The international community will assist the Government of Afghanistan to improve the services to the communities at provincial and district level through Local Governance and Community Development Project (LGCD). LGCD will support the local government in implementation of small and medium scale projects in currently underserved provinces and districts. The project is currently providing support to the local governments in 16 provinces through 5 regional offices located in major Afghanistan cities.

Duties & Responsibilities

Purpose:

The GIS Officer will provide data collection, management and mapping expertise to LGCD staff which will support activities related to technical components of LGCD as well as security information management. She/he will also assist with data collection and verification, updating and standardization of existing available maps and integration of up-to-date security-related information.

Duties:

• Develop and maintain security-related spatial data and provide timely outputs as required by the security manager.
• Coordinate with the DAI Kabul to evaluate new options for reporting and mapping.
• Provide regular and timely map inputs into LGCD quarterly and annual reports.
• Develop maps and related graphics for LGCD presentations and publications.
• Assist the field engineers and M&E Staff in their work by providing geographical and spatial data on program activity locations;
• Collect, manage, integrate and analyze field data;
• Quality control on data collection and integration processes
• Basic map design and production for Infrastructure team;
• Work closely with IT and Database Officer;

Qualifications

• University degree or equivalent in related field
• 4-5 years work experience for senior level, and 2-4 years experience for officer level, preferably with international donor-funded projects, UN agencies or INGO’s on relevant programs in Afghanistan.
• Proficiency with ESRI ArcView 3.x required;
• Understanding of GPS field data collection practices (GARMIN) and the ability to train non-technical staff in field data collection techniques;
• Ability to understand and integrate data into a GIS/Spatial environment with little supervision;
• Proficiency with data management in Microsoft Excel and Access;
• Basic cartographic (Map) design capability;
• Fluency in English and Pashto, Dari a plus
• Excellent verbal and communication skills.
• Ability to follow standardized procedures and work individually as well as part of a greater team.

Submission Guideline

Please submit your applications including CV, cover-letter and three traceable references via email to:
HR Department
Local Governance & Community Development
Head Quarters (Main) Office
Lgcd.north@gmail.com
Please clearly specify in the email subject and cover letter which position you are applying for.
LGCD reserves the right to select one or more candidates from this vacancy announcement. We may also retain applications and consider candidates applying to this post for other similar positions with LGCD at the same grade level and with similar job descriptions, experience and education requirements.

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PhD Candidate in Land Remote Sensing at Wageningen University & Research Centre

Scientific fields: Agriculture
Function types: Research, Development, Innovation
Education: University Graduate
Hours: 38.0 hours per week
End procedure: 5 May 2010
Job number: ESG CGI-0013

Job Description
A PhD-candidate in land remote sensing `Applying terrestrial LIDAR to measure vegetation characteristics and improve remote sensing monitoring applications` The Centre for Geo-Information at Wageningen University (NL) is offering a PhD position for combining terrestrial LIDAR measurements and new remote sensing algorithms for monitoring of vegetation structure and biophysical variables; with focus on forest areas. The PhD student is expected to perform research on the analysis of hemispherical, multiple-return terrestrial LIDAR measurements and integrate such data with improved and innovative land remote sensing approaches for calibration and validation purposes. The methodological work will entail field campaigns (also international), the analysis of three-dimensional LIDAR signals to derive vegetation parameters, and the application of quantitative digital image analysis techniques. The research is part of international research collaborations.

Requirements:
MSc degree and experiences in relevant fields such as Remote Sensing, Forestry, Ecology, Environmental Science, or Geography. Knowledge in the areas of expected methodological work and programming skills in IDL or MATLAB is preferable. The candidate should have an interest to work in a research team including international partners.

Conditions of employment:
A full-time PhD-position for 4 years. There will be a probationary period of 18 months.The gross salary is € 2.042,- based on a full-time position in the first year and increases to € 2.612,- in the final year. Location: The candidate is expected to pursue a PhD study at Wageningen University’s Center of Geoinformation, Netherlands.

Additional Information:
More information is available through Prof. Dr. Martin Herold, e-mail martin.herold@wur.nl.
Website Centre : www.grs.wur.nl/UK/

Contract type:
Temporary, max. 4 jaar

Organisation:
Wageningen UR (University & Research centre) Centre for Geo-Information (CGI) has a leading role in the field of geo-information, remote sensing and ICT. With scientific, interdisciplinary and a user-oriented approach, CGI contributes to solutions of (inter-) national spatial topics.
Wageningen University and Research Centre Delivering a substantial contribution to the quality of life. That`s our focus – each and every day. Within our domain, healthy food and living environment, we search for answers to issues affecting society – such as sustainable food production, climate change and alternative energy. Of course, we don’t do this alone. Every day, 6,500 people work on ‘the quality of life’, turning ideas into reality, on a global scale. Could you be one of these people? We give you the space you need. For further information about working at Wageningen UR, take a look at www.jobsat.wur.nl.

Additional information:
martin.herold@wur.nl
The short URL code for this job opening is: 4117
Direct link to this job www.academictransfer.com/4117

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Scholarship applications can be extremely complex and confusing. Not only does every different scholarship body want something different, but none of them seem to set the deadline dates for the same week, which no doubt would confuse you even more! When you are applying for college, it can seem like you are going round in an endless circle, trying to finish tasks that you have already started but seemingly getting nowhere. It can be a chore just to finish one application to a college, let alone fill in several for scholarships as well. However, help is at hand and you can make life easier for yourself with these basic tips:

Read every application carefully

Every scholarship requires something different because no two are the same, so you cannot just fill out one for them all and hope that you will get a measure of success. It does not work like that. There will always be something different expected of you, whether there is a word limit on your personal statement or fewer letters of is recommendation. If you do not read it and comply with the guidelines then you application will be discarded straight away.

Prepare in advance

Before you even begin to research scholarships in depth, you should practice your personal statement. Style is extremely important so you should write it out the summer before you plan to apply to ensure that get it completely right. If a personal statement reflects you then it is perfect for your applications. Keep the copy of the draft you wrote and then use that as a foundation on which to build your actually personal statements when it comes to applying for real.

Work with the space you have

Try not to use continuation sheets on scholarship applications because the likelihood is then that representatives or assessors will get bored half way through. Try to keep all of the information to a minimum but include as many activities as you can in your list. You could even add a few into your personal statement if you run out of space. However, if you do not have enough space then leave out the ones that are not important, and plan this out in advance because there is nothing worse that Tipp-ex marks on an application.

Look at what they want

You should always look at what the provider of the scholarship is asking or and give them what they want. Never ever lie on an application form but tailor your own personality traits to your advantage. If they are looking for someone with character then communicate that in your writing style. If they are looking for integrity then mention an example of it. Always back up what you have to say by just tailor what you know about yourself to what they are looking for in you!

Always give your reasons why you want to study a certain subject

Many individuals fall down at this step because they do not justify their reasons for wanting to take a certain subject. There must be a reason behind your choice but failing to communicate it or failing to put your reasons across in a logical and well-reasoned way can ultimately ensure that you fall at the last hurdle!

Read it through

Never send an application form for a scholarship without reading it trough first. Make sure that you have said everything that you want to say and in a clear and concise but logical way so it is easy to read. If it passes your critical eye then I should pass theirs!

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UNIGIS@PU_Chandigarh, India invites applications for
Online Distance Education programmes in Geographical Information Science & Systems.

Applications are invited for admission to the following courses.
- 2+ Year Master of Science (M.Sc)
- 1+ Year professional diploma

Both the courses are offered as joint study programme with the Centre for Geoinformatics (Z_GIS); University of Salzburg, Austria

Please visit www.unigis.net/pu_chandigarh for detailed information.

Contact:
Prof. Smita Bhutani
Coordinator, UNIGIS Programme
Panjab University, Chandigarh
smita.bhutani@team.unigis.net
office.pu.chandigarh@unigis.net

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PhD Position in Development of a data and product quality assurance framework to quantify land surface parameters based on high resolution optical and SAR imagery at Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt; Oberpfaffenhofen

The German Remote Sensing Data Center in Oberpfaffenhofen has a Vacancy for a PhD candidate.

Development of a data and product quality assurance framework to quantify land surface parameters based on high resolution optical and SAR imagery (PhD thesis, duration: 2 years).

Project:
The aim of FP7-project EO-MINERS is to bring into play Earth Observation (EO)-based methods and tools to facilitate and improve interaction between the mineral extractive industry and the society in view of its sustainable development while improving its societal acceptability. Mining companies, regulatory bodies and stakeholders need various EO-based tools and methods adequately tailored to regarding the local contexts and applications (in compliance with GEO and GMES objectives and tasks). A strong RTD component will consist in developing EO-based tools and methodologies to observe and monitor the environmental and societal footprint of extractive industry activities over different demonstration sites located in heavily exploited areas. As the EU is strongly interested in the establishment of measures for raw material flow analysis, especially for imported mineral resources, this project will contribute to the development of measures that can be used to analyze the mining operations taking the individual potential ecological and social footprint into account.

Scope of work:

The PhD research targets to investigate how to apply calibration / validation procedures to assure high-quality EO products. This task strongly requires investigations on data quality, pre-processing routines used as well as data inspection and assimilation. The stages includes: mission planning (sensor selection, spectral configuration, spatial resolution, area coverage), raw data quality assurance (functioning of the sensors during data acquisition), radiometry quality assurance (sensor calibration performances), atmospheric correction quality (reflectance and emissivity extraction), field data quality (reliable and reproducible measurements), standards for field and laboratory measurement, thematic assurance (ground validation), uncertainty estimation (possible errors at each stage plus estimation of the final error budget), follow up feedback from end-users during the project (for fine tuning the process), and dissemination of the protocols and proposed standards. These procedures shall take into account existing guidelines (e.g., QA4EO), and develop a framework tailored for the EO-MINERS requirements.

Essential selection criteria:

1. PhD student satisfy requirements for a PhD in a branch of the earth sciences (geophysics, geomatics) or engineering (electronic, communication or system engineering), research interests and expertise in image processing techniques (optical RS, knowledge about SAR processing would be an asset).
2. Experience with different software platforms and higher level programming languages (e.g. C, C++, IDL) and software packages for statistics applications (e.g. Matlab, R).
3. Evidence of good communication skills, both written and oral and ability to report on research outcomes within agreed deadlines.

Points of contact:

German Remote Sensing Data Center, Land Applications
Dr.-Ing. Christian Fischer, +49 / (0)8153 28 1338, c.fischer@dlr.de
Dr. Martin Bachmann, +49 / (0)8153 28 3325, martin.bachmann@dlr.de

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When you get to the interview, be prepared to discuss your resume. In addition to explaining why you left previous companies and chit chat about the position, if you have any gaps in employment be prepared to explain them. Many people are scared that an interviewer is going to discover that they were without a job for a period of time. It is not necessarily a bad thing, but you do have to be able to tell the interviewer why in the best possible light.

You should always be honest when explaining any absence from working, but you do have license to spin what you did do in the best possible light. For instance, if you were laid of your job and had a hard time finding a replacement but spent a lot of time with your children you could say, “I took an opportunity to spend a few months with my children in between jobs.” If you took any courses or classes that adds value to your skills as an employee be sure to mention that as well.  You may find it beneficial to add a brief explanation on the resume itself or in a cover letter. Most times it is hard to get to an interview if there is a lengthy and unexplained employment gap.

If you are unsure what possible questions could be generated from your resume, have another person look at it. It is best to be prepared for certain questions and scenarios that will likely come up in an interview. You do not want to be caught unaware or floundering for an answer. Give yourself time to figure out the best explanation for times
of unemployment so an interviewer sees it as reasonable or even beneficial to them in the case of additional education and classes.

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