Tempus: Geoinformatics MSc Development for Uzbek Universities

ACA*GIScience is congratulating our colleagues at four Uzbek universities to successfully launching the new Tempus project "GEoUZ" on January 17-19, aiming at establishing Geoinformatics study programs at the Uzbek partner institutions National University of Uzbekistan named after Mirzo Ulug’bek (NUU), Karakalpak State University (KSU) Nukus, Tashkent Architecture Building Institute (TABI) and the national lead institution Tashkent Institute of Irrigation and Melioration (TIIM).

Led by the University of West Hungary (UWH), KTH Stockholm, University of Greenwich and the University of Salzburg contribute to this initiative as European partners, jointly developing curricula, learning materials, dissemination and outreach activities and quality management for graduate Geoinformatics studies now soon available in Uzbekistan, after they had been established in other Central Asian countries through the Tempus "GEM" project.

Prof. Bela Markus from UWH as project coordinator opened the kick-off meeting at TIIM and gave an extensive overview of project objectives and management. Hosted at TIIM, this event was introduced by Rector Professor Uktam P. Umurzakov, followed by the remarks by European Union Ambassador Yuri Sterk (photo: sitting next to Rector Umurzakov) on the development of relations between Europe and Uzbekistan.

Dr. Odil Akbarov, head of the Land Tenure Development Center at TIIM managed to get the GEoUZ-Initiative off to an excellent start with this meeting, commenting that "Uzbekistan needs highly qualified Geoinformatics experts, contributing to the evolution of the country through this aptly named project - Geoinformatics-enabling sustainable development in Uzbekistan".

2012 at ACA*GIScience in Review

We are looking back at an exciting, innovative and successful year at ACA*GIScience! Like in the years before, a mix of research, education and communication activities was characteristic for the activities at this international center at KSUCTA with connections across the entire region.

Led by Akylbek Chymyrov and Ainura Nazarkulova, the first class of students in the EU Tempus supported MSc in Geoinformatics was working their way into a second year and setting their eyes on suitable thesis topics, while in early October the 2012 intake set their sights on a first round of lectures.

In May, the GIS in Central Asia (GISCA) conference was hosted at KSUCTA, and attendees shared an intensive week of workshops, training, and conference presentations. The published conference proceedings serve as a record of the level of Geoinformatics research reached in Central Asia.

Teacher trainings alongside GISCA, in September in Hungary and again in early December in Bishkek provided the 'brainware' for emerging education programmes, while Tempus supported lab equipment was celebrated in formal opening ceremonies in Osh, Bishkek and Almaty where the 'software and hardware' now are being put to good use in the respective Geoinformatics study programmes.

In October, at the Eurasia-Pacific Uninet Plenary conference in Shanghai, ACA*GIScience was represented with a poster display as well as with a presentation by Barbara Brunner-Maresch. This event provided the opportunity to communicate ACA*GIScience activities and successes beyond the Central Asia region, and to promote the annual GISCA conference as well as research activities.

Research was organized in several, mostly international projects. Satellite image analysis and data extraction for map updating was one recurring task in several different contexts, combined with analysis of renewable energy potentials and public health analyses. Outstanding results were achieved in some field work activities, generating ground truth and validation for geoinformatics projects.

Finally, we need to mention the second group of 18 students from the Kazakh National University coming to Salzburg for the fall semester of 2012/13, participating in a suite of Geoinformatics classes. This student mobility already is becoming a valuable tradition, and a great opportunity for KazNU students to combine a European study abroad experience with their Bachelor and Master degrees at the Faculty of Geography and Environmental Sciences.

Congratulations, and best wishes to our friends and colleagues at Central Asian partner universities to their progress and achievements in the field of Geoinformatics.

Registration for GISCA13 opened!

The well established annual GIS-in-Central-Asia (GISCA) conference in 2013 will again be held in Kazakhstan's 'Southern Capital' of Almaty! The Kazakh National University (KazNU) named after Al-Farabi and its Faculty of Geography and Nature Management will be the host and venue of this event on May 2-3, 2013.

'GISCA' since 2005 has evolved as the main regional scientific cooperation and networking event for the geospatial information science and technologies community across Central Asia. Coordinated by ACA*GIScience center at KSUCTA, the GISCA conference is annually hosted by established centers of GIScience competence in the region - 2013 returning to the outstanding Geography Department at KazNU!

GISCA also is a platform for collaboration in the development of educational program, e.g. Tempus JEP projects as well as UNIGIS, and for establishing GIS research initiatives in the broad field of GIS applications. A special emphasis this year will be on advancing the cause of Spatial Data Infrastructures in the Central Asia region.

Registration for GISCA13 now has opened, and abstracts for paper submissions are welcome - please find all relevant information on the conference website at http://gisca13.aca-giscience.org! Enquiries from media partners, sponsors and interested technology vendors can be directed to info@aca-giscience.org.

Prof. R. Lassche has given classes at KSUCTA

Dr. Ronnie Lassche, Professor at the Vrije Universiteit in Amsterdam, has visited  the Kyrgyz State University of Construction, Transport and Architecture (KSUCTA) on December 17-20, 2012. He has given lectures and laboratory classes for Geoinformatics MSc students and teachers on the topics of Spatial Databases and PostGIS, the design and use of WMS Layers, and publishing online maps. Despite the extreme weather conditions (-26 degree outside and +12 degree inside lab!) GEM Students and teachers have enjoyed his classes by studying the advanced technologies and methods.

This visit supports the development and implementation of the Tempus Geoinformatics MSc study programme in Kyrgyzstan. VU Amsterdam is one of the European partners in this project, with researchers and teachers from its SPINlab contributing significantly to curriculum design, media development and in particular to teacher training. The first groups of Geoinformatics MSc students in Kyrgyzstan benefit significantly from this involvement of European teachers!

Geoinformatics Teacher Training in Bishkek

This week, teachers from Tempus 'GEM' partner universities are attending a capacity building seminar at KSUCTA in Bishkek. With support from the Austrian EPU network, six instructors from the University of Salzburg, Technical University Graz and Carinthia University of Applied Sciences are assisting Geoinformatics teachers from Central Asia with further developing their skills and competences. Prof. Gernot Paulus has led the compilation and implementation of a stimulating program:

OpenStreetMap, in connection with a variety of OSM-based applications and technologies is the main focus of the seminar, with practical exercises demonstrating the mapping of the marshrutka public transport network across the city. Starting with GPS data acquisition and online editing, continuing with data model development and then exploring a variety of rendering options, participants are developing a deeper insight into the potential of OSM.

This focus topic is complemented by small group instruction in photogrammetry and orthorectification, hands-on lab exercises with Idrisi Selva, and work with metadata acquisition supporting the Central Asia Geoportal. Overall, participants will be able to 'take home' a broad range of new skills and expertise across a variety of Geoinformatics topics.

Special thanks go to the local organizers at the Austria - Central Asia Centre for GIScience  = ACA*GIScience, again demonstrating their excellence as a geospatial competence centre, and working as a motivated and supportive team able to facilitate advanced trainings like this.

GIS Day 2012 at KSUCTA

Today we have celebrated GIS Day at KSUCTA. Due to our focus on Geoinformatics study programs, and the recent start of the second group in our Tempus GEM MSc, this is a very special day for all of us. We tool this occasion to ask our teachers, bachelor students and MSc students only one question: "What is GIS for you?"

Enjoy the movie with their answers: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ODYolh5_Sjs

I hope all our partners have enjoyed GIS Day as much as we did :-)

Opening of GIS lab at KazNU

On Nov 8 the new GIS computer lab at the Faculty of Geography, Kazakh National University named after Al-Farabi was opened. In a ceremony led by KazNU First Vice Rector Burkitbayev Mukhambetkali Myrzabaevich and Faculty Dean Vitali Salnikov, the newly installed lab was dedicated to the first group of students registered in the Geoinformatics MSc program.

The Geoinformatics MSc curriculum as well as the lab design were developed under the Tempus project 510978-TEMPUS-1-2010-1-AT-TEMPUS-JPCR - "Geoinformatics: Managing Energy, Resources, Environment - GEM", led by the University of Salzburg's Z_GIS in cooperation with academic partners from Hungary, Netherlands, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and of course Kazakhstan.

The opening was honored by an address from Shaizada Tasbulatova from the National Tempus Office in Kazakhstan, and best wishes from the European Association of Geography Students (EGEA), conveyed by its president, Svetlana Samsonova. Leaders from several other Kazakh Universities joined in today's celebrations.

Department chairs, teachers and graduate students from the Department of Geography, Planning and Cadastre and the Department of Cartography and Geoinformatics had worked hard over many months to make this teaching lab a reality, with very special thanks going to Aizhan Assylbekova for her tireless initiatives towards building this new teaching and learning resource!