EuroSDR Educational Service (EduServ) annually offers four two-week e-learning courses in the field of GeoInformation (GI). It is designed for knowledge transfer from the research to the production domain. Thus, it is mainly focused on participants from NMCAs and industry but also PhD students and researchers find the courses interesting as they always reflect latest developments in GI.

The 19^th series of e-learning courses from EuroSDR will open on 1^st and 2^nd March 2021 with an online pre-course seminar. During the seminar (2 x 3 hours), the background material of four e-learning courses will be presented by the tutors, participants will have the possibility to discuss online with the tutors and fellow participants, and the learning platform – Moodle, will be demonstrated.

The four e-learning courses are scheduled from March till June 2021. They can be followed over the Internet from any location, thereby allowing participants to update their knowledge with minimum disruption. Courses require about thirty hours of online study.

You can download the flyer here.

Spatial Linked (Open) Data (pdf)

Tutors: Erwin Folmer (Kadaster and University of Twente), Stanislav Ronzhin (ITC, University of Twente, Kadaster), Rob Lemmens (ITC, University of Twente) and Wouter Beek (Triply, VU University, Kadaster)

This is an introductory course to Spatial Linked Open Data. Linked Open Data is a standards based approach for data interoperability. In this course we will teach the basic theory of Linked Data, and introduce the most important standards such as RDF. More in depth the topic of data modelling, vocabularies and ontologies will be elaborated as one of the key concepts of Linked Data. Although the concepts and technology is generic and not specific for spatial data we will discuss in particular the context of spatial data on the web. The second part of this course is split in a technical module and a business module. The business module will discuss the business case for linked data implementations based on the case study of the Dutch Kadaster, one of the earlier linked data implementations in Europe. The technical module will provide best practices how to convert data into linked data, and will be practical hands-on creating SPARQL queries.

Please note that the number of participants in the Spatial Linked (Open) Data course is limited to 40 (based on the confirmed fee payment)! 

Dates: 8^th – 19^th March 2021

 GeoBIM – Basic Principles and Use Cases (pdf)

Tutors: Claire Ellul (University College London), Lars Harrie and Per-Ola Olsson (Lund          University)

There is an increasing awareness amongst practitioners in both the geospatial and Architecture Engineering and Construction (AEC) communities that enabling interoperability and moving towards integration of data from the two domains can provide benefits to sectors such as construction, asset management, safety and security, local and regional planning and building permit processes, national mapping agencies and many more.

Taking a data-driven perspective on interoperability and integration – i.e. looking at the integration of Building Information Modelling (BIM) and geospatial data - the course will provide a comprehensive overview of GeoBIM, starting from first principles - comparing BIM and Geo, identifying opportunities for using integrated data and challenges arising. Two case studies then give the opportunity to explore the topic more in depth – planning/permits processes and asset/facilities management. The course concludes by allowing students to explore GeoBIM in a wider context, as a location-enabled foundation for digital twins, smart cities and the internet of things.

Various examples from practical applications and hands-on practical work will illustrate the theory.

Please note that the number of participants in the GeoBIM course is limited to 30 (based on the confirmed fee payment)!

Dates: 12^th – 23^rd April 2021

 Recent LiDAR technologies (pdf)

 Tutor: Gottfried Mandlburger (TU Vienna)

The course tackles the recent progress in Airborne Laser Scanning (ALS), the state-of-the technique for 3D mapping of topography and shallow water bathymetry, including the following topics: 

Point density and spatial resolution: Higher scan rates in the MHz range increase the point density, which leads to an increased spatial resolution if, in addition, the laser footprint sizes match the point-to-point distance.
Full waveform analysis: State-of-the art FWF processing techniques enable higher measurement precision and better target characterization.
Multispectral Laserscanning: Scanners using laser wavelengths facilitate point classification by exploiting the radiometric content of the captured data.
Hybrid sensors: Scanners and cameras mounted on the same platform enable joint data orientation and processing of laser scans and image blocks.
Single Photon LiDAR: These new mapping sensors provide a higher area coverage performance at the prize of lower accuracy and higher outlier rate requiring robust point cloud filtering techniques.
Topo-bathymetric LiDAR: Beyond charting shallow coastal areas, laser bathymetry evolved to a powerful tool for high resolution mapping of the entire littoral area.
UAV-LiDAR: Sensor miniaturization and progress in aviation technology has opened new close-range airborne applications due to integration of lightweight LiDAR sensors on Unmanned Aerial Vehicles.

Please note that the number of participants in the Recent LiDAR technologies course is limited to 40 (based on the confirmed fee payment)!

Dates: 3^rd – 14^th May 2021

 Working with Volunteered and Crowdsourced Geographic Information (pdf)

Tutors: Peter Mooney (Maynooth University) and Levente Juhász (Florida International University)  

Up to recently geographic data was exclusively available from authoritative sources such as National Mapping and Cadastral Agencies, professional companies, etc. The rapid emergence of Volunteered Geographic Information (VGI) and Crowdsourced Geographic Information (CGI) has challenged and changed this situation. VGI and CGI have transformed from being considered ‘disruptive’ and poor quality to well-known mainstream data sources used widely in industry, research, and other applications. The goal of this course is to introduce participants to VGI (and CGI), the current state-of-the-art research in these areas, methods for obtaining VGI/CGI data (API sources, processing GeoJSON, etc), and advanced topics such as assessment of the quality of these data. Participants are informed that a basic knowledge of a programming language is required to complete some practical exercises and assessments. Free and open source software and openly accessible VGI/CGI will be used.

Dates: 24^th May – 4^th June 2021

Fees

400 € for pre-course seminar + 1 or 2 courses
500 € for pre-course seminar + 3 or 4 courses


Scholarships *** Application deadline extended ***

Five scholarships will be available to fully cover the course fee. The scholarships are intended to Ph.D./Master students and other applicants with no or very limited financial support from their university or public institution. Successful completion of at least two courses is expected from successful applicants.

In order to proceed with the application:

• Register to EduServ.
• Fill in the application form that includes a motivation letter and information about professional experience. It is recommended to support the application with a reference letter. Both documents shall be submitted to eurosdr@kuleuven.be not later than on 10th February 2021.

Applicants will be informed about the acceptance/rejection of their application latest on 15^th February 2021. Successful applicants from previous years will be automatically excluded from the evaluation.


Registration

You can register >>> here <<< until 19th February 2021.  


Preliminary programme of the online pre-course seminar

1st March 2021

2nd March 2021

* Each session includes a discussion on the topic based on materials sent prior to the seminar.

Testimonials 

“The whole course was really well done in both terms of form and content. Everything was thought through, communication was top notch. I believe I gained valuable knowledge in most of the topics. I can highly recommend this course to anyone who is interested in spatial research.” (Jan Dolezal, Charles University)

“Both [courses] were very enlightening and supported me during several steps of my PhD research.” (Marco Palma, Università Politecnica delle Marche)

FAQ

• I haven't received a confirmation email yet. Did something go wrong?

No. An official confirmation email will be sent to you within 10 working days. If you haven't received an email, please contact the secretariat at eurosdr@kuleuven.be.

• I would like to enroll to the e-learning course(s), but I am not able to attend the pre-course seminar.  Is that a problem?

No. It is not obligatory to attend the pre-course seminar. Please note that the fee for attending the pre-course seminar is always included in the total price.

• What does the course fee include?

The course fee includes all course materials, two-weeks of e-learning and participation at a two-day online seminar. 

• Can I pay by credit card?

Unfortunately we are unable to accept payment by credit card. However, payments can be made by bank transfer or by invoice.

• Is it possible to request an invoice?

Yes. If you would like to receive an invoice, please contact the secretariat as soon as possible at eurosdr@kuleuven.be. Please note that EuroSDR does not have a VAT number.

• Who can apply for a scholarship?

The scholarships are intended to Ph.D./Master students and other applicants with no or very limited financial support from their university or public institution. You can only apply for a scholarship if you take active part in all 4 EduServ courses (but we accept if at least two of them are successfully completed). Please note that successful applicants from previous years will be automatically excluded from the evaluation.

• When will I receive the login details of Moodle?

You will receive an email with the login details a couple of days prior to the start of the e-learning course you registered for (usually on the last Friday before the start of the course). If you haven't received any email by Friday evening, please contact the secretariat at eurosdr@kuleuven.be.  

• How long and when will I have access to the study materials?

• Will I receive a certificate?

Yes, you will receive a certificate of completion after successfully completing the e-learning course(s). This certificate will be sent to you by email or to the address you provided on the registration form -depending on which option you selected- latest at the beginning of July. If you haven't received your certificate by then, please contact the secretariat at eurosdr@kuleuven.be.

In case you did not pass the course(s) and actively participated in the course, it is possible to obtain a certificate of attendance. You can request this certificate by sending an email to eurosdr@kuleuven.be. 

For more information, please contact Ms. Tatjana Van Huyck at eurosdr@kuleuven.be.