Distance course in
Principles of Geographical Information Systems
| Certification | Location | Start | Duration | EC | Tuition fee | Registration deadline | NFP registration deadline | Register |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Certificate | Distance | 09 Sep 2013 | 7 weeks | 5 | EUR 1000 / 500 | 12 Aug 2013 | 05 Feb 2013 | Register |
This course introduces participants to the basic concepts and operational skills necessary for data entry, data manipulation and analysis, and the production of interpretable output. The course is useful to novices, as well as to those experienced in some aspects of GIS but lacking a complete overview of the state of the art and/or the conceptual foundation.
For whom is the course relevant?
The course is designed for those with little or no knowledge of GIS. It is an excellent option for anyone driven by curiosity and wishing to take the first step in becoming a GIS expert, or for anyone driven by the need to explore the capabilities and limitations of current GIS technology in his or her field of application.
What will be achieved?
On completion of this course, participants will have covered the following GIS topics:
- a gentle introduction to GIS
- geographical information and spatial data types
- hardware and software, GIS, steps in spatial data handling
- database management systems
- spatial referencing
- data quality, measures of location errors on maps
- satellite-based positioning
- spatial data input, data preparation
- point data transformation
- advanced operations on continuous field rasters
- analytical GIS capabilities, retrieval and classification, overlay functions
- neighbourhood operations, network analysis, error propagation
- data visualization.
Learning from a distance, what is it like?
The general approach of the course is task based learning which blends theory and practice. The study load is 20 to 24 hours per week. All materials including (most of) the software will be provided online in ITC's digital learning environment Blackboard. We will use email for individual communication and a discussion board in Blackboard for group communication.
Admission requirements
Academic level and background
Applicants for the Distance programme should have a Bachelor degree or equivalent from a recognised university in a discipline related to the course, preferably combined with working experience in a relevant field.
English language
As all courses are given in English, proficiency in the English language is a prerequisite. ITC expects proficiency in the English language to meet the minimum requirements mentioned below.
English language tests: minimum requirements
| TOEFL Paper-based Test (PBT) | 550 |
| TOEFL Internet-based Test | 79-80 |
| British Council / IELTS | 6.0 |
| Cambridge | CPE/CAE |
Computer skills
Applicants for the Distance education programme must have elementary computer experience, regular access to internet and e-mail. For some courses additional computer skills are required (see description of specific course).
GIS and remote sensing
Most distance courses, except for the introductory course, require knowledge of, and skills in, working with GIS and/or digital image processing of remotely sensed data.
Candidates are asked to provide proof of identity during the registration process.
Software requirements
- Internet Explorer 6.0 or higher recommended
- Adobe Acrobat Reader
Hardware requirements
ITC recommends the hardware to meet the minimum specifications mentioned below.
| Processor: | Intel Pentium 4, Core Duo, Xeon or equivalent processor |
| Internal memory (RAM): | Minimum 2 GB |
| Free hard-disk space for installing: | Minimum 80 MB |
| Operating system: | Windows XP, Vista, Windows 7 |
| Video: | 128 MB RAM minimum, 256 MB RAM or higher recommended; NVIDIA, ATI and INTEL chipsets supported |
| Other hardware: | CD-ROM/DVD reader, sound card and speakers or headphones. |
| Minimum internet connection: | Reliable connection: broadband or equivalent; minimum download speed 1 Mb/second |
What more there is to know?
This distance course is based on a module of one of ITC's degree courses, successful completion will lead to exemption for that module in the degree course.
