National University of Sciences and Technology, Islamabad, Pakistan

The National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST) was established in March 1991 for the promotion of higher scientific education in the country, especially in the fields of science and technology, by providing a stable and disciplined academic environment together with need-based research, pertinent to industrial requirements. The University was granted its Charter in 1993. Over the years, the university has expanded in scope, services and stature and has emerged as a leading comprehensive University in the public sector. Within two decades, NUST has achieved important milestones and gained immense significance as an institution of higher education in Pakistan. The University produces professionals and researchers of high caliber, capable of developing indigenous technologies to meet the growing demands of the 21st century. It is envisioned to grow as a center of excellence for the country’s scientific and technological progress. An outstanding feature of the University is that while maintaining traditional values of excellence in teaching and research, it challenges conventional practices and creates new ways of developing and delivering courses, pertaining to emerging and cutting-edge disciplines, on most modern lines.

Institute of Geographical Information Systems (IGIS)

The Institute of Geographical Information Systems (IGIS) is the first of its kind higher education learning institute in Pakistan where state-of-the-art education in Spatial Sciences and Remote Sensing is delivered. IGIS has modern infrastructure including classrooms, state of art laboratories and digital library. The institute offers four years of Bachelors of Engineering (BE) in Geoinformatics, two years’ MS in Remote Sensing (RS) and Geographical Information Systems (GIS) and Ph.D. in RS & GIS. Besides the degree programmes, IGIS also offers short courses in RS & GIS to private and public sector organizations across Pakistan on demand. The Institute has experienced faculty holding MS, PhD and Post Doc degrees in various disciplines from reputed International and National Universities. In the years ahead, IGIS plans to pursue its vision of expanding not only its academic programmes but also the student intakes, without diluting its traditional standards of excellence. The goal of IGIS is to undertake basic and applied research to educate the next generation of academia and industry leaders, and prepare students for successful careers in relevant professions, keeping in view a very high demand for spatial scientists.

Research Projects in Natural Resources Management

• Analysis of Current and FutureWater Demands in the Upper Indus Basin under IPCC Climate and Socio-Economic Scenarios Using a Hydro-Economic WEAP Model
• Investigating Snow Cover and Hydrometeorological Trends in Contrasting Hydrological Regimes of the Upper Indus Basin
• Evaluation of Landsat TM5 Multispectral Data for Automated Mapping of Surface Soil Texture and Organic Matter in GIS
• Spatial–temporal variations of vegetation and drought severity across Tharparkar, Pakistan, using remote sensing-derived indices
• Flash flood water management practices in Dera Ghazi Khan City (Pakistan): a remote sensing and GIS prospective
• Transboundary impact assessment of Indian dams: a case study of Chenab River Basin in perspective of Indus Water Treaty

BSc, MSc and Doctoral Programs relevant to CNRD

• Remote Sensing and Geographic Information Systems (MSc, PhD)
• Geoinformatics Engineering (BSc)