UNIGIS India (www.unigis.net/India) has launched programmes at 2 new study centres in India. The new centres have been established at Panjab University, Chandigarh (www.unigis.net/PU_Chandigarh) and the All India Institute for Local Self Government (www.unigis.net/AIILSG_India). The introductory-cum-orientation workshops were held in Chandigarh from 4th to 6th September and in Cochin from 11th to 13th September.Prof. Josef Strobl (UNIGIS International and Director of the Centre for Geoinformatics - Z_GIS, University of Salzburg , Austria) emphasised that UNIGIS has the vision of ’Educating GIS Professionals Worldwide’ and Z_GIS (http://www.zgis.at/) is supporting this mission by establishing UNIGIS programmes with partner institutions around the world as joint study programmes with the University of Salzburg (http://www.uni-salzburg.at/)
Dr Shahnawaz (UNIGIS Director for South & Southeast Asia) stated that the addition of 2 new centres made India the only country hosting 4 UNIGIS study centres. In 2004, India became the first UNIGIS site within Asia and a 2nd study centre was established in
2006. The previous centres are located at Goa University, Goa (www.unigis.net/Goa) and GIS Institute, Noida-Delhi (www.unigis.net/Noida).Out of 4 study centres in India, 2 offer UNIGIS MSc and UNIGIS professional diploma programmes via Online Distance Education and 2 focus on the UNIGIS professional diploma delivered through eLearning as tutored full time courses. Distance education serves the career advancement needs of in-service GI-professionals and full time residential courses provide opportunites to young students aspiring to enter the fast growing GI-Job market.
