Network Integrity Assurance Technologies (NiAT) Sdn Bhd, the only local satellite communication service provider in Brunei Darussalam, recently hosted a one-day GIS Day Capacity Building Programme (CBP) which took place at the Muslihun Conference Room, Institute of Brunei Technical Education’s (IBTE) Nakhoda Ragam Campus. The event was held in conjunction with the World Geographic Information System (GIS) Day celebrated on 16th November this year.
Around 22 HNTec Geomatics and HNTec in Real Estate Management and Agency students and instructors from the IBTE Nakhoda Ragam Campus took part in the event.
Present during the event were Cikgu Noorisman bin Mentarais Head of School of Building Technology Services, IBTE Nakhoda Ragam Campus; Cikgu Shahrimawaty binti Abdul Karim, Academic Manager at IBTE Nakhoda Ragam Campus; Siti Nur Aazzah binti Pehin Dato Haji Abdul Aziz, Deputy Chief Executive of NiAT; instructors and staff of IBTE Nakhoda Ragam Campus and NiAT; as well as the participating students.
In her opening remarks, Siti Nur Aazzah stressed that GIS has become an integral element of many disciplines and intersects across every aspect of the modern information system, and that everyone may benefit from GIS knowledge and learning how to use GIS technology.
“GIS covers remote sensing, satellite imagery, and mapping tools. Location is everything nowadays. Location drives our lives. GIS data provides longitude, latitude, and other location intelligence. GIS data extraction enables us to answer questions as: Where should you locate your business? Where to buy a house? Where should you send your kids to school? Where will I be less at risk of a natural disaster? or how you utilize GIS to leverage or extract the value of location holistically?”.
She went on to explain that the session serves as a practice towards generating spatially literate learners who can visualize and analyze location, distance, direction, connections, movement, and change using satellite imagery and space.
“We believe that this session will provide the students with opportunities to challenge themselves to think critically from a different perspective and develop a sense of awareness of their surroundings so that they can gain a deeper understanding of the situation and make decisions based on the data they collected. Such competence is crucial and the notion of WHERE is applicable in every aspect of their lives, not just their profession”.
The program proceeded with a training session presented by NiAT’s GIS Engineer, Emily Yong Pey Pey, trained the participants to use the ArcGIS platform prior to the commencement of the Hackathon activity.
During the Hackathon, the participants were challenged to sketch the roofs of Lugu National Housing and Katok National Housing in groups of two. They were given access GIS software and a satellite imagery base map of Brunei, which they used to trace the roof’s outline as seen in satellite images. In addition to learning how to create a 3D map of the house, students used the map to build data layers based on image interpretation.
The map overlays created by the students will potentially be incorporated into NiAT’s potential solar power project, which will quantify the amount of solar radiation that can be absorbed by building roofs. Each group then presented their results and maps to the audience and described how they obtained their geographical data and content with GIS.
Siti Nur Aazzah and Emily Yong later presented certificate of participation to the participating students. Afterwards, one group was awarded Speed Mapper, while two others were given Most Outstanding Map.
Pleased with what they have learnt, the participant looked forward to exploring and learning more about GIS technology, GIS capabilities, and GIS tools in the classroom.
To further pique the students’ interest in GIS, they were given extended time to explore ArcGIS. They were provided ArcGIS Pro subscription with GIS Pro License and 3D extensions. In addition to having access to the system, they also have access to NiAT’s technical support for any assistance required.
Cikgu Shahrimawaty expressed her desire to integrate GIS into her teaching course, particularly on GeoUrban Site, and showed her appreciation to NiAT for providing the students with the opportunity to explore GIS technology.
The purpose of the event was to promote the use of GIS software in academic institutions in Brunei and stimulate innovative solutions using GIS and satellite data while bolstering students and teachers with new skills and competencies. The event is also part of NiAT’s initiative to build educated and highly-skilled human capital in support of Brunei’s Nation Vision 2035.
