GIS laboratory opened at Armenia-based YSUAC

A geographic information system (GIS) laboratory will henceforth operate at Yerevan State University of Architecture and Construction (YSUAC).
 
This is the only laboratory in Armenia's education and private sectors. The €1,000,000 worth project will last for three years. The Tempus program will sponsor the project.

The laboratory is equipped with 31 computers, with licensed ArcGIS 10.0 software installed, and geodesic instruments. The laboratory affords ample opportunities for training highly skilled specialists. Almost all sectors of Armenia's economy need such specialists now.

Under the project, similar laboratories have been opened at Yerevan State University and State Agrarian University of Armenia.
In 2010, the YSUAC proposed implementation of a GIS program. The Royal Institute of Technology (Sweden) approved of the project. In 2010, ten universities and one government agency formed a consortium. The Royal Institute of Technology is coordinating the project. Polytechnic University of Valencia and University of Applied Sciences Stuttgart are partners of the project.
The aim of the project is to improve higher education in geodesy and geoinformatics in Armenia, Ukraine and Moldova, promoting the countries' steady development.

The project envisages the improvement of geodesic education programs and development of training aids, six opening of new GIS laboratories and retraining of personnel by means of training courses.

The project was launched at the YSUAC last December. By November, 2011, GIS laboratories had been opened in Armenia, Moldova and Ukraine and conducted two 2-week training courses. One training course for 32 young lecturers, with 20 of them being from Armenia, is being conducted at the YSUAC.

A number of training courses are expected to be held in Stuttgart, Stockholm and Lvov. Nineteen YSUAC lecturers, eight lecturers from the Agrarian University and seven lecturers from Yerevan State University will be retrained. Also, two students from each of the aforementioned Armenian higher schools will be afforded opportunities to continue their education at European partner schools for three months.