*Under evaluation from the Cyprus Agency of Quality Assurance and Accreditation in Higher Education
Geoinformatics and Remote Sensing synthesize aspects of various scientific fields, as well as associated methods and techniques, including Geodesy, Geophysics, Geographic Information Systems, Photogrammetry, Information Science, Geomathematics, Geostatistics, which are employed in all stages of collection, storage, management, analysis and dissemination of geographic information. Geoinformatics support a wide range of social and environmental decisions, both in the private and public sectors. There is, however, a continuous need for training and specialization of scientists and engineers capable of addressing the increasing requirements of society related to collecting, managing and analyzing geospatial information, the volume of which increases with unprecedented pace.
Earth observation is the gathering of information about planet Earth’s physical, chemical and biological systems. It involves monitoring and assessing the status of, and changes in, the natural and man-made environment. In recent years, Earth observation has become more and more sophisticated with the development of remote-sensing satellites and increasingly high-tech “in-situ” instruments. The integration of novel Earth Observation (EO), space and ground-based integrated technologies, can contribute to a more sustainable and systematic monitoring of the environment, the timely detection of societal risks/threats and the growth of vital economic sectors. The ultimate goal is to foster the sustainable development in line with the international policy framework (EU Societal Challenges, UN SDGs, Sendai Framework, Paris Agreement) and provide critical information through end user products to policy makers, local, national and regional authorities, citizens and tourists.
The master’s program “Geoinformatics and Earth Observation” constitutes a competitive program of international standards, which:
- provides the opportunity for specialization and knowledge expansion in Geoinformatics, cutting edge Geospatial Technologies and Earth Observation
- promotes high-quality research in the fields of Geoinformatics, Geospatial Technologies and Earth Observation
- provides the opportunity to come across with high-level and high-quality research funded activities such as the EXCELSIOR H2020 TEAMING Project
- prepares students towards the continuation of their education at a PhD level
- equips students with additional qualifications and skills related to Geoinformatics, Geospatial Technologies and Earth Observation in order to seek employment with greater competence in the public or private sector.
- provides the opportunity to employees already working in the public or private sector to continue their education in a graduate level, thus offering professional advancement opportunities.
The program consists of 13 courses, which also include a master’s thesis. The course list and content description are given at the tab “Courses”. It is noted that all classes are three (3) hours long and correspond to 6 ECTS, while the master’s thesis corresponds to 30 ECTS.
The students have the opportunity to specialized in two areas: Geoinformatics & Earth Observation (EO). Specialization is achieved via courses in research methods, elective courses, seminars/labs (workshops) and the master’s thesis. Specialization in Geoinformatics aims at providing the methodological and algorithmic/computational knowledge necessary to comprehend relevant new technologies & aims at the application of the above methodologies/technologies in various fields, such as environment, infrastructure, etc. Specialization in EO for Monitoring the Environment aims at providing methodological and algorithmic/computational knowledge necessary to comprehend relevant new technologies of EO in the following areas: Environment and Climate (atmosphere, agriculture, water, land), Resilient Societies (disasters risk reduction, cultural heritage, marine safety and security, energy) and Big Earth Data Management (information extraction, visual exploration and visualization, crowdsourcing and data fusion, Geo-informatics). Emphasis will be given on research excellence in five application areas, which include Climate Change Monitoring, Water Resource Management, Disaster Risk Reduction, Access to Energy and Big EO Data Analytics.
The curriculum of the program includes only compulsory courses, which are credited with six (6) ECTS each. Five (5) courses are held during the first semester (Autumn semester) and five (5) during the second semester (Spring semester). The topic of the postgraduate dissertation is chosen within the autumn semester and is inextricably linked to the course of research methods and specialization. The elaboration of the postgraduate dissertation starts at the beginning of the summer period, once the teaching part of the program is successfully completed, and is expected to be completed at the end of the summer period.
The program is offered in the form of full or part time. In the case of full-time study, the program is completed in thirteen (13) months which includes two academic semesters and the summer period. The latter begins immediately after the end of the Spring semester and includes the months of June, July, August and September. In the case of part-time study, the program can be completed in four (4) academic semesters. For the summer period after the end of the two years of teaching, the same applies in the case of full-time study.
