Geographic Information System (GIS) & Remote Sensing: Tools for planning water sensitive cities and green infrastructure

Date: January 6-11, 2020
Anil Agarwal Environment Training Institute (AAETI)
Nimli, Rajasthan (301405)

The use of Geographic Information System (GIS) and Remote Sensing (RS) is ubiquitous in our lives, where we use it for making better decisions. As cities witness unrelenting urbanisation and grow with each passing decade, the complexity of urban issues increases, particularly related to the urban water cycle and other dimensions of sustainable development. In order to address these challenges we need cost-effective solutions, rapid analysis and inter-linking of multi-disciplinary data and information. GIS and RS allow such multi-disciplinary approaches to be applied, using a range of data sources and in response to such complex problems.

Various initiatives like Smart Cities, AMRUT, National Urban Information Systems (NUIS), Water Resources Information Systems (WRIS), Bhuvan Portal (click) Portal have been using GIS and RS to address urban planning issues. With increased focus on water conservation and management under the Jal Shakti Abhiyaan (click), practitioners need to address water issues in a comprehensive manner, and provide rapid, sustainable solutions. The use of GIS and RS will allow managers and regulators to move efficiently from traditional planning and design techniques to smart, cost effective and sustainable solutions.
A partnership (click) between the School of Water and Waste (click) (a unit of CSE) and University of West England, Bristol (UWE) (click) has developed a 5 day residential training programme in GIS and RS. This training programme is a part of a series of joint events aimed at strengthening the community of practice for implementation of green infrastructure and water sensitive urban planning and design.

Course Aims and Objectives
The aim of the training is to build capacity of early and mid-career professionals in the application of GIS and RS for Green Infrastructure (GI) provision and Water Sensitive Urban Design and Planning.
The programme will include:

• Learning about various data portals, tools and methods which could be applied to urban regions of India.
• Hands on experience on RS and GIS tools for mapping and spatial analysis of watersheds.
• Interaction with international and national experts, academics and practitioners who have successfully undertaken case studies for supporting cities’ journey towards becoming water sensitive using GIS and RS. 

The course will include classroom lectures, presentations, case studies, group exercises, assignments and discussions.

About CSE & UWE
CSE is public interest research and advocacy organisation based in New Delhi, India. The Centre researches into, lobbies for and communicates the urgency of development that is both sustainable and equitable. CSE also assists the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Government of India as a Centre of Excellence in the area of sustainable urban water management aimed at mainstreaming reforms and capacity building of state/city official and published Practitioner’s Guides on WSUDP and GI.

The School of Water and Waste (SW&W) is a capacity building initiative of CSE which aims to establish policy principles, innovative technologies, and implementation strategies for city-wide water and sanitation management, which will lay the foundations for a water and waste-prudent society. Water problems jeopardise the survival of millions of people globally. Rapid and unregulated growth of towns and cities is a key reason for unsustainable water management.

The University of the West of England, Bristol is a large, modern University based in Bristol in the south west of the United Kingdom. We offer more than 600 courses at undergraduate and postgraduate level in a variety of disciplines. This course brings experienced teachers from the Department of Geography and Environmental Management (click) to deliver an engaging programme of instruction in GIS and Remote Sensing. The department delivers accredited and professionally recognised degree programmes in geography, planning, environmental management and civil engineering. GIS and remote sensing are integral components of our teaching and research expertise. Our participation in this course is supported by the Global Challenges Research Fund and the International Water Security Network (click). The International Water Security Network is funded by Lloyd’s Register Foundation, a charitable foundation helping to protect life and property by supporting engineering-related education, public engagement and the application of research. For more information, see: www.lrfoundation.org.uk   

Training Director

Dr Suresh Kumar Rohilla
Senior Director & Academic Director,
(School of Water and Waste, CSE, AAETI).
Email: srohilla@cseindia.org