From: http://irsel.eu

Description of the IRSEL Project Brief summary

Project Data Sheet

Instrument: Erasmus+ Capacity Building in Higher Education, Key Action 2

Project ID: 586037-EPP-1-2017-1-HU-EPPKA2-CBHE-JP

Project Name: Innovation on Remote Sensing Education and Learning

Project Acronym: IRSEL

Project Volume: 990 044 EUR

Project Duration: 15.10.2017-14.10.2020

Project Overview

The wider objective of the project is to develop an innovative learning platform, a Learning Management System (LMS) for Asian countries, China and Thailand, which has already relevant activity in the field of RS. Though the content of the proposed LMS would not correspond to any level of tertiary level education, it is basically planned to be developed for meet MSc standards to BSc of related disciplines to RS.

More specifically it is planned by improving the related education 1) by establishing LMS at each Asian universities, 2) by creating a Knowledge Pool of high level eLearning teaching materials for a wider scientific and engineering community, and 3) by organizing workshops, a trainings and a summer school for the teaching staff and students.

The promotion of the professional development of staff and youth workers in the field of remote sensing and related interdisciplinary sciences is planned to be implemented in the form of a Learning Management System, which makes use of recent advancements of ICT methodologies and technologies. Transversal skills, e.g. digital competences, or in general, 21th century skills are developed by the proposed education form, i.e. a practical remote teaching in a true multi-organizational collaboration.

The proposed LMS would host 20 newly developed modules on remote sensing in the curricula of participating universities, improving the quality of higher education, delivering a background for studying the practical use of the remote sensing techniques. This would by time enhance the practical use of remote sensing on a wide range of applications serving the labour market and society. The competences and skills in the participating HEIs will be developed by the use of these learning modules.

The LMS proposed to be developed at 4 Asian universities would serve the practical applicability of remote sensing data for wide range of disciplines (including different tasks of Environmental protection, Agriculture, forestry and fishery, Physical sciences, Engineering and engineering trades, Transport services, Security services). The aim of the LMS is to foster the uptake of remote sensing applications to boost the benefits that space brings to society and the wider economy.

The project objective is also in line with the intention of the EU space strategy. The EU space strategy in the document “2016 Communication on a Space Strategy for Europe” fosters the uptake of space techniques applications. “The Commission’s aim is to optimise the benefits that space brings to society and the wider EU economy. Achieving this means boosting demand among public and private users, facilitating access to and use of space data, and stimulating the development and use of innovative downstream applications.” The demand is in line with the practice observed in the field of Remote Sensing (RS), which has wide range of potential applications unused.

Aims, objectives

Develop an innovative learning platform for Asian countries with relevant activity in the field of Remote Sensing

Objectives:

1. To ensure researchers and academic staff in RS and geospatial sciences for studies integrated into world-wide sustainability academia (research) community;

2. To strengthen and integrate RS and geospatial science into Multi-Inter-Trans-Cross- Disciplinary sustainability studies and research of Socio-Ecological Systems;

3. To enhance the role of Asian institutions in socio-ecological systems studies and researches for the benefit of Asian region;

4. To promote internationalization on the relevant knowledge areas;

5. To enhance international cooperation between EU and Asian universities and research institutions.

Background

The EU space strategy in the document “2016 Communication on a Space Strategy for Europe” fosters the uptake of space techniques applications. “The Commission’s aim is to optimise the benefits that space brings to society and the wider EU economy. Achieving this means boosting demand among public and private users, facilitating access to and use of space data, and stimulating the development and use of innovative downstream applications.” The project is suitable to “COPERNICUS building skills actions” that highlighted the need of education and skilling of the young generation for the uptake of space data and their integration and use for the benefit of the society (EU Competitiveness Council, 26/27 May). The Building skills actions to strength cooperation with KICs (Knowledge Innovation Communities) developed under the 2020 EIT (European Institute of Innovation and Technology) initiative.

These are in line with the practice of Remote Sensing (RS), which has wide range of potential applications unused. The project fosters widening the range of applications of RS data. In the frame of the project the target region is Asian countries, which are important geopolitical partners of the EU in the field of geosciences.

The Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st-century Maritime Silk Road, also known as The Belt and Road (B&R), One Belt, One Road (OBOR) or the Belt and Road Initiative is a development strategy and framework, proposed by Chinese paramount leader Xi Jinping that focuses on connectivity and cooperation among countries primarily between China and the rest of Eurasia. The starting point “The Belt and Road” construction is interconnection infrastructure, agricultural technology and water-saving technology cooperation, green energy cooperation, in the information society, all of which need geographic information to support, the needs of surveying and mapping geographic information technology firstly, as a key means of spatial data acquisition, RS will play the key role.

Innovation and cooperation is the trend of international development. The purpose of this project is suitale to “National Innovation Driven Development Strategy Outline” promulgated by Chinese government in 2016. In the “outline” that ” Science and technology have become the most important strategic resources of national strength, and innovation has become the core factor of policy making and institutional arrangement. To promote the reform of the new ideas, new discoveries, new knowledge, new principle, new method of initiative to strengthen the source of reserves. To promote the coordinated development of discipline equalization, strengthen interdisciplinary and integration, pay attention to the support of a number of non consensus projects, cultivate new discipline and characteristic disciplines”.” innovation” has become a priority in China’s affairs.

Thailand has passed through three economic development models. Thailand 1.0 was based on traditional agriculture, before transitioning to the light industry of Thailand 2.0 and then currently the heavy industry. During the third phase, Thailand has been stuck in the middle-income trap and faces disparities and imbalanced development. Recently, Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha proposed the Thailand 4.0 model which focuses on a “value-based economy”- do less for more shifting from production of commodity to product-oriented, innovation, and changing driving country’s industrial area to technology based creativity and innovation industries. In Thailand 4.0 models, has shifts to smart farming, smart Enterprise startups, make new technologies, use of knowledge and skilled workers and give high value services.

Agriculture plays an important role in Thailand. More than 40% of the labor force (39 million people) is engaged with agricultural sector. However, the farmers are the poorest segment of the population due to the traditional farming practice. The Smart farm and Agro Geoinformatics approach will be adopted to increase the crop productivities, more efficient use of fertilizers, reduction in pesticides so that we will have fewer impacts in the environment. The multispectral imaging covers the large area with quick response from satellite observation, aircraft and UAV is an essential data source to support for leaving behind traditional farming and embarking on a substantial phase of “smart farming”. However, the lack of well-trained professional human resources in RS technology is the greatest barriers for the application of RS to agriculture sectors.

The purpose of this project is to increase educational opportunities; equip people with additional skills and additional knowledge. This program will offer knowledge which will increase the number of skilled resources for utilizing RS satellite data. Additionally, the knowledge from this project can be widely used in many fields like in planning land use, urban planning, environmental monitoring and geological surveys among others.

Partners

1) Obuda University (OU), Hungary

2) University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences (BOKU), Austria

3) Jagiellonian University (JU), Poland

4) University of Twente (UT), Netherlands

5) Fujian Normal University (FNU), China

6) Yunnan Normal University (YNNU), China

7) Asian Institute of Technology (AIT), Thailand

8) Khon Kaen University (KKU), Thailand

Associated partners

Government Office of the Capital City Budapest, Department of Geodesy, Remote Sensing and Land Offices, Hungary

Research Centre for Astronomy and Earth Sciences, Hungarian Academy of Science, Hungary

Yunnan Hanzhe Technology Co. Ltd., China

Southwest Forestry University, China

Mahasarakham University, Thailand

Thammasat University, Thailand

Outcomes

Competence development: Workshop on remote sensing experiences, Workshop on innovative teaching/learning methodologies, Train-the-teachers on learning management technologies. The activities result recommendations to improve learning support methodologies and updates the knowledge on remote sensing with the most recent results.

The hardware/software infrastructure of partner Asian universities will be developed by implementing a Knowledge Centre for the benefit of remote sensing applications, not exclusively for IRSEL partners, but covering the interdisciplinary users. A Feasibility study of post-project actions and a Business plan will ensure the sustainability of Knowledge Centres.

The eLearning culture is improved by implementing the Learning Management System. It results an IT platform for acquiring and sharing knowledge; eLearning Modules, learning guides, dissemination material.

Behind the improved traditional quality assurance processes, a new Quality Enhancement Programme will be introduced.

Partner Asian institutions will be able to increase cooperation with EU research institutes.

Society benefit from innovations is the wide range application of remote sensing observations, including applications for different tasks of environmental protection, agriculture, forestry and fishery, physical sciences, engineering and engineering trades, transport services, security services .

Specific outcomes:

International cooperation and agreements

New revised curricula

20 new modules

60 teachers retrained on workshops and a training

4 Knowledge Centres

Knowledge sharing platform, e-Learning infrastructure, Learning Managment System

Quality Manual, Quality monitoring reports, workshop, Course Evaluation Plan
Feasibility Study and Business Plan of Post-project Actions, Learning Guides, 20 students will be trained on a Summer School

PR materials, project website, publications, multiplier events

Impacts

1.The users: all partners’ (four European and four Asian Universiiesy) graduates and teachers that to participate in the project will be the first users of the project outputs / products / results. Second users are other teachers and students of these universities (including undergraduate and graduate students) and local government agencies (e.g. Geo-informatics and Space Technology Development Agency in Thailand). Third users are the other countries and universities’ teachers and students.

2. Way reach the users: the consortium will reach the first users by all the project outputs / products / results: an international academic network, 4 knowledge centres of the Asian partner universities; training of staff in remote sensing applications, 20 modular learning materials and datasets for RS & GIS applications. The consortium will reach the second users and third users by using all the project outputs / products / results and the first users’ spread, as well as the third users’ spread.

3. Impacts of projects to target groups
– For postgraduates in universities: Expect to better understand and learn RS technologies to help them integrate into the world’s sustainable academic community by using the new teaching content and teaching methods produced by the project, rather than being limited to a country or a region.

– For the universities: Adhere to open education (as this project), and constantly promote international exchanges and cooperation, international influence and competitiveness will certainly and significantly improved. It’s the same for each associated partners, as well as the whole countries.

– For the EU space industry and Earth observation segment: uptake of remote sensing satellite-borne applications, increased demand among public and private users for use of space data.

Contact

Contact Person: Duong Thi Van Nga
Email: office@irsel.eu

Project Manager: Bela Markus
Email: manager@irsel.eu

Project Coordinator: Lorant Foldvary
Email: coordinator@irsel.eu

Webmaster: Anna Kovacs
Email: webmaster@irsel.eu

( Details can be seen at: http://irsel.eu )