Context: Under the project ‘Catalyzing Geospatial Capacity Building,’ directed by Prof. Dr. Shamita Kumar, BVIEER collaboratively partnered with the National Geospatial Program, Department of Science and Technology ( NGP-DST) , Government of India. The primary objective was to conduct workshops for teachers and educators in association with the State Council of Educational Research and Training ( SCERT) focused on spatial thinking to facilitate the localization of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Workshop Objectives: The workshops aimed to equip educators with the necessary knowledge and skills to leverage open-source geospatial technologies effectively. This initiative was designed to align with the competency-based education framework outlined in the National Education Policy 2020 and the directives of the National Geospatial Policy 2022.

Workshop Locations:

Hyderabad, Telangana : National Institute for Geoinformatics Science and Technology (NIGST), Survey of India , Hyderabad
Jammu, Jammu and Kashmir : Shri Ranbir School, Jammu
Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala : State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT), Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala
Gurugram, Haryana : State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT), Gurugram, Haryana
Key Highlights:

Inaugural Sessions: The workshops commenced with distinguished guests from respective SCERTs, education departments, remote sensing departments, or higher government positions inaugurating the events and setting the stage for insightful discussions. Dr Shubha Pandey, Scientist E, NGP-DST, was also present for the inaugural sessions and discussed the need for
Expert-led Discussions: Experts from various departments of respective states interacted with teachers and educators to explain how remote sensing as a technology impacts daily lives. They gave an overview of geospatial data available in public domain in the respective states. In her lectures, Dr. Shamita Kumar discussed the significance of spatial thinking and geospatial technologies in education. She highlighted the importance of spatial thinking as a problem-solving, anticipatory and critical thinking competency as per the NEP 2020. She shared practical insights to facilitate the integration of spatial thinking strategies into educational settings.
Hands-on Sessions: Participants actively engaged with open-source tools such as Google Maps, Google Earth, and the Epicollect 5 Apps in hands-on sessions led by Dr. Madhurima Dey and Ms. Samruddhi Patwardhan. Teachers were also asked to collect data through the applications. At NIGST, Hyderabad, they also visited CORS station and other geospatial facilities at the center. At SCERT Haryana, representatives from Survey of India showcased the working of drones to the participants.
Group Activities: At the end of the training, teachers were divided into groups. They were asked to discuss among themselves the kind of projects they can do with the students, highlighting the applications of spatial thinking and geospatial tools in addressing community challenges.
Valedictory Sessions: The workshops concluded with valedictory sessions attended by higher-order officials from respective SCERTs and/or education departments. The teachers were given certificates of participation and were asked to share their learnings from the day and give feedback about the workshop.
Conclusion: These workshops provided comprehensive platforms for educators to understand the integration of geospatial technologies in education, thereby contributing significantly to SDG localization efforts, orientation to geospatial technologies and capacity building of the teachers . Participants left the workshops equipped with practical insights and tools to effectively implement spatial thinking strategies in their respective educational institutions.