Mr Phila Sibandze

Mr. Phila Sibandze
Lecturer at University of Fort Hare

Phila Sibandze is a Lecturer at the University of Fort Hare. He holds a BSc (Hons) in Applied GIS and Remote Sensing from the University of Fort Hare and an MSc degree from the University of KwaZulu-Natal, focusing on the spectral differentiation of cannabis when intercropped with maize. Mr Sibandze began his career as a GIS & Remote Sensing technician at Umvoto Africa.

He then joined the Agricultural Research Council Institute of Soil Climate and Water (ARC-ISCW) as a researcher specializing in crop monitoring and cannabis detection using satellite technology. While at ARC-ISCW, he was awarded the CV Raman Scholarship for African Researchers from the Indian Space Agency (ISRO). Mr Sibandze also worked as a remote sensing scientist at the South African National Space Agency (SANSA), focusing on disaster management (flood mapping and monitoring).

He served as the Chair of the Working Group on Capacity Building and Data Democracy hosted by the Committee on Earth Observation Satellites (CEOS) where he coordinated various Synthetic Aperture RADAR (SAR) training programs across Africa.

Mr Sibandze's developed the first-ever Remote Sensing Atlas of South Africa, which showcased the application of remote sensing in different disciplines in South Africa (http://atlas.sansa.org.za/index.html).