The University of the Western Cape (UWC) in South Africa will introduce Maptek's Vulcan to more than 500 students in its Department of Earth Sciences. The Geology and Environmental Sciences group is at the forefront of visual and interactive teaching methods, and established a Highly Immersive Visualization Environment (HIVE) in 2010.

The acquisition of Vulcan in July 2012 continues their tradition of applying 3D visualization of geological and mining datasets to enhance data interpretation. This initiative, the largest single installation of Vulcan in Africa, aims to better equip a future generation of geoscientists.

The UWC vision includes making Vulcan available across all areas of research and to enhance the scope of postgraduate ventures, especially in economic geology.

The use of Vulcan will help broaden the scope of research within the Earth Science Department to include more sophisticated economic, mining and exploration modeling methods.

The department also plans to incorporate Vulcan into a second-year course as an introduction to geological modeling techniques.

“Vulcan will enhance the research capabilities and skills development of students. Maptek and UWC will leave behind a lasting legacy through technological innovation,” says Paul Ehlers, technical services manager, Africa.