Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur announced the launch of a new programme- Diploma of IIT (D-IIT) in Geodesy, the science of measuring the Earth, today, December 21. The new program, approved by the Board of Governors, IIT Kanpur, will be offered by the Department of Civil Engineering in three broad areas: Geodesy, Navigation and Mapping, and Remote Sensing and GIS.
The science of Geodesy has applications in monitoring earthquake, volcanic, landslide, and weather hazard recognition and response; soil health, water resources, and drought surveillance; climate change including monitoring the polar ice cover; oil spill clean-ups; GPS timing and autonomous vehicle development.
The new D-IIT program will be open to candidates from different backgrounds including Civil Engineering, Computer Science, Information Technology, Electrical and Electronics, Mining, Geoinformatics, Physics, Mathematics, Earth Science, Environmental Science, Geography, etc., with requirements as for the MTech / MS(R) program of Geoinformatics specialization in Civil Engineering. However, for the D-IIT program, the GATE requirement is waived for working professionals.
The one-year Diploma programme will add to the skillsets of working professionals from Government institutions, industry, faculty members, and researchers in academic institutions involved in teaching and R&D in the areas of civil engineering, exploration, mapping and geo-information systems.
Dr Radhakrishnan, Chairman Board of Governors, IIT Kanpur said, “The D-IIT programs launched at IIT Kanpur will raise the national capability in Geodesy and Navigation & Mapping besides impelling advance data analytics into Remote Sensing and GIS.”
Prof. Abhay Karandikar, Director, IIT Kanpur said “Geodesy is an area where well-qualified technical human resources, research activities, and geodetic infrastructure are required at the national level for the fast-developing infrastructure requirements in the country today. The National Center for Geodesy (NCG) has been established to enhance expertise in Geodesy and allied areas. The Centre's primary aim is to act as a hub of excellence in teaching and research in Geodesy, both at the national and the international level. An important mandate is to generate highly qualified manpower in Geodesy and relevant disciplines. The initiation of the DIIT program is a step forward towards achieving this mandate.”
Dr Sachchida Nand Tripathi, Professor and Head, Department of Civil Engineering said, “The new D-IIT program in Geodesy helps fill the critical gap in human resources as the country embarks on building major infrastructure, new telecommunication tools and online maps for directions, and mapping of natural resources. Geodesy is pivotal to these applications and Department of Civil Engineering at IIT-K is the first in the country to realise the need for such training and capacity building in this important area.”
Financial assistance for the D-IIT program in Geodesy is available through the National Centre for Geodesy (NCG), supported by the Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India.
