ISRO launches free online courses on Geocomputation and GIS

Here’s some welcome news — the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is offering free online courses on Geocomputation and Geographical Information System (GIS) as part of its outreach programme to students and professionals.

According to its website, the Indian Institute of Remote Sensing (IIRS), which is a unit under ISRO, Department of Space, Government of India, is a premier training and educational institute set-up for developing trained professionals in the field of Remote Sensing, Geoinformatics and GNSS Technology for Natural Resources, Environmental and Disaster Management. 

Geocomputation can be described as “a set of computational methods that has been customised to address the special characteristics of spatial data”.

One research paper notes the following, “Geocomputation is an emerging field of research that advocates the use of computationally intensive techniques such as neural networks, heuristic search, and cellular automata for spatial data analysis.”

Meanwhile, geographic information system company Esri describes GIS as “a framework for gathering, managing, and analysing data. Rooted in the science of geography, GIS integrates many types of data. It analyses spatial location and organises layers of information into visualisations using maps and 3D scenes.” ​

Both courses can be a useful area for those with computing science, engineering or related degrees to upskill in.

IIRS notes that the live and interactive sessions will be conducted by experts from IISR-ISRO and other knowledge Institutions. IIRS has successfully conducted 63 such courses so far with participation of over 167,000 participants from 1,900 academic institutions, government departments, and industry.

The courses can be taken by undergraduate and postgraduate students studying in any year, technical or scientific staff of central or state government, and faculty and researchers working at universities or institutions, as well as individuals from NGOs.

The following online courses are currently being offered:

Basics of Geocomputation and Geoweb Services 

Date: 19 October 2020 to 29 October 2020

This course will introduce learners to an introduction of Geocomputation and Geoweb Services.

Remote Sensing and GIS Applications 

Date: 2 November  2020 to 20 November 2020

Learn applications of RS and GIS in Agriculture and Soil, Forestry and Ecology, Geoscience and Geo-hazards, Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, Urban and Regional Studies, and Water Resources.

What will you need to study?

ISRO notes that students will not require any specific hardware or software, but good internet connectivity is recommended.

Learners will be given access to study materials including lecture slides, video recorded lectures, open source software and handouts of demonstrations through their e-class platform.

Learners will receive a certificate from ISRO based 70% attendance and 40% marks in the online examination.

How to participate in ISRO’s free online courses

To participate in the programme, interested organisations, universities, departments, or institutes must identify a coordinator at their end. The identified coordinator will register online his/her Institute as nodal center in IIRS website.

The IIRS said all participants must register online through the registration page by selecting their organisation as nodal center; the Coordinator is required to approve the participants from their institute for each course. 

For details, visit IIRS’ official website.