Courses

OSUN Themes: Global Public Health; Sustainability and Climate

Earth Observations in Monitoring Sustainable Development Goals

Term: January 12, 2024 – March 29, 2024
Levels: 200-Level; 300-Level
Day/Time: Friday 2:50 - 4:30 EST
Instructor: Viktor Lagutov, American University of Central Asia, Central European University
Adopted at the United Nations Sustainable Development Summit in 2015, 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) and associated indicators provide a global framework for action on sustainability. Earth observation (EO) is used to monitor and assess the status of, and changes in, the natural and manmade environment and can be used for monitoring SDGs by providing evidence, drawn from accurate and robust data, on a continuous basis. The aim of this course is to provide both a theoretical foundation and a practical introduction and to gain an initial understanding and basic practical skills of satellite-based remote sensing as one of the EO techniques. The course exposes students to the basic techniques and practical skills of digital image acquisition and processing; extracting relevant information from satellite imagery and combining it with on-ground observations. Examples of the Earth observation data use in practical decision- and policy-making processes will be given by practitioners in various SDG domains, e.g. disaster management, food security, sustainability, and biodiversity conservation. The list of invited speakers features UN officers and geospatial industry representatives.
 
A particular focus of the course is on the application of the Google Earth Engine (GEE) - a cloud-based platform that provides access to multiple repositories of satellite imagery and geospatial datasets allowing quick and accurate analysis and visualization of large datasets available in the cloud. Special attention is paid to basic analysis techniques of land use and land cover dynamics (for disaster management, food security, urbanization, climate change, etc). The course includes a theoretical overview of GEE's scientific principles, available datasets, methods, and tools followed by hands-on in-class exercises, individual consultations with instructors, and work on the final individual project.
Prerequisites: Basic knowledge of mapping and visualization of geospatial data is expected from course participants. For CEU students: the course "Geospatial Technologies for Environmental Professionals (GST)" is enough.  For other OSUN students, similar courses or evidence of some basic GIS skills are to be proven.
Credits: 2 US / 4 ECTS