Interdisciplinary Department of Remote Sensing and GIS Applications
ABOUT THE DEPARTMENT
Dept. data last updated on :14/06/2026
Interdisciplinary
Department of Remote Sensing and GIS Applications
Aligarh Muslim University
Faculty of Science
VISION
To attain
global excellence in geospatial education, research, and innovation, nurturing
competent professionals committed to the sustainable development of the nation
and humanity.
MISSION
1. To develop skilled human resources equipped to serve
diverse professions within the geospatial domain, addressing contemporary
industry and societal demands.
2.
To
foster academic growth through rigorous, state-of-the-art postgraduate and
doctoral programmes aligned with national educational standards and
international best practices.
3.
To
identify and pursue thrust areas of geospatial research driven by national
priorities and global challenges, ensuring relevance, impact, and scientific
advancement.
4.
To
generate and disseminate new knowledge through cutting-edge, interdisciplinary
research that pushes the frontiers of remote sensing and GIS science.
5.
To forge
robust industry–academia linkages through collaborative projects, consultancy
engagements, and institutional partnerships at the national and international
levels.
Historical Background
and Institutional Evolution
The
application of remote sensing in the earth sciences at Aligarh Muslim
University traces its origins to 1984, when the "Remote Sensing
Applications Centre for Resource Evaluation and Geoengineering" was formally
established under the directorship of the late Professor Iqbaluddin — a
pioneering figure whose vision laid the academic and research foundation of the
discipline at the university. The Centre introduced an M.Phil. programme in
1987, followed by a doctoral programme in 1990, collectively conferring nine
M.Phil. and seven PhD degrees in remote sensing.
In the academic
session 2014–15, the Centre was elevated to an independent department within
the Faculty of Science — the Interdisciplinary Department of Remote Sensing and
GIS Applications. Concurrent with this transition, the department launched a
postgraduate programme, M.Sc. (Remote Sensing & GIS Applications), with an
initial intake of 15 students, subsequently expanded to 20. The department
currently supports twenty doctoral scholars actively engaged in advanced
research.
International Affiliations and Academic Recognition
The
department has established a distinguished portfolio of international
partnerships and institutional recognitions. Since 2020, the department — and, by extension, Aligarh Muslim University — has been a member of the United
Nations Global Geospatial Information Management (UN-GGIM) Academic Network. In
2023, the department was inducted into the United Nations University –
Promotion of Sustainability in Postgraduate Education and Research Network
(UNU-ProSPER.Net), headquartered in Japan, further strengthening its commitment
to sustainability-oriented research and education.
Nationally,
the department established the Aligarh Chapter of the Indian Society of Remote
Sensing (ISRS) in 2020 and continues to serve as an active institutional
representative of the Society. Most recently, the department has been
designated as an Open Source Geospatial Knowledge Partner by the FOSSGE GIS
initiative at the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IITB), underscoring
its leadership in open-source geospatial education.
Infrastructure and Technological Capabilities
The
department is equipped with a state-of-the-art geospatial analysis laboratory
furnished with comprehensive hardware and software resources tailored to the
training and research requirements of postgraduate students and doctoral
researchers. Its UAV-based sensing systems support photogrammetric and thermal
environmental studies, complemented by advanced drone image-processing
platforms such as Pix4D and WebODM.
Consistent
with its commitment to open-source principles, the department employs a robust
suite of Free and Open-Source Software (FOSS) tools — including QGIS, SAGA,
SNAP, OpenJUMP, Google Earth Engine, and WebODM — promoting an institutional
culture of accessible, transparent, and reproducible geospatial science. The
department further maintains a seminar library and modern, technology-enabled
classrooms to support high-quality academic instruction.
Faculty Recognition and Student Outcomes
The
department's faculty have been honoured with the National Geospatial Faculty
Fellow Award (2024), a testament to their scholarly contributions and
professional eminence. Graduates of the department have achieved notable
placements across the corporate, government, and academic sectors, including
positions at Tata Steel, WPS (a multinational corporation based in Bengaluru),
and the National Institute of Hydrology (NIH), Roorkee.
Several
alumni have pursued doctoral studies at internationally renowned institutions,
including the University of Waikato in New Zealand, Parthenope University of Naples in Italy, and IIT Guwahati. The department's students also demonstrate
consistent performance in the Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE) –
Geomatics, securing competitive ranks annually.
Interdisciplinary Department of Remote Sensing and GIS Applications
Aligarh Muslim University
Faculty of Science
VISION
To attain global excellence in geospatial education, research, and innovation, nurturing competent professionals committed to the sustainable development of the nation and humanity.
MISSION
1. To develop skilled human resources equipped to serve diverse professions within the geospatial domain, addressing contemporary industry and societal demands.
2. To foster academic growth through rigorous, state-of-the-art postgraduate and doctoral programmes aligned with national educational standards and international best practices.
3. To identify and pursue thrust areas of geospatial research driven by national priorities and global challenges, ensuring relevance, impact, and scientific advancement.
4. To generate and disseminate new knowledge through cutting-edge, interdisciplinary research that pushes the frontiers of remote sensing and GIS science.
5. To forge robust industry–academia linkages through collaborative projects, consultancy engagements, and institutional partnerships at the national and international levels.
Historical Background
and Institutional Evolution
The application of remote sensing in the earth sciences at Aligarh Muslim University traces its origins to 1984, when the "Remote Sensing Applications Centre for Resource Evaluation and Geoengineering" was formally established under the directorship of the late Professor Iqbaluddin — a pioneering figure whose vision laid the academic and research foundation of the discipline at the university. The Centre introduced an M.Phil. programme in 1987, followed by a doctoral programme in 1990, collectively conferring nine M.Phil. and seven PhD degrees in remote sensing.
In the academic session 2014–15, the Centre was elevated to an independent department within the Faculty of Science — the Interdisciplinary Department of Remote Sensing and GIS Applications. Concurrent with this transition, the department launched a postgraduate programme, M.Sc. (Remote Sensing & GIS Applications), with an initial intake of 15 students, subsequently expanded to 20. The department currently supports twenty doctoral scholars actively engaged in advanced research.
International Affiliations and Academic Recognition
The department has established a distinguished portfolio of international partnerships and institutional recognitions. Since 2020, the department — and, by extension, Aligarh Muslim University — has been a member of the United Nations Global Geospatial Information Management (UN-GGIM) Academic Network. In 2023, the department was inducted into the United Nations University – Promotion of Sustainability in Postgraduate Education and Research Network (UNU-ProSPER.Net), headquartered in Japan, further strengthening its commitment to sustainability-oriented research and education.
Nationally, the department established the Aligarh Chapter of the Indian Society of Remote Sensing (ISRS) in 2020 and continues to serve as an active institutional representative of the Society. Most recently, the department has been designated as an Open Source Geospatial Knowledge Partner by the FOSSGE GIS initiative at the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IITB), underscoring its leadership in open-source geospatial education.
Infrastructure and Technological Capabilities
The department is equipped with a state-of-the-art geospatial analysis laboratory furnished with comprehensive hardware and software resources tailored to the training and research requirements of postgraduate students and doctoral researchers. Its UAV-based sensing systems support photogrammetric and thermal environmental studies, complemented by advanced drone image-processing platforms such as Pix4D and WebODM.
Consistent with its commitment to open-source principles, the department employs a robust suite of Free and Open-Source Software (FOSS) tools — including QGIS, SAGA, SNAP, OpenJUMP, Google Earth Engine, and WebODM — promoting an institutional culture of accessible, transparent, and reproducible geospatial science. The department further maintains a seminar library and modern, technology-enabled classrooms to support high-quality academic instruction.
Faculty Recognition and Student Outcomes
The department's faculty have been honoured with the National Geospatial Faculty Fellow Award (2024), a testament to their scholarly contributions and professional eminence. Graduates of the department have achieved notable placements across the corporate, government, and academic sectors, including positions at Tata Steel, WPS (a multinational corporation based in Bengaluru), and the National Institute of Hydrology (NIH), Roorkee.
Several alumni have pursued doctoral studies at internationally renowned institutions, including the University of Waikato in New Zealand, Parthenope University of Naples in Italy, and IIT Guwahati. The department's students also demonstrate consistent performance in the Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE) – Geomatics, securing competitive ranks annually.
Chairman and Associate Professor