Institutions | Training | Online Education | Papers / Articles
Challenges for educational organisations The organisations involved with education and training in earth observation and geo-information face special requirements and challenges in successfully carrying out their tasks. Besides understanding and insight into the technological aspects of the processes, students/course participants should be provided with knowledge and insight into the context of the various problem fields. Finally, the rapid technological developments, as well as developments in demand for information, imply the continuous upgrading of professionals as part of the “lifelong learning” principle observed throughout present-day society. This in turn challenges the education and training institutions themselves to keep up to date with scientific and technological developments while simultaneously dealing with the proliferating variety in demand.
ITC The founding framework ITC was founded in 1950 in the Netherlands under the name International Training Centre for Aerial Survey. It was established by the Dutch government at the request of the United Nations, within the framework of development cooperation for the purpose of building capacity through educating and training mid-career professionals from the developing world in the specific knowledge field, aerial surveys. Initially this knowledge field covered photogrammetry and cartography. In the 1960’s, activities were complemented by applications of remote sensing in earth sciences, followed by the introduction of aerospace survey in the 1970’s, when satellite imagery gradually took over from airborne surveys. Geographical information systems followed suit in the curriculum during the 1980’s. Acknowledging by the end of the 1990’s that geo-information science had “come of age”, the scope and the name of the Institute were accordingly adjusted to International Institute for Geo-information Science and Earth Observation on 1 January this year.  Aim The aim of ITC is to provide international education through knowledge exchange directed at capacity building and institutional development for and in countries that are economically and technologically less developed (LCDs). Mid-career professionals from both professional and educational organisations are our main target. We provide education in English and almost exclusively at post-graduate level. ITC operates as an internationally recognised centre of excellence and as a node in an international knowledge network, an approach implying a two-directional gateway between developed and developing countries for knowledge and experience. Status ITC is an independent foundation operating under the aegis of, and funded by the Dutch Ministry of Education, Cultural Affairs and Science (core subsidy) and the Dutch Ministry for Development Cooperation (scholarships) as part of the Netherlands’ 0.8% of GDP commitment to ODA. ITC has an international staff of about 300 (full-time equivalent), of whom some 175 with a scientific background. At any one time, between 400 and 500 participants from about 75 countries are enrolled in its post-graduate programmes, including about 50 PhD researchers. |