University master's degrees
University Master's Degree in Remote Sensing and Geographical Information Systems

Specialist training in Earth-observation techniques for studying the territory and managing its resources.

Official Master's Degree in Remote Sensing and Geographical Information Systems

Ideal student profile

The Master’s Degree in Remote Sensing and GIS is aimed at graduates and diploma holders interested in the fundamentals and applications of Remote Sensing and Geographic Information Systems (GIS).

Ideally, students are expected to come from university degrees such as Geography, Environmental Sciences, Biology, Geology, Geodesy, Geomatics and Surveying Engineering, Agricultural Engineering, Forestry Engineering, Computer Engineering, Architecture, Archaeology, or other disciplines related to environmental and territorial management, as well as Physics, Mathematics, Statistics, Telecommunications, Computer Science, or equivalent qualifications.

Students are expected to have motivation and a desire for knowledge in geospatial tools and their multiple applications in areas such as environmental management, land-use planning, agriculture, urban planning, among others, as well as organizational and work planning skills.

A certain knowledge of the English language (B1 level) is recommended for proper use of bibliographic resources during the course.

Knowledge

  • Define the foundations of the cartographic tradition regarding the abstraction of geographic reality, and its needs in conceptual (semantic, etc.) and geometric terms (projections, reference systems, positioning systems, etc.).
  • Define the theoretical foundations of Remote Sensing.
  • Define the theoretical foundations related to Remote Sensing platforms and sensors.
  • Define the theoretical foundations of Geographic Information Systems (GIS), with special attention to the abstractions that allow the digital representation of geographic reality through models, data structures, formats, and geoservices.
  • Identify the characteristics and functionalities of different Cartography, RS, and GIS tools.
  • Identify strategies for information sharing through international standards (such as those of OGC or ISO) in the management of geospatial data in professional technical environments (such as Spatial Data Infrastructures, SDI) to achieve interoperability and compliance with the principles of Findability, Accessibility, Interoperability, and Reusability (FAIR).
  • Identify effective communication strategies to convey conclusions, knowledge, and the foundations that support them, clearly and precisely, to both specialized and non-specialized audiences, avoiding ambiguities and adapting the message to the recipient’s profile.
  • Identify the principles, techniques, and applications that facilitate the critical interpretation of geospatial information, including reflections on social and ethical responsibilities, with special attention to inequalities based on linguistic, cultural, gender, or origin factors.

Skills

  • Use different specialized software programs for Cartography, RS, and GIS to analyze and manage spatial data.
  • Select the most appropriate software tools for spatial planning and analysis projects.
  • Represent a geographic reality rigorously and effectively through cartographic products, both in digital and analog formats, properly applying the principles of spatial representation, symbology, generalization, and cartographic design.
  • Apply knowledge about RS platforms and sensors to select optimal data (spectrally, temporally, spatial resolution, etc.) for different types of studies.
  • Develop various methodologies for primary processing of images obtained by remote sensors for subsequent extraction of geographic information.
  • Use different techniques and concepts to generate, from spatial databases, useful information for territorial analysis.
  • Apply machine learning (ML) techniques and big data processing for the analysis of massive geospatial data under a scientifically conscious approach and with social responsibility.
  • Analyze geographic information from various sources using techniques and concepts that allow generating new cartographic products and advanced spatial analyses.
  • Properly determine geospatial data formats and metadata considering international standards for documenting and publishing these in any medium, particularly in Internet geoservices.

Competences

  • Formulate research methodologies in Remote Sensing and GIS aimed at the analysis and processing of data from different sources, applied to social, environmental, and territorial studies.
  • Review, using the resources (instrumental, data, information processing, etc.) specific to RS and GIS, complex problems that may require the joint consideration of spatial, thematic, and temporal aspects, and in unknown or multidisciplinary environments.
  • Design innovative solutions based on GIS tools to support political governance, as well as the management and exploitation of natural resources or administrative information with a spatial component.
  • Design R&D&I projects in RS and GIS in collaboration with universities, research centers, administrations, and companies in the sector.