Geo Information in Disaster Situations
*This course is offered every other year. Next course is in Spring Semester 2025.
Get hands-on experience in situation mapping focusing on disaster situations. This includes effective disaster management and response through rapid utilization of information and data from many sources.
To provide humanitarian professionals with the best Geo Information System (GIS) tools and satellite-based solutions (UNOSAT), this course is offered as a collaboration between the Departments of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management and Public Health at University of Copenhagen and the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR/UNOSAT), Geneva, Switzerland.
You will get an overview of tools available in the Geographic Information System (GIS) software for situation mapping. Through work on a specific case study, you get hands-on experience in identifying, collecting, preparing, analysing and creating situation maps for a disaster-prone city.
A central part of the course is the case which involves collecting information and GIS data from web sources, as well as preparing, analyzing and creating situation maps for a disaster prone city. Hands-on experience with the field data collection tools like GPS and PDA will also be part of the course. You will work with the case throughout the course.
During this course, you learn to critically analyse the prerequisites and challenges for effective situation analysis; carry out rapid mapping; and undertake preliminary damage assessments. You will be able to work with basic GIS tools to prepare situation maps.
On completion of the course, you will be able to:
- Collect various disaster related information including GIS
- Use basic GIS tools to prepare situation maps
- Understand the role of Geo information in the response phase of a disaster
- Do a preliminary damage assessment after a disaster based on the available spatial information
- Collect GIS information from web and prepare, analyse and produce maps for a disaster situation
Participants must
- Hold a relevant bachelor degree or equivalent
- Have a minimum 2 years of relevant job experience
- Be proficient in English
Find detailed information about the current admission criteria.
Peter Furu, Associate Professor, Global Health Section, Department of Public Health, University of Copenhagen.
This course is offered as an elective part of the Master of Disaster Management
Priority is given to students enrolled on Master of Disaster Management. Once the enrolled students have been admitted to the course, the remaining seats are distributed on a first-come, first-served basis.
Course details
| Duration: | 3 weeks |
| Dates: | 10 - 27 February 2025 |
| Frequency: | Once every year if there are sufficient number of registered participants |
| Place: | University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark |
| Course fee: | EU/EEA citizens Master student: 13,500 DKK Single course student: 21,000 DKK Non-EU/EEA citizens Master student: 19,250 DKK Single course student: 25,000 DKK Terms and conditions |
| Level and credit: | Master's course; 5 ECTS |
| Examination date: | See exam dates |
| Application deadline: | 19 December 2024 |
| Admission: | To be admitted, you must meet the admission criteria for Master of Disaster Management |