The Population-Environment Research Network (PERN) has released several online training modules in English and Spanish on the fundamentals of spatial data integration, geared towards demographers and other population researchers. Developed by Susana Adamo, research scientist at Columbia University’s Center for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN), and Professor Landy Sanchez of the Center for Demographic, Urban, and Environmental Studies at El Colegio de Mexico (COLMEX), the video-based tutorials draw on pre-packaged data and open source geographic information system (GIS) and Web-based tools.
The goals of the online training are to review the fundamentals of spatial data integration, with an emphasis on remote sensing; present an overview of relevant datasets and services (platforms and tools); develop basic skills for linking demographic and environmental data; and expand the use of specialized data sources. Production was supported by the International Union for the Scientific Study of Population (IUSSP) through a grant from the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation. PERN is a scientific panel of IUSSP and a sustained partner of Future Earth, and is hosted by NASA's Socioeconomic Data and Applications Center (SEDAC) managed by CIESIN. Adamo is co-coordinator of PERN and SEDAC's lead project scientist; Sanchez is former chair of the PERN Scientific Committee.