Promotion of Education and Training on Geoinformatics in Asia
Shunji Murai
Institute of Industrial Science, University of Tokyo
7-22-1 Roppongi, Minatoku, Tokyo 106 Japan
Fax: 81-3-3479-2762
Email : murai@shunji.iis.u-tokyo.ac.jp
Abstract
The paper introduces the author's activities of education and training on geoinformatics in Asia and the future directions, recognizing that education and training are a key issue for successful application of remote sensing and geographic information system (GIS) in Asia.
Introduction
Geoinformatics includes conventional surveying, photogrammetry, remote sensing, GIS, cartography, geodesy, GPS etc. that can be integrated into a multi-disciplinary science and technology to obtain reliable information about the Earth and the environment through record, measure, input process analyze and represent geo-referenced data or geospatial data.
Inorder to achieve the goal of geoinformatics, a lot of advanced technologies including digital image processing, GIS, computer assisted cartography, information extractionfrom images, geospatial database and so on should be well educated and trained.
The following five targets will be most important to promote and popularize geoinformatics.
-
Well organized test books
- Public domain software for education
- Free dataset for education and training centers
- Well recognized teaching staffs
Well Organized Test Books
Because advanced technologies cannot covered by a single author, most of test books of remote sensing and GIS are compiled with independent chapters written by different authors. They are sometimes too much duplicated or too much unified. Some books too much theoretical or too much application oriented.
Nowadays particularly in Asia, well organized text books remote sensing and/or GIS are required for fundamental courses, that will be easily understood not only the concept, theory and principles but also the applications.
In this sense, Japan Association of Remote Sensing (JARS) has published "Remote Sensing Note" (edited by Shunji Murai) in the following languages.
- Japanese, 1992 JARS
- English 1993 JARS
- Chinese, 1993 Mr. Liu Yong Wei
- Persian, 1996 Iraian Remote Sensing Center
- Thai, 1996 NRCT
- Mongolian, 1996 Dr. Saandar
The copy right was given free of charge to the responsible organization or the person who wished to translate into local language.
For the purpose of popularizing remote sensing and GIS, JARS has published a book on "Understandable Remote Sensing and GIS" (Japanese version) under the sponsorship of NASDA/RESTEC with a target on local government level.
The author has edited "Application of Remote Sensing in Asia and Oceania" (Publisher: Geocarto International) in 1991 in cooperation of AARS (Asian Association on Remote Sensing) members. This book is consisted of fifty application of remote sensing in various countries in Asia and the Pacific.
The author has just completed two volumes of "GIS Work Book : Fundamental and Technical Course" in both English and Japanese. The motivation came from the fact that there has been no better organized test book on GIS in the world. The contents are shown in Table 1.
Table 1 Content of GIS Work Book (Author: Shunji Murai, 1996)
| Fundamental Course
| Technical Course
|
| Chapt. 1 What is a GIS
| Chapt. 1 Coordinate Systems and Map Projection
|
| Chapt. 2 Data Model and Structure
| Chapt. 2 Interpolation
|
| Chapt. 3 Input of Geospatial Data
| Chapt. 3 Digital Terrain Model (DTM)
|
| Chapt. 4 Database and the Management
| Chapt. 4 Spatial Analysis
|
| Chapt. 5 Required Hardware and Software for GIS
| Chapt. 5 Digital Image Processing
|
| Chapt. 6 Installation of GIS
| Chapt. 6 Visiralization of Geospatial Data
|
| Chapt. 7 Successful GIS Application Japan
| |
