UNIGIS UK - ESRI Presentation

Richard Atkinson (UNIGIS UK) recently gave a presentation at ESRI's 'Europe, Middle East and Africa User Conference', held in London. In his paper, Richard reviews the experiences we have gained by delivering our  postgraduate GIS distance learning programme over the last eighteen years. The slides from Richard's presentation are available at:-

http://www.unigis.org/news/ESRI_Education_Conference_Presentation.mht

Postgraduate Distance Education through UNIGIS@AIT

The UNIGIS@AIT Centre at the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT) in Bangkok invites applications for the next intake of continuing education courses in GI Science and Technology. UNIGIS@AIT was established in 2007 in cooperation between AIT and the Centre for Geoinformatics at University of Salzburg to promote and facilitate access to UNIGIS online education programmes for working professionals in the field of geospatial technologies. The first students of Masters and Professional Diploma were accepted in October 2007. Admission to the 2008 intake is now open for the batch starting November 10, 2008.

The last date for the submission of online applications is October 30, 2008. Pl. contact Dr. Nitin Kumar Tripathi, Asian Institute of Technology at ait.office@unigis.net for assistance to apply for the admission. The orientation workshop for new Students will be offered on 29 November 2008 in Bangkok, Thailand.

Contact information:
Dr. Nitin K. Tripathi
Director, UNIGIS@AIT Centre (Online Masters and Diploma Program in GIS)
School of Engineering and Technology, Asian Institute of Technology,
P.O. Box. 4, Klong Luang, Pathumthani-12120, Thailand
Phone:+66-2-524 6392, Fax: +66-2-524 5597, +66-2-501 1677; ait.office@unigis.net www.unigis.net/ait_bangkok

Summer School: “Urban 3D Modelling”, Székesfehérvár, Hungary

The “Urban 3D Modelling” UNIGIS Summer School will be attended by 40 students from abroad and 10 from Hungary.

For 27 August 2008, a one-day conference has beenarranged in order to give a top quality overview on new methodologies in data collection and modeling. The venue is the UWH GEO's Knowledge Center on Land and Geoinformation. Lectures will be delivered by leading representatives of the 3D arena including Eurosense, LEICA, Varinex, Laservision/Riegl, YonaPMS, FIG Commission 7 as well as Prof. Franz Leberl, chief scientist of Microsoft' Virtual Earth program. 

The event is free to the public thanks to the prominent donor organisations. Major sponsor of the conference is Microsoft. Working language is English. HUNAGI advised the organisers to offer one or more papers of the high-profile presentations for the International Journal of Digital Earth for publication. 

                                         bm, 18 Aug 2008

UNIGIS Girona’s promotional video

UNIGIS Girona seized the opportunity of the 10th anniversary to release the UNIGIS Girona’s video.

This video wants to present and to inform about the authentic meaning of the UNIGIS Programme (philosophy, characteristics, advantages,…), it could be transformed in the constant and joint work in order to improve the courses, being up-to-date of the changes and adapting to the new technologies that are defined in the sector of the GIS.

Enjoy the video!

GISDevelopment press release on UNIGIS Distance Learning in Bishkek, Kyrgyz Republic

UNIGIS Distance Learning in Central Asia

23 July 2008
Austria - UNIGIS MSc and professional certificate programmes are now offered in Central Asia through the UNIGIS (www.unigis.net) study centre at the Kyrgyz State University for Construction, Transportation and Architecture (KSUCTA) in Bishkek, Kyrgyz Republic.

Continuing and higher education in Geographic Information Science and Technologies and Geoinformatics methods is important for developing Spatial Data Infrastructures across nations and regions as a foundation for sustainable economies, societies and environments. Increasingly, enterprises, non-governmental organisations and public agencies apply Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to reach their objectives and to better serve their customers. "GIS" has become an attractive and rewarding career path for motivated and skilled professionals worldwide - with the UNIGIS academic network being the global leader in GIScience distance education.

This new UNIGIS study centre is integrated with the Austria - Central Asia Centre for GIScience (www.aca-giscience.org) and offers in-service distance education for professionals interested in GIS and Geoinformatics. Courses towards the MSc as well as certificate qualifications will be launched with an on-site workshop in September and lead students to international academic degrees / certificates awarded by the University of Salzburg, Austria.

UIA Academic Excellence Prize

The UNIGIS Int'l Association (UIA) has announced an annual Academic Excellence Prize for an outstanding MSc thesis/dissertation accepted for graduation at one of the UNIGIS partner universities worldwide.
Students who have graduated during the academic year (defined as Sept 1 to Aug 31) prior to the annual UNIGIS International Association Business Meeting will be eligible for the Prize. Candi­dates must submit their Master’s thesis or their paper to the graduating UIA institution no later than August 31.
UIA is looking forward to presenting this prize to the author of one of the many outstanding MSc thesis submitted every year, distinguishing and honouring one individual for an excellent academic achievement!

Dual Degree Agreement Quito-Salzburg

During the 'Primer Simposio GIS Educatión en América Latina' (March 26-28, 2008) an extended academic cooperation agreement was signed by Chancellor Santiago Gangotena from the Universidad San Francisco de Quito (USFQ) and Prof Josef Strobl from the University of Salzburg. UNIGIS students from USFQ now have the opportunity to reach an MSc degree at Salzburg if they complete all requirements including the development of a Master Thesis in English language.
The Symposium brought together GIS educators from most Latin American countries with support from the UNIGIS partners at SIGTE, Girona. The broad range of symposium presentations demonstrated a high level of interest in advancing GIS education throughout Latin America, and was followed by a day of hands-on workshops offering introductions into FOSS products like gvSIG, SAGA and Mapserver.
The 'GIS education week' at USFQ was then topped off with the introductory on-site workshop of the first group of 2008 UNIGIS students - we wish them a successful start into their distance program!

GIS for the Future of Central Asia - May 15-17

This is the motto of the 2nd Central Asia GIS Conference - GISCA’08 held in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan May 15-17, 2008. The Centre for Geoinformatics (Z_GIS), Salzburg University and UNIGIS are organising this conference jointly with the Kyrgyz State University of Construction, Transportation and Architecture (KSUCTA) and with support from the Eurasia-Pacific Uninet.
The organising committee invites active participation in this international event and submission of presentations and papers. The main objectives of this conference are to bring together GIS academics in the Central Asian countries and to encourage international cooperation and knowledge exchange in GIS education. A particular highlight of the event will be the inauguration of the joint "Central Asia Centre for GIScience", serving as a UNIGIS Study Centre for Central Asia as well as a centre of competence for regional GIS projects.
For further details, please attend the conference website!

UNIGIS Workshops in Poland

February was very busy for the UNIGIS site in Poland, as two UNIGIS workshops took place: an opening workshop for intake 2008 and a closing workshop for intake 2006.

On Saturday 16th of February 25 new students started their MSc studies. The new group has mostly environmental backgrounds, however some of them work in IT. After the first month of their studies, theyhave already submitted their first assignments.

One week later their 30 ‘older’ colleagues from intake 2006 were taking part in the closing UNIGIS workshop. The most successful students, who obtained the best grades and those who most frequently took part in online discussions were awarded with UNIGIS souvenirs. Their studies were supported by the European Social Fund within a project dedicated to employees at enterprises.

MSc thesis awarded 'Förderpreis Runder Tisch GIS'

Marcel Droz from the Geoinformation Office, Kanton of Berne has graduated from UNIGIS Salzburg in 2007 and now has won the prestigious 'young researchers award' from the Munich 'GIS Round Table' for his thesis on assessing landscape aesthetics in the UNESCO World Heritage site Jungfrau-Aletsch-Bietschenhorn (German language abstract). Mr Droz has received this award through stiff competition against a total of 30 submissions. Congratulations!

Details: MSc research award

ENERegion - Summer School on "Regional Potentials for Renewable Energy Generation"

The ENERegion International Summer School is dedicated to the theme of "Regional Potentials for Renewable Energy Generation" and is hosted by Salzburg University's Centre for Geoinformatics (Z_GIS).

In a set of lectures, group work and practicals participants focus on using Geographic Information Systems and Spatial Analysis techniques to model spatial patterns of demand as well as regional potentials of solar-thermal and photovoltaic, wind, biomass and hydropower resources. In order to assess the current state of the art regarding the technologies of renewable energy generation for a sustainable development in Europe, the Summer School will provide an insight into leading edge developments in the field. Participants have the opportunity to attend sessions at the Geoinformatics Forum 2008 symposium dedicated to “Energy for the Future”.

Applications are accepted until May 15, 2008. Due to limited places we strongly recommend an early registration! For registration and further details please visit our Summer School website!

LBS Summer School: "Mobile and Location Based Services" in Salzburg, Austria

The International Summer School on Mobile and Location Based Services (LBS) is hosted by Salzburg University's Centre for Geoinformatics (Z_GIS).

LBS are used to innovate business and safety but also to disclose original ideas in community services, urban planning or new media. Large companies such as Nokia or Google offer LBS solutions to their professional or consumer customers. Organisations such as BP or FedEx use location aware applications for safety and business efficiency.

The Summer School addresses foundations, technology and adoption issues in location-aware solutions. It includes user and business demands, case studies, technical architectures, RFID and non-traditional location technologies, as well as the ethical dimension of LBS together with implications for privacy and labour relations.

Applications are accepted until May 15, 2008. Due to limited places we strongly recommend an early registration! For registration and further details please visit our summer school website!

UNIGIS Academic Excellence Prize

The UNIGIS International Association is announcing a new 'UNIGIS International Academic Excellence Price' for graduates from UNIGIS MSc programmes worldwide. This price will be awarded annually, and candidates will be nominated by a UNIGIS partner institution based on outstanding master theses / dissertations.
Alumni having received their degree award between Sept 1 2007 and Aug 31, 2008 are invited to enquire about submission details with their local UNIGIS site.
The UNIGIS International Academic Excellence Price will recognize the top achievements among the many excellent master theses accepted every year at UNIGIS universities around the world as one of students' final steps towards their graduation.

New MSc Students at Salzburg University

The 2008 intake for the German language UNIGIS MSc programme at Salzburg University started with a group of 57 new students. With very diverse academic and professional backgrounds, all share the common goal of achieving an advanced qualification in Geographic Information Science & Systems in order to stimulate their careers and to enhance their professional outlook.
Over an intense three day workshop from Jan 3-5, everybody got together to establish a solid foundation for communication throughout the two year distance learning course. Salzburg University is very proud to welcome such an ambitious class: "We are looking forward to supporting emerging future leaders and creative minds for the GIS industry!" said Michael Fally, UNIGIS MSc director of studies.
The Salzburg University UNIGIS distance learning programmes are offered internationally in German and English languages, with more than 1000 graduates it has evolved into an important foundation for building spatial information infrastructures in academia and across all application domains.