Latest News Archive

Please select Category, Year, and then Month to display items

UFS experts analyse social media data in study to combat COVID-19

07 April 2021 | Story Rulanzen Martin | Photo istock

Social media analytics — Social media discussions have provided a lens on how people are dealing with and talking about COVID-19. This has given risk communication new insights into online audiences.

The lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on society presented the experts at the University of the Free State (UFS) with an opportunity – to conduct a scientific study by analysing our social media data in order to assist government health communicators to reflect on their communication strategies and, in turn, gain new perspectives from the general social media user (public).

The study – led by Herkulaas Combrink, a data and medical scientist in the UFS initiative for Digital Futures, and Prof. Katinka de Wet, medical sociologist in both the UFS initiative for Digital Futures and the Department of Sociology at the UFS – uses “real-time snapshots of online interactions as a means to augment more traditional methods of conducting research on a given topic; in this case, responses to COVID-19”, said Combrink.

The findings and ongoing work of the research project were presented to the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Communications. “During this meeting, critical engagement took place around risk communication and areas where we can strengthen this research,” said Combrink. Several international influential risk communicators on the African continent were present.

Digital science at the forefront

The opportunity to pursue this study was the result of Herkulaas Combrink’s secondment to the Free State Department of Health (FSDOH), where he identified the need to develop additional analytics for the already existing processes in risk communication in order to assist various communication strategies linked to developments regarding COVID-19 infections.

Combrink also said “because the analysis of social media data does not normally form part of the traditional toolbox of investigation for this type of work, this novel application serves as an addition to the already existing communication analytics”. This research project will strengthen the level of cooperation between the UFS, other institutions, and the FSDOH to “synergistically strengthen communication strategies in relation to COVID-19”.

By looking at how new knowledge around COVID-19 is developing the method (of analysing social media data), is to stay abreast of trending and burning issues on open-source social media platforms. “It is important to conduct this work using well-defined scientific methodology to extract, explore, analyse, and report on the data,” Combrink says.

Given the rapidity with which new knowledge around COVID-19 is developing all over the globe, this method lends itself to staying abreast of emergent and burning issues that are trending on open-source social media sites.

Variety of stakeholders needed

The magnitude of the research study required the involvement of stakeholders from different institutions. “A variety of stakeholders from different institutions are needed not only to contextualise the data, but also to provide social and technical input to solve the problem,” Combrink said.

Experts included in the project are Dr Vukosi Marivate from the Department of Computer Science at the University of Pretoria, Dr Ming-Han Mothloung from the Department of Community Health at the UFS and the FSDOH, and Dr Samuel Mokoena, Priscilla Monyobo, Mondli Mvambi, and Elke de Witt from the FSDOH. “Without this core team, the work would not have been contextually relevant,” Combrink said.

Dr Katinka de Wet, (right) medical sociologist who specialises in medicine and how it affects a society. Photo: Rulanzen Martin

Herkulaas Combrink is a data scientist who is assisting the FSDOH with strategic modelling, ICT, and clinical surveillance support. Photo: Anja Aucamp

News Archive

New challenges for animal science discussed

2006-04-04

Some of the guests attending the congress were from the left Dr Heinz Meissner (honorary president of the South African Society for Animal Science (SASAS) and senior manager at the Animal Production Institute of the Agricultural Research Council), Mr Paul Bevan (President of SASAS) and Prof Magda Fourie (Vice-Rector: Academic Planning at the UFS).
Photo: Lacea Loader

New challenges for animal science discussed

The South African Society for Animal Science (SASAS) is presenting its 41st Congress at the University of the Free State’s (UFS) Main Campus in Bloemfontein.

The congress started yesterday and will run until Thursday 6 April 2006. The theme is New challenges for the animal science industries.

It is one of the largest congresses in the 45 years since SASAS was founded in 1961. Among the delegates 12 African countries are represented, with the biggest delegation from Kenya. Delegates are also from the United States of America, Iran, Turkey, Germany, the Netherlands and Portugal and African countries like Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Botswana.

“Many of our members play an important role in the training of animal scientists at universities. The congress is specifically industry orientated so that scientists can interact with farmers through the respective producer organisations,” said Prof HO de Waal, Chairperson of the organising committee and lecturer at the UFS Department of Animal, Wildlife and Grassland Sciences.

According to Dr Heinz Meissner, honorary president of SASAS and a senior manager at the Animal Production Institute of the Agricultural Research Council, the National Livestock Strategy (NLS) Plan clarifies the role and responsibility of the livestock sector.

“Through this strategy we need to focus on enhancing equitable access and participation in livestock agriculture, improve global competitiveness and profitability of the livestock sector and ensure that the ventures implemented do not over utilise our resources,” said Dr Meissner.

In her welcoming address, Prof Magda Fourie, Vice-Rector: Academic Planning at the UFS highlighted the related challenges that the UFS will be focusing on specifically over the next five years. “We have identified five strategic clusters that represent broad areas of excellence in research and post-graduate education. Two of these are food production, quality and safety for Africa and sustainable development,” she said.

“The food safety and security cluster will focus on the production of food in all its varieties within the African context, encompassing the entire value chain – from production to consumption and nutrition related issues. This would include a strong emphasis on sustainable production systems,” she said.

According to Prof Fourie the rural development cluster will engage in questions around the role of higher education in sustainable development. “One of the focus areas in this strategic cluster pertains to sustainable livelihoods. It refers to a way of approaching development that incorporates all aspects of human livelihoods and means by which people obtain them,” she said.

Prof Fourie said that the challenges we are facing such as food production can only be effectively addressed through collaborative efforts. “That is why it is important that collaboration takes place between different scientific disciplines, researchers, institutions and countries who are confronted with similar difficulties,” she said.

According to Prof de Waal the congress will give key role players a unique opportunity to present a profile of what they perceive an animal scientist should be and state their specific requirement regarding the animal sciences and its applications.

“In this way we can determine what the industry’s needs are and we can re-align our curriculum to suit these needs,” said Prof de Waal.

During the next two days, various areas of interest will be discussed. This includes ruminant and monogastric nutrition, animal physiology, beef, dairy, sheep and ostrich breeding and sustainable farming covering the range from commercial to the small-scale farming level.

Media release
Issued by: Lacea Loader
Media Representative
Tel: (051) 401-2584
Cell: 083 645 2454
E-mail: loaderl.stg@mail.uovs.ac.za
4 April 2006

Back

Economic and Management Sciences

Education

Health Sciences

The Humanities

Law

Natural and Agricultural Sciences

Theology and Religion

Open Distance Learning

Business School

We use cookies to make interactions with our websites and services easy and meaningful. To better understand how they are used, read more about the UFS cookie policy. By continuing to use this site you are giving us your consent to do this.

Accept