Must be sited in Australia
any super-scientific project that includes meercat (or meerKAT) is doomed.
The board deciding on the location for the Square Kilometer Array has once again delayed choosing between Australia and South Africa as the host nation. Whether because the two proposed sites are so close as to present a nearly-impossible decision, or whether the political lobbying surrounding the SKA bids is has evenly …
If the 2 sites could be remotely synchronised to point at the same piece of sky, would a smaller array at each site work better than a large one at a single site? Or could they do the project on just one site for the moment and then augment it by installing a similair array at the other site?
Of course, more is always better but there are budgeting issues I guess
as it usually does with projects of this scale.
Splitting the SKA across both sites only makes sense from the political angle. The SKA's own Science and Engineering Committee concluded that a split site would reduce the scientific capability of the SKA. From the technical point of view building two major facilities on two continents instead of one (really) major one on one continent is obviously going to present more logistical challenges, which will either increase the costs (by hundreds of millions of dollars in extra infrastructure alone) or force a descope.
Your question has already been answered. Not only does the South African bid offer development potential, it is also the scientifically superior site.
The SKA Site Advisory Committee recommended the South African site in preference to the Australian bid in March this year.
However, the decision of the Scientific panel has now to be ratified by the member states. What is now at issue is the political dimension of the decision.
http://www.nature.com/news/south-africa-wins-science-panel-s-backing-to-host-ska-telescope-1.10205
No body really actually knows what the Site Advisory Committee said, it's not public. All we have is rumour and speculation - most of which points to the decision being "meh".
I was going on the information in the article to hand. My point was that I have no beef if the SKA is seen as a social development project, but let's be clear and up front about it.