Dr Eric Cloete

Introduction

Welcome to my pages here at the University of Cape Town.

Contact Information

General Information

Department of Information Systems : UCT

Dr. Eric Cloete

I am a born Capetonian, with a firm belief that we can take the distance out of our education with the proper use of technology. Some of my hobbies are computing, music, painting and swimming the order is not important, it depends the time of day, and most of all: if I have time available..

Educational Background

My career, so far, will take you on an interesting tour:

I received a B.Sc degree in Mathematics and Applied Mathematics from Stellenbosch University in the seventies. That was immediately followed by a honours degree in Applied Mathematics at the same university and two years later with an educational diploma at RAU. During the time I was with Natal Technikon, I completed a masters degree in Computer Science and while I lectured at Cape Technikon, a doctorate in Information Technology.

Teaching Background

My teaching career started soon after I finished my studies at Stellenbosch university. I was one of the team who started the Kempton Park Technical College. In the initial years of my career I mainly taught engineering and mathematical subjects. This was also the case at Natal Technikon, where I enjoyed the privilege to study Mechanics of Machines in depth, and eventually became the subject head.

Then came the first affordable desktop PCs. I immediately acquired one for home use and it was not long before all sorts of applications for our laboratories and office were turned out. These hands-on experiences were of particular importance, especially in the days when getting time on a mainframe computer was quite an issue!

My little Apple lead to bigger things and eventually we had a team at Natal University that built a dual parallel processor by connecting two HP minis with a high speed communication cable. Was this the first true asynchronous parallel computer system in South Africa? Some part-time lecturing at Natal University was followed by a number of years at the University of Western-Cape, where I lectured final year and honours computer science students.

My practical teaching approach eventually took me to the Technikons again: firstly Cape Technikon, where I did research for a D.Tech degree, and later Technikon SA, where I was for the first time involved with distance education.

Currently I am lecturing at the University of Cape Town at the Department of Information Systems, mainly in Electronic Commerce at different levels. I am also a mentor for Systems Development Projects, and a co-lecturer for 1st year and 2nd yr IS subjects.

The parallel programming project in the eighties was maybe the most interesting research project I was involved in. It was exciting to observe the global race for faster computing speeds and study all the latest technologies. I was also funded by the CSIR in 1984 to deliver a paper in Germany on various parallel algorithms for fast matrix computation. I also spent several months in Europe to study at various institutions, such as the Free University of Berlin and Philips in Holland.

In the nineties I was challenged in a high tech environment to find and improve means of clearing satellite data streams of unwanted noise. This involved two main criteria, namely: do not change original data unnecessarily (avoid smearing) and do the job as fast as possible! The one-dimensional problem (eg sound) was very well researched and documented, but the two-dimensional problem (images) opened various options for improvement and research.

Under the supervision of dr. Carl Rohwer of Stellenbosch University, I researched non-linear smoothers for two-dimensional application, based on his previous work on one-dimensional selectors. This work is summarised in a working document, Non-linear Smoothers for Digital Image Processing, as presented at a workshop at FU Berlin.

 How did we fit this all in?

Sharing resources and time between an academic career and trying to keep up with industry, particularly the computer industry, is not always easy. In the eighties I was director of two private computer training institutions and for some years had my own small glassworks factory. I have also been involved with hands-on application of computer technology, as well as the management of several large (national) projects.

Currently I am involved in contract work for private institutions, mainly in the field of management of computer training courses.

My research portfolio at UCT is mostly in the field of Electronic Commerce, mentoring Honours students, Master's students and supervising two doctoral students. A list of my publications are available at:http://www.commerce.uct.ac.za/InformationSystems/Research%26Publications/

Membership of Organisations, Research Groups

Saicsit, Sacla, Sanum,Naiso,Bitworld, Prasa, ICAI