PGIS - Short Course on "GIS and its Applications"

Introduction:
The Postgraduate Institute of Science (PGIS), offers "Short Courses on GIS and its Applications" with a view to provide the best comprehensive knowledge to the academics, researchers, Professionals and technical officers from the government and private sector organizations, including NGOs.
The expert panel of GIS lecturers having wide experience in selected subject areas will conduct the training course.
At the end of the course, the participants would be well aware of the basic concepts of GIS, its potential applications in various sectors urban planning, disaster management, resource exploration, land use and conservation, irrigation, and site investigations, network distributions of water, electricity, gas and telephone connections,, spread of epidemics etc and GPS and their applications.
Even though Geographical Information Systems (GIS) and Global Positioning Systems (GPS) have been used in Sri Lanka for some time and the words "GIS" and "GPS" are not new to the country. There is a severe shortage of personal who are trained to use these techniques in various sectors of national importance. GIS and GPS are rapidly evolving to become standard tools, influencing decision making in various sectors.
These short courses are designed to provide the basic theoretical concepts and comprehensive hands-on training associated with GIS and GPS, software and hardware requirements for GIS, data input, spatial database creation, and principles of GIS analysis, 3-D analysis and spatial analysis, production of GIS outputs and various potential applications of GIS. This course will also include the description of case studies related to several selected fields. At the end of the course, participants are required to carryout a mini project.

Objectives:
• To provide basic theoretical knowledge with comprehensive hands-on training in the use of Geographical Information Systems (GIS),
• To be familiarize with GIS tools, functions and its operations,
• To provide the basic knowledge on Global Positioning Systems (GPS) and its applications in various fields,
• To explore the methods of data acquisition, processing, transformation, spatial analysis, storage and data output,
• To enhance the knowledge for developing case studies and projects

to introduce the capabilities & strength of GIS & GPS for efficiency in Natural resource management, planning and modeling,
Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs), Disaster management,
Land use planning and management, Watershed management,
Biodiversity and the wildlife conservation and management,
Roads and Distribution networks of water supply, electricity and telecommunication, Surveying and cadastral mapping etc.

Course Contents:

Introduction, definition and overview of Geographical information Systems (GIS)
Scope and Application areas, Purpose and Benefits of GIS, Functional elements of GIS, hardware and software for GIS
Introduction to Coordinate Systems, Map Projection and Geo-referencing
Data Structures, Input of geospatial data, Sources of data and input devices etc.
Spatial database - concept of spatial database, Data Acquisition and Management Techniques,
Fundamentals of Global Positioning Systems (GPS) & its Applications
Fundamentals of Remote Sensing, visual and digital interpretation of satellite images,
Data input, Linking non-spatial and spatial database, database editing and updating, GPS data integration in GIS,
Spatial Analysis and 3-D Analysis, DEM Generation, TIN Algorithms. 3D-GIS Models, Acquisition of 3D Geo-spatial Data,
Data Manipulation and Analysis - Regression analysis of spatial data, Advance data analysis,
Map Output Generation.
Applications of GIS in various disciplines
Mini-project for GIS applications. (Each participants will have to complete the mini project assigned to them.

Participants:
Maximum number of 30 participants will be enrolled for this short course consisting professionals, researchers, and technical officers working with or intending to work with GIS and GPS.

Date and Venue:
The short course is organized to be conducted for 6 days at the Postgraduate Institute of Science (PGIS), University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka.
Hands-on training sessions for individuals (each individual is provided with a computer where almost the latest GIS software are installed) with expert assistance (by best GIS trainers in Sri Lanka), will be conducted in the newly established GIS and RS laboratory of the PGIS.
Hands-on sessions (optional) will be continued until late evenings (until 9.30 or 10.00 pm) and the participants can continue depend on their choice

Course fee:
• For Local Participants: Rs. 25,000.00
• For Foreign Participants: US$ 500
(Course material, document bag, meals, accommodation, and refreshments will be provided during the course).

Accommodations/Meals:
Accommodations (and transport) will be provided at the University guest houses on shared basis.
Meals and refreshments will be provided at the PGIS during the period of course.

Method of Application for the Short Course:
Please contact the Course Coordinator Dr. Jagath Gunatilake, Postgraduate Institute of Science (PGIS) or Faculty of Science, University of Peradeniya.

Download the application: (PDF) (MS WORD)