Preparatory Materials — Batch 2 (Part 1)¶
Pre-training preparation · 1–10 September 2026
Part 1 of the Batch 2 course is self-paced. These materials introduce the concepts and tools used on the in-person day, so that everyone begins from a common background and time in the room can be spent working on participants' own projects.
They remain available to all staff, and are the recommended starting point for colleagues preparing for Batch 3.
Suggested order
Work through the five sections below in sequence. Together they take approximately two to three hours.
No prior experience required
The Foundation Level course assumes no background in GIS, Remote Sensing or Earth Observation. These materials are an introduction, not a prerequisite test.
1 — Introduction to GIS and Remote Sensing¶
A five-part video series covering the fundamentals. Watch in order.
| Video | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Video 1 | Introduction to GIS and Remote Sensing |
| 2 | Video 2 | continued |
| 3 | Video 3 | continued |
| 4 | Video 4 | continued |
| 5 | Video 5 | continued |
2 — Earth Observation in development operations¶
Three short examples from the ESA Global Development Assistance programme, showing how Earth Observation is applied in projects financed by development institutions.
3 — Mainstreaming Earth Observation in IsDB operations¶
How Earth Observation enters the IsDB project cycle, and what it contributes at each stage.
- Training material — Mainstreaming EO in IsDB Operations
- Executive Briefing recording — the same subject at institutional level
4 — Using the eToolkit¶
The eToolkit generates an automated Earth Observation analysis report for a defined project area.
eToolkit access
Use the credentials issued to you by email before the in-person day. If you no longer have them, contact the GEIDA Programme team.
5 — Select your project¶
Choose one specific ongoing or pipeline IsDB project that you are implementing, supervising or preparing, to use as your practical case throughout the training. Where available, bring:
- Location and coordinates, boundary or area of influence
- Key project components
- The Results Framework and its indicators
- Project start and expected completion dates
Submit your project details through the project data form:
The same project carries through the in-person day and the Part 3 online sessions, where it becomes your applied case.
Further reading¶
- Online GIS Tools — every tool used in the course, all browser-based
- Data Sources — freely accessible datasets
- Video Tutorials — walkthroughs for the individual tools
- Glossary — terms used throughout the course