Remote Sensing Education Programmes

In response to development concerns, a new University is being established in French Guiana. Several research institutions that are working locally on Amazonian topics (biodiversity, geoscience, diseases, languages etc.) have been consulted to propose high level education programmes in the related fields. Since remote sensing is a key technology for the development of tropical regions, the remote sensing department of IRD (ex-ORSTOM) contributed to the design of specific modules at different levels. Two background elements were taken into account, namely, the specificities of the Amazonian region in terms of remote sensing implementation, and the employment market. Due to the isolation of French Guiana far from Europe, North America and South Brazil, the potential of distance learning is considered with interest as well as its limitations. Two modules, proposed at undergraduate and graduate levels, are presented here.