Remote Sensing and Geographic Information Systems in Developing Countries: Case of the United Arab Emirates (UAE)

Remote Sensing (RS) and Geographic Information System (GIS) education and implementation is rapidly being adopted by universities in developing countries, such as the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Until recently, the use of GIS and RS in education in the UAE was hindered by the cost of hardware and the complexity of software. With the price/performance increase of desktop computer capabilities and new low cost and user-friendly software, more universities in the UAE have been able to acquire GIS/RS hardware and software. A survey investigating demand for scientists able to use these technologies in various organizations in the UAE showed that the demand for GIS/RS professionals is between one to fifteen persons per organization. This article focuses on GIS/RS education in the UAE, provides case studies of implementation of GIS/RS, highlights the global cooperation between UAE and international bodies, and identifies problems related to GIS/RS education as well as catalysts that may play an important role in its development. It is anticipated that other nations can make use of the UAE experience in GIS/RS education, implementation, identification of problems, and recommendations for possible solutions.