Guwahati, May 23: Premier biodiversity conservation organisation, Aaranyak (www.aaranyak.org) has facilitated a training on basics of Remote Sensing and GIS in its research office here for wildlife researchers, conservationists and forest department personnel.

The six-day training exposed the participants to theoretical concepts of Remote sensing, Geographical Information System (GIS) and Global Positioning System (GPS).

Hands-on training on selection and download of satellite imagery and open source GIS software, pre-processing of satellite imagery, GIS data preparation and editing, map preparation were provided to the participants.

A field visit to Assam State Zoo and Botanical Garden here was organised to familiarize the participants to field data collection using GPS device and GPS Essentials mobile application. The GPS hands-on training was conducted with GPS device support from Rufford's Small Grants Foundation.

GIS Professional from Aaranyak’s Geo-spatial Technology and Application Division Avishek Sarkar said “The applications of GPS, Remote sensing and GIS in the field of wildlife research and conservation is immense. We try to inculcate a basic understanding of these applications to our participants through theoretical as well as hands-on practical. We try to keep our training sessions simple and basic, to cater to the beginners.”

The participants summed up what they had learnt from this training held during May 15-20, in the form of group presentations, which was followed by a valedictory session, where senior scientists from Aaranyak Dr Bibhab Kumar Talukdar, Dr Dilip Chetry, and Udayan Borthakur, Senior Manager of Geo-spatial Technology and Application Division Arup Kumar Das, Senior Manager of Aaranyak’s Legal and Advocacy Division Dr Jimmy Borah, Coordinator for the 25th RS & GIS training programme and Senior GIS Analyst Madhumita Borthakur and other experts from Aaranyak interacted with the participants. All the participants were provided with a certificate each on completion of the training.

“Keeping in mind the importance of GPS and GIS tools in conservation and development planning, Aaranyak launched its Geo-Spatial Technology and Application Division (GTAD) in 2005. GPS has proven to be an important tool in today's world for mapping land use changes, navigating aeroplanes, ships, and vehicles, among other things. The use of GIS tools has played a crucial role in providing valuable data, information, and insights through GIS-based maps in order to enable better decision-making,” said Dr Bibhab Kumar Talukdar, CEO of Aaranyak.