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Optimising Benefits from SKA – Innovation with the Innovation Hub
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| Start Date: |
Feb 08, 2012 |
| End Date: |
Feb 08, 2012 |
| Venue: |
The Innovation Hub Conference Venue |
| Description: |
The Square Kilometer Array telescope project is a global mega-science endeavour to be build between 2016 and 2022, with significant future expansion envisaged thereafter. It will consist of 1million square meters of effective collecting area, made up of a mid-range dish array with wide field of view/multi-pixel feeds plus a low frequency array (dipoles and/or phased aperture arrays) and possibly a high frequency array (small dishes). Signals received by the antennas will be transferred to a central signal processing system and high performance computing centre by optical fibre links carrying up to 420Gbits/sec per dish and 16Tbits/sec for aperture arrays. The special purpose central processing system will process as much as 1petabyte of astronomical data every 20 seconds, so that exascale computing and Exabyte data storage will be required. The SKA will be 50 times more sensitive than and have 10,000 times the survey speed of today’s best instruments. It will do transformational science. The capital budget for the instrument is 1.5billion, with an associated infrastructure cost of approximately 500million. Operating costs are estimated at 3million per annum.
South Africa is building the MeerKAT telescope – a precursor to the SKA – in the Northern Cape on the proposed SKA core site. Construction of infrastructure starts in 2012 and the telescope system will be manufactured and built between 2012 and 2016. MeerKAT will be the most powerful telescope in the Southern Hemisphere until the SKA is built and one of the two most powerful mid-frequency telescopes in the world. The innovative antenna system for MeerKAT will have offset Gregorian optics and will be contracted during the early part of 2012. This contract will provide significant high-technology opportunities to the Gauteng manufacturing industry:
MeerKAT capital budget approximately ZAR1.5 billio;
MeerKAT antenna design is a candidate for the SKA mid-frequency array;
MeerKAT antenna will prove the innovative offset Gregorian optics;
20-25 tonnes of steel, composites and/or aluminium per antenna;
SKASA and MeerKAT team has build a strong track record of successful delivery and innovation;
Team recognised globally as excellent systems integrators with a strong focus on intelligent systems engineering.
What are the opportunities for Gauteng manufacturers in the MeerKAT and SKA project?
How do we optimise South African involvement and benefits in MeerKAT and SKA (irrespective of who wins the site bid)?
Who do manufacturing companies have to partner with in order to win contracts?
In support of one of its objectives to foster entrepreneurship and generate knowledge-based companies and jobs, the Innovation Hub invites you to an expert discussion “Optimising benefits from SKA” an evening moderated by Mr Jack Koolen, an independent advisor and Adjunct Faculty at the Gordon Institute of Business Studies (University of Pretoria).
The expert panel includes:
Dr Bernie Fanaroff – Project Director for the SKA
MAJ GEN (ret) Johan Jooste – Director International Business Development at BAE Systems
Mr Johan Tucker – Managing Director and CEO of Stratosat Datacom
Dr Happy Sithole – Director of the Center for High Performance Computing at CSIR
Mr Paolo Trinchero – Group Business Development and Technical Director at Macsteel Service Centres South Africa
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| Website: |
http://www.theinnovationhub.com/confvenue.cfm |
| Created By: |
CPSI
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| Organizers: |
The Innovation Hub |
| Participation Requirements: |
Open |
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Optimising Benefits from SKA – Innovation with the Innovation Hub The Square Kilometer Array telescope project is a global mega-science endeavour to be build between 2016 and 2022 with significant future expansion envisaged thereafter It will consist of 1million square meters of effective collecting area made up of a mid-range dish array with wide field of view/multi-pixel feeds plus a low frequency array dipoles and/or phased aperture arrays and possibly a high frequency array small dishes Signals received by the antennas will be transferred to a central signal processing system and high performance computing centre by optical fibre links carrying up to 420Gbits/sec per dish and 16Tbits/sec for aperture arrays The special purpose central processing system will process as much as 1petabyte of astronomical data every 20 seconds so that exascale computing and Exabyte data storage will be required The SKA will be 50 times more sensitive than and have 10,000 times the survey speed of today’s best instruments It will do transformational science Th
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