Electricity and Control October 2020

MEASUREMENT + INSTRUMENTATION : PRODUCTS + SERVICES

Scientific Imaging Association of South Africa

on scientific imaging, and those using any form of sci- entific imaging as a tool to acquire data for their work, are invited to join the association. SIASA will provide a specialised function, focused on the tools used in inves- tigative studies, complementary to the capabilities pro- vided by other local organisations in this field. Where other organisations typically focus on outcomes and re- sults in the field of study, SIASA’s focus is more on the ‘materials and methods’ aspects, emphasising skills de- velopment in optimal experimental design, techniques, setup, execution and equipment use. Interested parties are encouraged to register their details in an expres- sion of interest via email, or via the website. This is not a binding commitment – there are no registration or annual fees, and no obligations placed on parties expressing interest. The registration is simply to record details for future correspondence, gather data on fields of interest, and determine the interest in the association. Imaging disciplines Scientific Imaging, as supported by SIASA, can be de- scribed as the process of obtaining images within a scientific discipline for the purpose of data analysis by making use of, for example, photonic, acoustic, electron or computational energy using scientific instruments and techniques. The evolving scientific imaging field encom- passes the disciplines outlined below, among others.

In recent years, the rate of technological development and associated advance of equipment have increased rapidly in all scientific fields, including scientific imag- ing. The technology and equipment used in scientific imaging have become increasingly technical and com- plicated, and at the same time more accessible to sci- entists, engineers and general users. These two factors raise the difficulty in keeping abreast of developments in one’s own area of expertise and in maintaining a func- tional understanding and awareness of related areas of technology. This led to the formation of the Scientific Imaging Association of South Africa (SIASA). Initially focusing on high-speed imaging, SIASA’s scope was soon broadened to include more scientific imaging disciplines after the potential benefits of such an organisation became evident. The main purpose of SIASA is to foster the development of the community within the South African scientific imaging field – which covers various disciplines. The objectives of SIASA are directed towards providing a networking platform for multidisciplinary practitioners to facilitate resource- and knowledge-sharing as well as professional development by way of partnerships, group meetings and regular seminars. The aim is to create a community where highly technical skills, techniques and hard won ‘tips’ and ‘tricks’ are shared and disseminated. A better appreciation and understanding of complementary and associated imaging disciplines and techniques can be developed and the growth of young engineers and scientists using this technology will be stimulated. All individuals, work groups and institutions focusing

For more information contact SIASA. Email:Webmaster@siasa.org.za Visit: https://siasa.org.za

High-speed imaging

Ultraviolet

Schlieren

Motion analysis

Synthetic Aperture Radar

Differential Interference Contrast (DIC)

Digital Volume Correlation Radiography

3D Scanning

Digital Image Correlation Thermal/Infrared (IR)

Astronomical

Acoustic

Geospatial Information System (GIS)

Computed Tomography (CT)

Polarimetric

X-ray

Machine Vision

Multi/ Hyperspectral

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)

Electron microscopy (EM)

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22 Electricity + Control OCTOBER 2020