnology. New NCAP specifications, forexample, call for better detection ofpedestrians, vulnerable road users, inNCAP’s terminology. Developing AEBsystems will operate reliably in morecomplex events than they are typicallyspecified for by controlling the brakingfunction at higher vehicle speeds in bothurban and highway settings.

The market is also responding tosignals from car buyers who wanttechnology to reduce the effort involved indriving, particularly on the motorway.Premium cars such as the Mercedes-BenzS-Class already offer limited highwayautopilot capabilities, such as adaptivecontrol of distance to the car in front andactive steering assistance to keep the carin its lane. Automotive suppliers arecontinually implementing enhancements tothese features so that they can be used ina wider range of more complex situations.This intensifies the need for radar sensorsthat offer superior performance.

Super radar and imaging radar, the eyes of the vehicle.

RoboTaxis roaming cities soonTesla’s En Musk expects to launch the first robotaxis as part of broader vision for an autonomousride-sharing network in 2020. “I feel very confident predicting that there will be autonomousrobotaxis from Tesla in 2020, not in all jurisdictions because we won’t have regulatory approvaleverywhere” Musk said without detailing what regulations he was referring to. He added that heis confident the company will have regulatory approval somewhere next year.”

Tesla will enable owners to add their properly equipped vehicles to its own ride-sharing app,which will have a similar business model to Uber or Airbnb. Tesla will take 25 percent to 30percent of the revenue from those rides, Musk said. In places where there aren’t enough peopleto share their cars, Tesla would provide a dedicated fleet of robotaxis. n


The move toward higher L4 and L5autonomy, which isolates the driverentirely from direct control of thevehicle, will require the development ofsensing systems that have a 360° viewaround the car in real time. The controlsystems for these robotaxis will beincredibly complex and will needredundancy to eliminate the risk offalse detection events, combining theinputs from separate sensor types suchas radar, cameras and LIDAR sensors.

Visual cameras can be used toassist the recognition of objects suchas human beings, animals and roadsigns. LIDAR technology creates richpoint clouds, taking an instantaneousmeasurement of the vehicle’s distancefrom objects in the outside world andmeasuring the objects’ sizes toproduce a high resolution 3D map ofthe outside world.

But a radar sensor’s uniquecapabilities, which are continually beingextended, make it a crucialcomplement to these other sensortypes in L4 and L5 systems. In L2 andL3 use cases, radar is actually thedominant sensor type because it offersthe best combination of size, cost, andperformance attributes.

Crucially, radar performs 4Dsensing: with a single shot, it canmeasure the range, velocity, angle, andelevation of an object from which itsmillimeter wave pulse is reflected. Aradar sensor also operates inconditions such as rain, fog and snow,which impair or disable the operation ofLIDAR sensors and visual cameras.

Higher performance, greaterintegrationAutomotive radar systems underdevelopment will, in time, make today’sradar technology appear blunt andlimited in comparison. Today, a radarsensor mounted on the front bumperdoes an excellent job of measuring thedistance to a single vehicle in front, andits speed.

A full highway autopilot system,however, will need to be able to operatesafely on the Autobahn in Germany,where a motorbike, for example,smaller and so harder to detect than apassenger car, can approach on theoutside lane at speeds higher than 180km/h. To provide early and accuratedetection of such a hazard, an

autopilot’s radar system therefore needs to sense more precisely, faster, and at longer range.Developing these capabilities while staying within the automotive industry’s tight

constraints on size and cost calls for innovation in semiconductor technology, RF systemoperation, and signal processing, fields in which Analog Devices excels.

At Analog Devices, a new generation of radar components, including 76 GHz to 81 GHzmonolithic microwave IC (MMIC) transmitters and receivers, is based on a new Drive360® 28nm CMOS technology platform. Marking a departure from the industry’s conventional use ofSiGe semiconductor technology for radar, the Drive360 platform provides valuableadvantages including:• High output power and low return noise for detection of objects at a longer range• Low phase noise and high intermediate frequency (IF) bandwidth, giving ultra-high

precision for the detection of small objects such as motorbikes and infant pedestrians,which before would have been hard for a radar sensor to see

• High performance phase modulation, enabling the radar sensor to discriminate moreeffectively between multiple objects in a scene

• Ultrafast pulse transmission, giving a faster response to fast moving objects such as amotorbike advancing at 180 km/h.

The use of CMOS technology also supports a high level of integration of digital functions inradar devices, helping to reduce the cost and size of advanced radar systems. Core AnalogDevices intellectual property in functions, such as oversampled analog-to-digital convertersand ultralow noise digital PLL clocks, helps to increase the speed of operation, resolution andstability of next-generation 77 GHz radar sensors.

A combination of advanced semiconductor technology, analog expertise, and systemsoftware capability will enable radar technology to extend the capabilities of ADAS deployedin the next generation of vehicles. And Analog Devices will remain at the heart of thedevelopment of radar now and into the next decade. n

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Donal McCarthy holds a B.E.E. from University College Cork, an M.B.A. from Boston Collegeand a marketing degree from the Irish Management Institute in Dublin. Donal held various roles including designengineer at MACOM, field sales engineer and marketing roles at Hittite, as well as marketing manager and directorroles at Analog Devices. He can be reached at [email protected]. The South African contact for AnalogDevice is Conrad Coetzee, [email protected] n

The rise of conservation

Dr Duncan MacFadyen, Head ofResearch and Conservation atOppenheimer Generations


TECHNOLOGY

The rise of conservationtechnology in AfricaThe need to mitigate anthropogenic

impacts on species and naturalsystems has resulted in

conservation science developing as amajor multidisciplinary area of study.Aiding these efforts has been theimplementation of innovative technologysuch as Artificial Intelligence (AI), cloud,data analytics, virtual reality, greentechnology, and cutting-edgesurveillance and tracking equipment.

Novel and innovative conservationtechnology is enabling researchers andconservationists to make greater impactin understanding the ecology of speciesand the ecosystems in which they live,and ultimately finding more reliable waysto keep our planet safe.

The annual Oppenheimer ResearchConference (ORC), is a leadingacademic research conference thatoffers a diverse and multi-disciplinaryprogramme, currently in its 11th year,hosted by Oppenheimer Generations.The conference provides a platform thatbrings together researchers, scholarsand stakeholders across multiplespecialisation areas, within naturalsciences and conservation, to share and

present their experiences.New technology is regularly a topic

of exploration on this platform andhighlighted in numerous researchstudies presented. It brings new waysof collecting, collating andmanagement of data as well as theability to implement new learningsmore efficiently in order to manage thehealth of our planet’s ecosystems.

Last year at ORC 2019, a VirtualReality (VR) film premiered at theconference. The film gave an immersiveexperience, with a production that raisesawareness around the threat and impactof climate change and the knock-oneffect on ants and termites, which in turnimpacts the survival of the groundpangolin, an endangered species insouthern Africa.

By Dr Duncan MacFadyen, Head of Research and Conservation atOppenheimer Generations

The AR App enables a new way of engaging the publicwith wildlife conservation


Under the theme of ‘Advancingconservation consciousness,’ theintroduction of the AR app by Internet ofElephants was featured and the founder,Gautam Shah, served on a panelchallenging the conservation paradigm.The AR App enables a new way ofengaging the public with wildlifeconservation. It delivers an innovativeand engaging digital experience toenable a deeper understanding ofwildlife and build closer relationshipsbetween people and wildlife. Thisenables people across the world tointeract with species which they wouldnormally never encounter.

It helps users learn about differentspecies of wildlife. Users select animalsand place them in their real-worldenvironments. They can then follow themaround and play games based on eachanimal’s migration pattern. The app alsohas a reference guide for furtherbackground and information pertaining toeach animal. The aim is to educatepeople about endangered species in anengaging way.

Cloud and AI technologyenable scientists Cloud and AI technology is enablingscientists to process vast amounts of datawhich relates to living ecosystems andthe impact they have on the environment.For example, the planet’s humanpopulation increases by more than200,000 people every day, with globalconsumption and inequality on the rise.

Through data gathering and analysis,scientists and conservationists can studythe impact of this on finite naturalresources and the effect it has on otherliving organisms and the ecosystems theyinhabit. From these studies, they canpredict trends in areas of over-consumption leading to environmentaldegradation, biodiversity loss and climatechange. They can also use these insightsto provide guidance on how we can actmore responsibly to avoid or curb thedestruction of natural resources which willultimately lead to the ill-health of people,animals and destruction of the planet.

Furthermore, there are several waysin which technology can serve as a toolto curb destructive behaviour and aidthe conservation efforts of wildlife inAfrica. In the context of poaching, onemethod that technology has enabled todecrease or deter poachers, are fences

that are often equipped withtechnology that detectscell phone activity,sending an alarmsignal to a centralsecurity centre whenfences are breached.The use of drones foranti-poaching isbecoming a usefultool, especially whenequipped with artificialintelligence.

Green technologyAn eco-friendly technology known asclean tech, green tech and environmentaltech can help preserve the environmentthrough energy efficiency and thereduction of harmful waste. Green techinnovators use the latest environmentalscience and green chemistry to reducethe harmful impact of human activity onthe earth. Biomimicry, learning frominventions in nature, are becomingmainstream in building practice and inother spheres of society.

New innovations in the field of greentechnology have included highly efficientLED lights, which could be used to makecountless other gadgets moreenvironmentally friendly, as well aspromising growth in lesser knownrenewable energies such as algae oil.

The invention of satellite collars hasreduced the stress and interference whentracking animal movements andbehaviour. Modern collars can beremotely released without the need torecapture the research animal. Camera

traps have also become auseful tool in research

circles, enablingresearchers to gaininformation on animaldensities andmovements, withminimal interference.

Tech is notgoing to solve all our

problems, but it isoffering environmental

research ways to makebetter choices, which is further

supported by tools to aid in deterringdestructive behaviour through improvingour knowledge. Knowledge is key tounderstanding our impacts on oftenfragile systems.

Technologists (entrepreneurs,engineers, funders) have an importantrole to play in conservation efforts.Avoiding a mass extinction event is goingto be everybody’s business: government,policymakers, business leadership,conservationists and everyday citizens.But we’ll all be better off with an improvedtool set and that is where conservationtechnology plays an active role.

The 11th Oppenheimer ResearchConference 2020 which takes place laterthis year, will continue its efforts to providea platform that promotes these newresearch opportunities, enhance researchoutcomes, and guide meaningful action.Our mission is to support the nextgeneration of academics, researchersand conservation/environmental stewardswho are tirelessly working to create abetter planet for us all. n

OppenheimerGenerations represents

the global interests of theNicky and Jonathan Oppenheimer

family. We are a diverse communityof commercial ventures and not-for-

profit organisations. We firmlybelieve in investment, in business

and in people, as a catalystfor sustainable economic

growth. n

TECHNOLOGY

With virtual reality people across theworld can interact with species whichthey would normally never encounter


SPACE SCIENCES

The South African National Space Agency (SANSA) is planning a series ofinterventions to stimulate and make the national space sector sustainable. Overthe next decade the agency is planning to invest just over R1,5 billion into

developing profitable space services. These services will include the provision ofsatellite imagery to end users, providing global civil aviation with space weatherinformation, and supporting satellite missions over Africa.

Writing in the SANSA Space newsletter, CEO Dr Valanathan Munsami, saysultimately this strategy will help SANSA implement its mandate: “Using space sciencefor social and economic development in South Africa and Africa.”

“As money remains a scarce resource, SANSA is expected to achieve more withless” Munsami said. The agency is looking at a new business model and is planning tocreate platforms and programmes that will ensure the space agency’s long-termfinancial sustainability. “We are learning that we have to embrace a new way of doingthings, as we cannot solely rely on public sector funding”, Munsami said.

Over the past five years it has become quite clear that SANSA would have tostimulate the sector to generate more revenue through business opportunities inareas such as global navigation satellite services and satellite telecommunications,as per its mandate.

SANSA aims to ensure that the South African space sector is developed to match theoptimum growth experienced throughout the rest of the world.

For the next five years (2020-2025), SANSA plans to invest in human capitaldevelopment for the local space sector, broaden the suite of products and services thespace sector has to offer for socio-economic development, and renew its focus onregional space programmes on the African continent.

SANSA’s interventions willfocus on four major areas:

1SPACE OPERATIONSWithin the SANSA archives, theagency has satellite imagery that

goes back to 1972, starting withLandsat and others. The key issue isorganising all the satellite imagery sothat the end user can access the dataand information. To achieve this,SANSA is developing a data cube as aconvenient platform for users to accesspre-processed satellite imagery.Previously, presenting such informationrequired extensive processing powerand time.

“This is a new, powerful tool that weare currently building, and we arecollaborating with the South AfricanRadio Astronomy Observatory and theCentre for High PerformanceComputing, as these institutions areleading South Africa on big datascience,” Munsami said. “We are alsoexploring opportunities with AmazonWeb Services, as another example.”

The new data cube platform willfacilitate the broader industry todevelop products and services that anygovernment department could accessby simply logging in to extract theinformation they need, without theneed for extensive processing on theside of the user. This system is close tocompletion and will be installed in thecoming months.

2SPACE SCIENCESANSA has a very strongresearch and development

programme which the agency isplanning to make more relevant to theman in the street. In 2018, SANSAresponded to a request by theInternational Civil Aviation Organisationto start incorporating space weatherinformation as part of civil aviationflight plans. The activity of the Suncan have negative effects on thenavigation and communicationssystems of aircraft, and SANSA hasthe capacity to monitor such activity.

SANSA plans for SA toprofit from space

Over the years, the facility atHartebeesthoek has evolvedbut one can still find the 12-metre diameter parabolicantenna used to support theApollo 11 and other moonlandings. The antenna is stillgoing strong after 56 years,and with proper care andmaintenance, it will lastanother 56 years.


SPACE SCIENCES

SANSA has been designated to provideinformation for aircraft flying over theentire African continent in near real-time.To meet these requirements, SANSA willbe building a new space weathermonitoring centre in Hermanus that willbe operational 24/7. It is expected tocost R100 million and is expected to becompleted in the next two years.

3SPACE ENGINEERINGSANSA will be upgrading its satelliteassembly, integration and testing

facility in Grabouw, which will take twoyears to complete. “We are planning tolaunch three CubeSats, and have fundingto increase this number over the next fewyears”, Munsami said.

SANSA plans to establish a newsatellite development programme for anoptical satellite mission that would bedeveloped in collaboration with otherAfrican partners to form a constellation.This effort will draw on the lessonslearned while developing the ZACubesatellites that were launched in previousyears by the Cape Peninsula University ofTechnology with SANSA financial support.

4SPACE OBSERVATIONSpace Operations provides supportfor space launches by Europe and

the United States of America, andSANSA remains the only space agencythat provides these services over Africa.

SANSA supplies a significant numberof launch-support activities, such asissuing commands for separation of theupper stages, ejecting satellites intoorbit, switching on the satellites for theclient, and in-orbit testing of satellites.

SANSA is also exploring thepossibility of building a new groundstation for near-Earth and deep-spaceexploration in Matjiesfontein, in theWestern Cape. This new ground station,if successful, would support NASA’sefforts to return the next man and thefirst woman to the Moon, and its effortsto journey beyond to Mars.

“We are also in discussions with theDepartment of Telecommunications andPostal Services to develop SouthAfrica’s own telecommunication satellite.We are working with DTPS to develop ageostationary satellite strategy andpolicy for South Africa and are workingclosely with Sentech which has beenworking on the commercial aspects of atelecommunication satellite.

Revenue generation for a more sustainable SANSA“We have done a business case that proves that with every rand we spend, we canrecoup about R10 in benefits,” says Munsami. “This means if we spend an estimated R1billion in the next 10 years, the direct and indirect benefits would be around R10 billion.Our primary vision going forward is to position ourselves for the African SpaceProgramme to benefit all 55 countries on the continent”.

While SANSA’s previous strategy was largely South Africa-focused, Munsami saysthe next five years will be more Africa-focused. “This gives us growth opportunities forthe South African space sector.” n

At AfriCom 2017, Minister Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams, told journalists that her departmentwas considering a South African owned communications satellite. "At the core of ourvision for Africa is a connected continent where every village, every woman, every manand every child have access to education, entertainment and knowledge via broadbandconnectivity. A single terrestrial base station can cover a village, a single satellite has theability to cover not only one country, but a few countries," she said.

“SA's broadcasters and telecommunications operators currently lease transpondercapacity from international satellite operators for services such as satellite broadcastingand fixed satellite services. We have to have a South African-owned satellite”. n

SANSA Space Operation control room.

Typical landsat image of Barberton area.


OPINION

The once open, global internet has

outgrown its original purpose as a

communication and information-

sharing tool. It has become more

complex, fragile and a breeding ground

of intelligent cybercrimes. So far,

digitally-fuelled innovation has outpaced

the ability to introduce adequate

safeguards against cybercriminals.

Attackers need only a single lucky strike,

while defenders must be constantly

vigilant against any potential type of

intrusion. Unless business leaders take

effective action, there is a real risk that

this lack of safeguards could reduce the

growth of the entire digital economy,

hurting companies and the economy.

CEOs are aware of the problem, they

have handled many cyberthreats and

increased spending on cybersecurity, but

their efforts have not solved the larger

issue, trust.

When a person creates an online

account, makes a purchase from a

website or downloads an app, it’s more

than the exchange of data, goods or

services. It’s a transaction of trust.

Today, there is a real risk that trust in the

global digital economy is eroding.

The internet can’t keep up

The question is, how did today’s

problems of internet security originate?

The internet was initially developed to

enable high levels of data sharing, which

requires trust. As the internet evolved

from a military communications asset in

the Cold War to an open infrastructure,

security considerations focused on

preventing physical failures rather than

preventing cyberattacks, largely

because modern forms of cyberattack

did not exist at the time.

Statistics show that in 2007 there

were 1.2 billion internet users. Ten years

later, the recorded number was 4.2

billion (almost four times as many). It is

also estimated that the number of IoT-

connected devices will likely reach 25

billion by 2021, and by 2024, Long-Term

Evolution (LTE) networks (or 4G) will

cover an estimated 90% of the

population, with 5G networks covering

about 40%. Handling these connections,

however, requires more lines of code,

more data and more capacity. Without a more resilient

and trustworthy internet, a single breach can

have serious, cascading effects.

Although 68% of CEOs report that their

businesses’ dependence on the internet is

increasing, they acknowledge that their

confidence in internet security, already

low at 30%, will drop even lower if

nothing changes to improve it. In the

next five years, the confidence level in

the internet is forecast to drop to 25%,

while dependence on it is assumed to

remain at 100%. (See figure 1).

What can CEOs do?

Accenture recently conducted an analysis with 30 leading technologists, and additional

fieldwork with 1,700 C-level executives. Through this we uncovered three concrete

actions CEOs can take to begin the crucial work of securing the digital economy:

governance, business architecture and technology.

Securing the digital economy is more than fixing internet technology and network issues.

It is firstly an issue of improving governance. CEOs need to join forces with other top

executives, government leaders and regulators to develop principle-based standards and

policies to safeguard the internet. The next two actions require a focus on engineering and

technology solutions (below ground), while addressing the many challenges related to

business operations, strategy, politics and economics (above ground). To some CEOs,

above-ground decision-making opportunities may seem more accessible than below-ground

choices, but leadership is needed in both, even from CEOs outside the technology sector.

by Wandile McanyanaSecurity lead for Accenture in Africa

Figure 1: Dependence on the internet is growing while confidence in internet security islow and forecast to drop to 25 percent over the next five years

Reinventing the internetfor trust


OPINION

Some above ground actions include steering the business architecture –

business model and value chain – in a direction that makes the enterprise

secure. This can be, for instance, committing to giving data access only to

people who need it and who have the right credentials, and extending this

commitment to partners in the entire business ecosystem. Committing to sharing

information about cyberattacks helps prevent “trust incidents” and improves a

company’s ability to resist new attacks and boost data reliability. Above all, a

model of security by design embedded from the earliest stages of development

should be adopted and chief information security officers (CISOs) are key in

enabling this, especially if they influence decisions at board level. By making

decisions to update everything from devices to cables and networks, CEOs can

support the complexity and connectivity of today’s internet while also promoting

security. All CEOs can also influence and inspire technology infrastructure

investments below ground. Regularly upgrading systems helps to resolve

vulnerabilities in basic internet protocols. The edge computing universe

represents a revolutionary stage of the internet to analyse data in real time.

Through collaborative work with cross-industry coalitions, CEOs can develop

standards for edge devices, establish certification frameworks like international

mobile phone standards and incentivise the ongoing adoption and evolution of

security innovation. Quantum computing is another emerging option that allows

greater opportunity for fraud detection for financial services, supply chain and

purchasing, advertising scheduling and advertising revenue maximisation for the

media industry.

Keeping tabs on cybersecurity investments

For CEOs, one of the most glaring challenges of an insecure internet is the

economic cost. In the private sector, over the next five years, companies risk losing

an estimated US$5.2 trillion in value creation opportunities from the digital economy

– that is almost the size of the economies of France, Italy and Spain combined – to

cybersecurity attacks. (See figure 2). This translates to 2.8% in lost revenue growth

for the next five years for a large global company. High-tech industries face the

highest risk, with more than US$753 billion hanging in the balance.

CEOs are stepping up their spending on cybersecurity to protect their businesses,

but will spending more on cybersecurity lead to a secure digital economy? In our

survey, 59% of organisations say the internet is becoming increasingly unstable

from a cybersecurity point of view, and they are not sure how to react. While some

companies aren’t spending enough, others may be spending excessively in

response to their low tolerance for cybersecurity risk, and still more, others spend

in the wrong areas, including projects that do not deliver effective risk reduction.

According to 61% of CEOs,

increasing a company’s cybersecurity

budget may not be the answer, as they

believe that the security issues of the

digital economy are far too big for their

organisation to handle alone.

Paving the way for atrustworthy digital economy

Without trust, the future of our digital

economy and its nearly limitless

potential is in peril. Fragmentary

efforts to address cybersecurity issues

have fallen short. CEOs should

embrace new technologies that can

advance their businesses and

enhance digital safety. Meanwhile,

they should elevate their

understanding of how the same

technologies can introduce

unintended vulnerabilities.

The actions of CEOs driving above

ground and influencing below ground

matter. By joining forces with other

CEOs, public sector leaders and

regulators, they can develop much-

needed guidelines and oversight

mechanisms. By protecting their own

organisation and extending protection

through its value chain, they will

safeguard the business ecosystem. By

embracing and developing technologies

that can advance their businesses and

enhance digital safety, CEO engagement

can drive a trust turnaround for the

internet and secure the future of the

digital economy.

At Accenture, we fully embrace

participation in the 4IR and have been

actively innovating in the technology

space for many years prior to this.

Securing Digital Transformation is a core

theme and Accenture has become an

Intelligent Operations partner-of-choice

for organisations which wish to

seamlessly navigate through the ebbs

and tides of digital transformation in

order to navigate the waves of success

in this perpetual ocean of change.

Accenture has worked with clients

across the globe to plan and manage

cloud rollouts to be compliant with local

regulations, assessing, mitigating

operational risks and helping gain

regulatory approval. n

Figure 2: Value at Risk* by Industry - Direct and Indirect Attacks (Cumulative 2019 to2023, US$ Billion)


COMMENT AND OPINION

Start training the skillsof the future, now!

The world is in the throes of the

Fourth Industrial Revolution

(4IR), with drones, artificial

intelligence, virtual reality, 3D printing,

robotics and blockchain being used in

various ways by numerous industries.

Much has been written and said about

the impact of these technologies and

the changes they are leading,

particularly with regards to jobs.

Some experts have predicted that

as many as 47% of all jobs may be lost

due to automation in the future, while

other predictions are more cautious,

suggesting a figure of only 9%.

According to an Oxford University

study, more than 700 occupations are

at risk of being completely automated,

with professions such as lawyers,

paralegals, retail salespeople and taxi

drivers in the top 12.

These types of statistics and

predictions are not only leading to

unnecessary panic, they do not paint

the whole picture. Much like when

PCs were first introduced, leading to

changes in the skills companies

required, the jobs conversation

around 4IR should be about

upskilling and creating digital skills

rather than job losses.

South African companies, in many

sectors, are already experiencing

massive skills shortages, and this is

only going to get worse. Companies

should see the changes being wrought

by 4IR as an opportunity to re-skill and

upskill their staff now. Not only will this

prepare their workforce for the jobs

they will be doing in the future, it will

give them a competitive edge.

A great deal of lip service is being

paid to creating 4IR-ready skills at a

governmental level, but the reality is

that government will only be able to

be a powerful model for financing

infrastructure and skills development.

Internationally, there are companies

and governments that are building their

own success stories, so we don’t have

to reinvent the wheel, just partner with

them for best practice solutions.

While investing in science,

technology, engineering and

mathematics is critical, soft skills such

as creativity, collaboration and time

management cannot be ignored.

However, we are struggling with basic

education, so the key to developing

skills fit for the future remains in the

hands of business.

The world is moving toward a

knowledge-based society, and it would

be a missed opportunity if companies

don’t start investing in the skills they

are going to need.

Focus more on localeconomiesAs the economy and the currency take

a massive hit after the dual shock of

the Covid-19 lockdown and Moody’s

finally downgrading South Africa to junk

status, the need for local 4IR skills are

just going to skyrocket. Many South

African companies and our government

have chosen to implement offshore

technologies and use foreign 4IR skills

to the detriment of the local industry.

The demand to change this practice

and focus on the local economy will

become much more of an imperative

as the rand pushes closer to the R20

to the US dollar mark. The massive

devaluation of our local currency is

going to throw many 4IR projects into

disarray. Many expensive and complex

digital technology projects were

financed or budgeted at very different

currency levels and I believe that

companies and our government are

going to be forced to look inwards!

MIP is a provider of affordable

business/IT solutions to the financial

services industry in emerging markets

and the world’s only software company

delivering solutions across the financial

service verticals. MIP is also a leader in

developing mobile apps for the

financial services industry. Read more

about MIP's Digital Stack on the

Website: www.mip.co.za n

By Richard Firth, CEO MIP Holdings

achieve its goals through external

assistance or by engaging the private

sector. Government has committed to

training one million young people in

data science and related skills by 2030.

How is that achievable when only 30%

of matriculants sitting for maths exams

are passing?

Government’s recently released

review of results over the past 25 years

paints an even more dismal picture.

Though up from 18% in 1994, only

21.7% and 29.9% of learners passed

mathematics and science at 50% and

above respectively, in 2018. The

number of learners writing physical

science and mathematics has been

declining since 2016 from 192,618 to

172,319 and from 265,810 to 233 858

in 2018.

National and internationalpartnerships neededIf South Africa wants take advantage of

the opportunities presented by the 4IR,

this is going to have to change.

Government is going to have to

harness the potential of partnership at

both national and international levels to

change the status quo. At the national

level, public-private partnerships can


NEW PRODUCTS

80 GHz transmitters measurein challenging environments

Siemens has launched a new series of 80 GHz radartransmitters with a narrow beam for flexible installationsin existing vessel openings, or even non-intrusively for

plastic vessels. The transmitters’ 80 GHz signal delivers robust,reliable measurements even in challenging environments suchas those with vapours, condensation, turbulence, or solids.

The custom microchip technology delivers fast response.Its very high sensitivity allows it to detect even the weakestsignal. The series consists of three products: Sitrans LR100 forbasic measurement to 8 metres, Sitrans LR110 withcommunication and hazardous approvals options and range to15 metres, and Sitrans LR120 with communication, longestrange to 30 metres and optional submergence shield forflooding protection.

2-Wire loop powered with HART or optional Modbus RTUconnectivity consumes very low energy and the fast start up isideal for CSO (combined sewer overflow) applications. Zero-metre blanking distance allows measurement right up to thesensor, thereby avoiding costly overfilling and the two millimetreaccuracy enhances operational safety through precisemeasurement through the full range of applications.

The device is wrapped in an IP68 submersible housing,constructed of corrosion resistant PVDF. n

TAKE BUSINESS CALLS AT HOME

The global trend towards increased remote work has beenaccelerated and as South Africa is now in a lockdownsituation, companies across industry sectors are forced

to consider working from home as the only option to minimisethe negative financial impact of the lockdown.

“Unfortunately, many organisations are reliant ontelecommunication services that restrict employees to the office.This means these businesses are unable to redirect inboundcustomer calls to mobile devices thereby significantly impactingon service delivery,” says David Meintjes, CEO of Telviva.

A Cloud PBX solution is an attractive option. The TelvivaOne Web client or the Telviva Mobile smartphone appeffectively enables employees to work remotely while still beingconnected to the existing office PBX exchange.

The Telviva Cloud PBX option can be installed on top ofexisting environments (as an overlay), whereby all users can be

reached over the internet. The on-premise PBX simply handsover control to the cloud-based Telviva solution by means of acall forward. This forwarding can be applied to either all orselected extensions in the business. n

ABB Ability smart sensorenables preventativemaintenance to be scheduled

The ABB Ability smart sensor attaches to a mountedbearing and employs temperature and vibration sensorsto accurately track the health and performance

parameters of the asset at regular intervals and identifyproblems before they occur.

Bearings are a critical component of an overall system andare often an initial indicator of system issues that could result inunexpected breakdown. The smart sensor platform allows plantmaintenance personnel to get an indication of the bearing’s‘health’ more efficiently than would be possible through manualdata collection, which in turn helps to schedulenecessary maintenance, improve reliabilityand safety, and extend the lifeof equipment whilereducing costlyunplanned downtime.

The integratedNordic nRF52832SoC sends thecollecteddiagnostic datafrom the devicein the field tothe user’s Bluetooth4.0 (and later)smartphone and/or an ABBgateway via bluetooth LE connectivity.The raw condition data is then transmitted to a securecloud-based server, where it is analysed. The data is thenstored and displayed graphically within the proprietary ABBAbility portal on a tablet or PC for further analysis. n


NEW PRODUCTS

Bluetooth LE sensorhelps skiers improvetechnique

ALondon based consumerelectronics start-up has turned toLow Energy (Bluetooth LE)

System-on-Chip (SoC) to provide theprocessing power and wirelessconnectivity for its ‘Carv’ digital ski

instructing wearable. The wearable isdesigned for training, competing andchallenging friends on the ski fields.

Carv comprises two ultra-thinfootbeds with MEMS accelerometers,gyroscopes, magnetometers andcapacitive pressure sensors that fitunderneath the linings of any ski boots;they are connected to a slim ski trackerattached to the boot’s Velcro powerstrap. The built-in sensors track theskier’s motion and pressure distributionduring every turn throughout eachindividual ski run, providing acomprehensive data set across four keyskiing categories - balance, edging,rotation and pressure, based on 35different metrics. The nRF52832 SoC’s

powerful 64MHz, 32-bit Arm® Cortex®M4 processor with floating point unit(FPU) ably supports the application’scomplex Floating Point and Digital SignalProcessing (DSP) computations to offerreal time feedback from the sensors.

Using Nordic SoC-enabled lowlatency Bluetooth LE connectivity, thedevice wirelessly relays thecomprehensive metrics and analysis tothe iOS- and Android-compatible Carvapp on the user’s Bluetooth 4.0 (andlater) smartphone. The app provideseasy-to-understand graphical insightsand ‘Ski:IQ™’ performance scoresacross the four key skiing categories,along with ‘real time’ professional audiocoaching with actionable feedback n

Infrared windows for safe panel inspection

When you do your routine Infrared inspection of electrical switchgear panels doyou switch off, open the door and switch back on again? Do you wearprotective clothing and face guards? Do you have a second person watching

your moves? Do you think what you have been doing for years is a safe practice? R&CInstrumentation has some sound advice – fit an Infrared window.

Infra-red (IR) cameras require a direct-line-of-site to record an accurate image. The areato be measured must be under normal operating conditions to detect a hot spot, whichmeans that it must be live and have been so for 20 minutes prior to inspection. This putsthermographers at risk by having to open cabinets or doors to carry out effective imaging.The use of IR windows is the solution. Some electrical panel manufacturers are now pre-fitting their panels with windows in an attempt to make them more IR friendly.

An IR window sounds more complicated than it really is, and although there areseveral types of windows available on the market today, there is nothing stopping thethermographer from designing a window for use in any particular inspection they may wishto complete. An IR viewing window is basically an optic material that allows IR energy to

pass through. The ideal IR window is onethat would allow all the IR radiation topass through it with zero losses, butunfortunately with the materials availablepresently, this cannot be achieved. n

For more information visitwww.randci.co.za

FLIR Systems has launched a smart sensor and thermalimage streaming fixed camera solutions for monitoringequipment, production lines, critical infrastructure, and

screening for elevated skin temperatures.These highly configurable smart camera systems provide

accurate, non-contact temperature monitoring across a widerange of disciplines: manufacturing process control, productdevelopment, emissions monitoring, waste management,facilities maintenance, and environmental, health, and safety(EHS) improvements. The solution initially will be prioritised forthose responding to COVID-19. For all applications, the seriesoffers multi-image streaming, edge computing, and Wi-Ficonnectivity to help speed data flow and enable fasterdecisions, improving productivity and safety for professionals.

FLIR designed the A400/A700 cameras with twoconfigurations to better meet application-specific needs. Thethermal smart sensor configuration, recommended formeasuring elevated skin temperatures, incorporates advancedmeasurement tools and alarms with edge computing to enablefaster critical decisions. The image streaming configurationprovides multiple thermal streaming capabilities to help optimiseprocess control, n

For more information contact Reynhard Heymans at 060 519 5975 Email: [email protected]

SMART CAMERA TO MONITORSKIN TEMPERATURE

SRK Consulting (SA)SRK Consulting (SA), part of a global firm of consulting engineers and scientists tothe natural resource industries, has appointed a number of new directors, partnersand associate partners. Tracey Shepherd and Andrew van Zyl, both in SRK’sJohannesburg office, have been appointed as directors. Shepherd is a partner andfinancial director with 25 years in the accounting field and 13 years at SRK –specialising in auditing, finance and management. Van Zyl is a partner and principalconsultant at SRK, with a focus on strategy, business development and valuation.

APPOINTMENTS

Ukheshe Micro-paymentplatform Ukheshe, hasappointed MarkDankworth asexecutive director ofUkheshe Africa.

Des Mossop and Marius van Huyssteen have been appointed as SRK (SA)partners. Based in the Johannesburg office, Mossop is a principal engineeringgeologist with 24 years of experience in open pits, underground massivemining operations and rock slope engineering.

Van Huyssteen is a principal environmental scientist in SRK’s Durbanoffice. He has spent 16 years in mainly large-scale environmental and socialimpact assessments, environmental compliance projects and riskassessments, as well as sustainability, mine closure and rehabilitation studiesin various African countries.

Grant Macfarlane and Sasha De Villiers from theJohannesburg office, and Colin Wessels from thePietermaritzburg office have been appointed asassociate partners.

Macfarlane is a principal engineering geologistwith 33 years of experience in fields includingtailings storage facilities, national infrastructure,mining, earthworks and construction.

De Villiers is a financial manager and hasworked in accounting for over 21 years, seven ofthese with SRK, mainly in auditing, finance, management and administration.

Wessels is a principal engineering geologist. His 17 years in this field have been focused on a wide range of geotechnical projects infields including housing, mining plant infrastructure, tailings dams, earth dams and mineral sand deposits.

Hytec NamibiaAttie Hendrikse has been appointed as countrymanager of Hytec Namibia. Attie brings years ofexperience in the hydraulic industry and waspreviously branch manager in Walvis Bay. HytecNamibia is a member of the Bosch Rexroth SouthAfrica Group of Companies.

Danfoss Sydney Govender hasbeen appointed ascountry salesmanager for Danfoss.

Attie Hendrikse Mark Dankworth

Tracey Shepherd Andrew van Zyl

Des Mossop Marius van Huyssteen

Grant Macfarlane Sasha De Villiers Colin Wessels

Sydney Govender

malicious usb devices, past, present and future · malicious usb devices, past, present and future....

Documents