The National Space Science Agency, represented by Ms. Shaima Almeer and Ms. Aysha Al Hajeri attended a course titled “Introduction to Geoinformatics” at University of Twente – Netherlands, for 12 weeks, from 13th January to 3rd April 2020.

The course aims to train NSSA staff working in geo-data acquisition, handling, analyzing and/or visualization and improve efficiency and productivity. It also prepares staff working in non-geo disciplines to make use of geospatial data for information extraction enriching their domain knowledge and project outcomes.

Ms. Aysha Al Hajeri commented “The course was very beneficial to us and I was interested to dive through the Information Science and Earth Observation field and to apply several skills such as digitizing, 3D model production and mapping. Overall, it was a useful experience and we are looking forward to implement the gained knowledge for our NSSA Laboratory projects.”

This course is taught in four modules of three weeks each. The first module deals with geo-data acquisition using state-of-the-art methods and results in properly geo-referenced and optimized images for further processing. The second module is about principles of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and its capabilities as a problem-solving tool. The third module introduces basic understanding of cartographic design and visualization based on user requirements. The final module offers a choice for participants.

Ms. Shaima Almeer commented “For the fourth module, I chose to specialize in GIS and visualization, while Ms. Aysha chose to strengthen her knowledge in photogrammetry and remote sensing. GIS and Visualization is basically about being able to measure the quality of the data before utilizing it. With the data selected you can then design workflows for mapping and models for geoprocessing. Finally, having the ability to decide on suitable representations and labeling techniques for different map types. For the final project of the 4th module, I was asked to prepare an ATLAS for the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Dr Mohamed Al Aseeri, NSSA CEO commented “I believe this promising program to be very useful for both participants, allowing the NSSA to fulfill its goals, specifically the initiative related to establishment of the lab for processing and analyzing space images and data to fulfil national needs of earth observation and earth monitoring information.”

Ms. Shaima Almeer commented “It was a privilege for us to represent our country and attend such an interesting and important course alongside other international participants sharing their vast experience in image processing and analysis techniques”.

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