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general information general information what s itc all about international institute for geo-information science and earth observation

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your world is our science what s itc all about one of humankind s greatest challenges is to achieve an appropriate balance between developing natural resources and maintaining an optimal natural environment to meet this challenge we need detailed and reliable geo-information and geo-information management tools at the international institute for geo-information science and earth observation itc knowledge of geo-information management is readily available and is continually being developed and extended by means of education research and project services we contribute to capacity building in developing countries and emerging economies in doing so considerable attention is paid to the development and application of geographical information systems gis for solving problems such problems can range from determining the risks of landslides mapping forest fires planning urban infrastructure implementing land administration systems monitoring food and water security to designing a good wildlife management system or detecting environmental pollution the key words characterising our activities are geoinformation management worldwide and innovative we concentrate on earth observation the generation of spatial information and the development of data integration methods furthermore we provide tools that can support the processes of planning and decision making for sustainable development and the alleviation of poverty in developing countries and emerging economies organisation the institute is managed by a directorate headed by a rector and a director for external affairs three bureaus manage the core processes of education research and project services which are executed by staff of the six scientific departments covering itc s knowledge field scientific departments department of earth observation science department of earth systems analysis department of geo-information processing department of natural resources department of urban and regional planning and geo-information management · department of water resources · · · · · key figures 2007 · 2116 students 1725 newly registered from 73 countries · 421 degrees/diplomas/certificates awarded · 9 degree courses 7 diploma courses 14 short courses 9 refresher courses 15 joint education courses 10 distance education courses 53 tailor-made courses · 96 registrants in the graduate programme · 42 advisory activities · 235 staff fte which includes 16 professors 2 itc s contribution to the unu mission as an associated institution of the united nations university unu itc contributes to the unu mission which is to contribute through research and capacity building to efforts to resolve the pressing global problems that are the concern of the united nations its peoples and member states the cooperation between itc and the united nations university is directed at developing and carrying out a joint programme on capacity building in disaster management and in land administration and at disseminating knowledge on these and directly related issues the programme activities are accommodated in two schools · school for disaster geo-information management · school for land administration studies un an associated institution of the our hope for humankind

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research discovery of new knowledge of geo-information the itc research programme develops cutting-edge knowledge and innovative approaches in geoinformation science and earth observation the programme addresses applications of geospatial data for space and resource management and provision of geospatial data for the user community in order to ensure that new knowledge and innovation in space and resource management and in the provision of geospatial data lead to societal benefits the programme is formulated as a number of interlinked research themes each theme encompasses profound knowledge in three domains · earth observation and geo-information processing technologies relevant to the thematic field · the geospatial processes playing a role in the thematic field and · the way in which the community associated with the thematic field can access and exploit new knowledge and innovation in each theme research is carried out by a group led by one of itc s professors each group typically comprises several expert staff members and a number of graduate students carrying out research for a phd degree in the framework of the graduate programme graduate programme graduate students studying for a phd degree at itc are registered in its graduate programme each graduate student carries out a research project in one of the research themes of the research programme under the supervision of research group members 3 15 research themes biodiversity in fragmenting landscapes carbon cycle and climate change disaster management earth systems science food security and environmental sustainability governance and integrated spatial assessment informed multilevel governance of urban regions land administration for informed governance managing water scarcity spatial data infrastructure technology spatio-temporal data integration and visualization stochastic methods for image mining and data quality sustainable urban-regional dynamics utilisation of sensor developments for efficient topographic mapping · water cycle and climate · · · · · · · · · · · · · · there are approximately 100 graduate students at itc most are full-time phd student researchers aiming to submit and defend a phd thesis at one of the netherlands universities to which itc is affiliated through adjunct appointments of its professors university of twente utrecht university wageningen university and research centre delft university of technology others are phd interns spending periods of about one year at itc as part of their studies to submit and defend a phd thesis at a university overseas for full-time phd student researchers the time trajectory for completing a phd research project normally takes about 3½ years more information can be found in the separate research brochure or at www.itc.nl/research

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education over the years itc has developed a wide selection of degree diploma and certificate courses in the field of geoinformation science and earth observation these courses are offered in the netherlands online and abroad by itc itself or by itc in collaboration with reputable qualified educational organisations a multicultural environment more than 19,000 course participants from over 170 countries have followed itc courses since 1950 with almost 60 years of extensive experience and a dedicated scientific staff with a wide range of expertise itc is one of the world s foremost professional training establishments in the field of geoinformation science and earth observation respective fields with prior academic training and often professional experience consequently professional relevancy and problem orientation are important factors in designing itc s training courses with the emphasis on the application of concepts and skills our courses aim at providing in-depth study of a particular set of problems in developing countries and emerging economies they attract young and mid-career professionals with an interest in development-related issues programmes in geo-information science and earth observation degree programmes · master of science msc degree programme 18 months · master degree programme 12 months diploma programmes · postgraduate diploma programme pgd 9 months · diploma programme 9 months certificate programmes · certificate course programme and individual modules 3 weeks-3 months · distance education programme 6 weeks joint education programme variable graduate programme 3-3.5 years itc s degree programmes are listed in the central register of higher education programmes croho and thus are legally recognised by the dutch ministry of education culture and science responsibility for accreditation has been allocated to the netherlands flemish accreditation organization nvao seven courses are offered in the degree programmes in geo-information science and earth observation · applied earth sciences · geoinformatics · governance and spatial information management · land administration · natural resources management · urban planning and management · water resources and environmental management programme structure the majority of the programmes are modular in structure facilitating a multidisciplinary approach to problem solving for development purposes and considerable emphasis is placed on remote sensing and gis a module deals with one subject or related subjects and lasts for three weeks modules are grouped together in blocks that form a coherent part of the course 4 block 1 principles of geo-information science and earth observation msc master pgd block 2 application of geo-information science and earth observation in the field of interest msc master pgd block 3 research orientation msc individual final assignment master pgd block 4 individual research msc itc alumni a worldwide network itc has built up an extensive network of international contacts one that includes united nations organisations universities research groups resources survey and map production services and various international professional associations and former programme participants are the very backbone of this network more information can be found in the separate education brochure or at www.itc.nl/education cooperation with leading universities in europe two msc courses are offered in consortium with renowned dutch and european universities · geographical information management and applications · geo-information science and earth observation for environmental modelling and management origins and backgrounds of itc course participants the origins and backgrounds of itc course participants have a significant influence on the educational processes the majority of these participants are professionals in their

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project services tailored to the needs of our clients any organisation providing and/or using geo-information for example survey and mapping agencies land registries cadastre government agencies e.g municipalities and planning and resource management organisations e.g water boards needs highly educated professionals that are able to deal with the drastic changes in their operating environment such as the rapid developments in geo-ic technology and architecture increased competition and government policies on costrecovery decentralisation and the empowerment of users and clients to accommodate the rapidly changing demand for capacity building and institutional strengthening itc offers a flexible package of training and project services tailored to the needs of its clientele in terms of content duration and location supporting institutional development the aim of institutional development ­ by far the most important type of project service carried out by itc ­ is to establish and/or improve the institutional set-up and capability of educational and professional organisations specialising in geo-information handling and earth observation examples of advisory services provided by itc include · support for the development of management information systems with particular regard to the design and implementation of information systems based on remote sensing and gis · advice on surveys related to aerospace topography geosciences and natural resources · market studies needs assessments zoning studies environmental assessments and regional development plans · project identification formulation and design including feasibility studies and cost assessments and project monitoring and evaluation contract training in addition to the many standard courses offered itc provides training courses designed specifically to meet client requirements the client and itc agree on the required topics and timing and the courses are run at itc s headquarters in enschede or at the client s premises it is also possible to combine tailor-made training with modules from academic degree courses these modules are held at fixed times on the academic course calendar and can offer a cost-effective training solution more information can be found in the separate project services brochure or at www.itc.nl/projects 5 contract research as the discovery of new knowledge leads to higher-quality education and support for capacity building itc believes it is very important to be active in research projects itc carries out contract research for a wide variety of agencies worldwide often as part of a larger international research network advisory services advisory services provide itc staff with the opportunity to keep in touch with the real-life working environment of students and clients they also enable itc to remain at the forefront of market developments and to adjust training and research services accordingly.

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international institute for geo-information science and earth observation itc p.o box 6 7500 aa enschede the netherlands t +31 053 487 44 44 f +31 053 487 44 00 e pr@itc.nl i www.itc.nl for more details on itc s educational activities research and project services please contact the department concerned by mail or email general information education research project services communication department student registration bureau research coordination bureau marketing and project services pr@itc.nl education@itc.nl research@itc.nl mps@itc.nl office hours 9:00 am ­ 17:00 pm central european time monday to friday international institute for geo-information science and earth observation pictures © gerard kuster itc 2500-01072008

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