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Nagpur learns to map A three day National Level Data Users' Seminar and GIS Training for 55 senior secondary school and junior college teachers from the Vidharba region of India held in Nagpur, from

16 to 18 of October 2011 , turned into a memorable event for all. - Staff Reporter

The Data Users' Seminar cum Training

Programme in Nagpur during 16-18

October 2011, was one that turned teachers

from around the region into students for

three days. The teachers from Kendriya

Vidyalayas, well known public schools and

government and junior colleges in Vidharba

were trained in geographic information

system (GIS), global positioning system

(GPS) and remote sensing technologies that

are today a part of the school curriculum.

Inaugurating the event, Dr Dipak Sarkar,

Director, National Bureau of Soil Survey and

Land Use Planning (NBSS & LUP) laid stress

on the importance of the technical training

for capacity building for school teachers.

Prof Saraswati Raju , Centre for the Study of

Regional Development, Jawaharlal Nehru

University (JNU), a resource person for the

event, pointed out how the field of Science

and Technology systematically has fewer

24 . SEPTEMBER ' OCTOBER 2011 · GEOGRAPHY AND YOU

women at every level. She added that the

three days' training cum seminar programme

will provide an interactive platform for the

participants, especially women, to learn

and come forward in this exciting world. Dr

Smita Sengupta, Senior Scientist , Indian

Institute of Technology (liT) Bombay, Dr G P

Obi Reddy, Senior Scientist and In-charge

GIS Section, NBSS & LUP and Shri Vikas

Dabadhe, Project Officer, Maharashtra

Energy Development Agency (M EDA) were

other speakers at the inaugural session.

Among those who prominently participated

in the sessions included Shri M K Jaiswal,

Assistant Professor, Kavikulguru Institute

of Technology and Science, Nagpur

and Dr Rahul V Ralegaonkar, Assistant

Professor. Visvesvaraya National Institute of

Technology, Nagpur.

The teachers were trained in the

fundamentals of GIS and concepts of

map were covered in a series of lectures

spanning the three days. The basic

introduction to maps and cartography

included evolution of mapping in

India, definition and type of map

representations and its basic elements.

Cadastral, topographical, and atlas

maps; digital elevation model (OEM);

scales, elements sensitive to context and

those used selectively to assist effective

communication were also included in the

course curriculum.

In the following days discussions were

conducted on hardware and software,

proprietary vs open source and study

through Internet. Open source GIS was

also taught and available software was

highlighted through Open Geospatial

Consortium, Mapnik, FDO, Map Guide

Open Source, UMN Mapserver, GRASS,

QGIS, OSSIM, TerraLlb, PostGIS,

GeoServer, degree, JUMP/OpenJUMP/

Kosma and uDig. Hands on lab training was

imparted on QGIS with the help of data for

the district of Prakasam in Andhra Pradesh.

Global positioning system (GPS) was

also discussed and field work undertaken

at Putala Lake, Nagpur. Knowledge about

space, user and control segment, several

types of GPS- portable, pocket, in-dash,

fitness and cycling, motor cycle, marine­

was imparted. During remote sensing

session, the participants were taught the

fundamentals of the subject, including

types of resolutions, techniques such as

aerial photography, etc. and about the

types of classification such as supervised

and unsupervised.

The seminar and training programme

was organised by Learning in Geography,

Humanities, Technology and Science

(LIGHTS) Research Foundation, an NGO,

and supported by the Natural Resources

and Data Management System (NRDMS),

Department of Science and Technology

(DST), Government of India; Oil and Natural

Gas Corporation (ONGC) and Ministry

of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE),

Government of India. tI!1

DATA US ERS' WORKSHOP

GEOGRAI'HYAN O YOU· SEPTEMBER · OCTOBER 2011 .2 5

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Free GIS Training Senior secondary Teachers Register Now

Training commences 15 December onwards

Suppor.ld by

I THE SPATIAL SUPPORT FOil LOCAL LEVEl PLANNING -- Department of Science & Technology

O'gilnls,d by

LIGHTS, Research Foundation

Last date of registration for all ci ties 15 of December 2011. Send enquiries to Iights2003@gmail.comforregistrationguidance.