Geneva
Switzerland
- Carla Licciardello
- Sebastien Peytrignet
- Guiomar Levi-Setti
- Carolina Anselmino
Intermediate
Does this course have any restrictions?
Event organizer(s)
Initiative
Description
As part of the project on capacity development to accelerate school connectivity, the Giga Learning Hub is organizing a face-to-face training through the ITU Academy. This hands-on training course equips participants with practical skills in QGIS and Python to address real-world school connectivity challenges.
Participants will master the sourcing and extraction of open data on ICT infrastructure and amenities, working in groups to solve connectivity problems using actual school connectivity datasets. Through guided exercises, participants will work in groups to analyse connectivity gaps, develop solutions, and present their findings to peers.
The training course combines technical skill-building with practical application, covering:
- Business planning for ICT infrastructure projects
- Introduction to working with geospatial data, including data types and coordinate reference systems
- Introduction to the QGIS software and plugins
- Sourcing open data from GIGA Maps, Open Street Maps, Ookla Speedtest, OpenCellID, NASA and more
- Internet connectivity demand models using population data
- Advanced techniques including visibility analysis for point-to-point connectivity and fiber path analysis
- Geospatial data processing and optimization techniques with Python
- Data visualization techniques with KeplerGL
By the end of the training, participants will have practical experience applying these tools to identify underserved areas, test connectivity scenarios, and develop evidence-based connectivity business plans.
Data analysts, telecommunications professionals or policymakers with an interest in infrastructure mapping for connectivity projects.
Members of the above-mentioned target population are invited to apply for the training if they meet the following criteria:
- Basic proficiency in Python programming is encouraged, but not strictly required.
- Possess a fluent level of English.
Selection criteria
Participants from the following beneficiaries’ countries (2 per countries) from the Giga initiative are entitled to apply: Barbados, Belize, Benin, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guinea, Honduras, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Lesotho, Mongolia, Namibia, Niger, Panama, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Trinidad & Tobago, Uzbekistan, Zimbabwe, Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, British Virgin Islands, Commonwealth of Dominica, Grenada, Montserrat, Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
- Number of available places for the cohort: 35
Selection will be conducted by the course organizers, who will consider the above entry requirements along with an analysis of the application questionnaire and the recommendation/motivation letter of each applicant.
Technical requirements
Participants must bring their own laptop and must have the following software installed.
Software requirements:
- QGIS version 3.34.9 'Prizren LTR' (long-term release): For Windows, Mac and Linux Operation Systems
- GRASS 7 plugin : https://docs.qgis.org/3.28/en/docs/training_manual/grass/grass_setup.html Start QGIS Desktop. In the "Plugins" menu select "Manage and Install Plugins". GRASS 7 is core plugin, so it is already installed, but need to be enabled. Check the plugin to enable it.
- Software to read and edit .xls, .xlsx, .csv files (e.g., MS Excel).
- Python (at least version 3.9)
- Conda or Miniconda
- An IDE such as Visual Studio Code
Note: Assistance with the installation of Python, Conda/Miniconda, and the IDE will be available on the day of the training.
Hardware requirements:
- Laptop with either Windows, Mac or Linux operating system
- RAM – 8GB of RAM or higher is recommended for using QGIS and avoiding system crashes.
- CPU Speed – 1.8 GHz is recommended, although not required. QGIS might run slow at lower levels.
- Hard Drive Storage – This is dependent on the datasets, 1GB would be enough in most cases.
Upon completion of this course, participants will be able to:
- Describe the essential concepts about working with geospatial data
- Use open data from GIGA Maps, Open Street Maps, Ookla Speedtest, OpenCellID, NASA and more
- Outline key steps in business planning for ICT infrastructure projects
- Analize Internet connectivity demand models using population data
The training will take a hands-on, interactive approach with a mix of live instruction and practical exercises. Participants will learn key concepts through instructor-led tutorials, followed by guided activities where they can immediately apply what they've learned. To reinforce learning, the course will include quizzes and assessments to track progress.
QGIS exercise on proximity analysis 10%
QGIS exercise on coverage analysis 10%
QGIS exercise on demand analysis 10%
QGIS exercise on visibility analysis 10%
QGIS exercise on fiber path analysis 10%
Google Colab exercise on cost analysis 10%
Group exercise with end-to-end infrastructure analysis 40%
A total score of 70% or higher is required to obtain the ITU certificate.
- Introduction to Business Planning for ICT infrastructure
- Introduction to Geospatial Analysis and the QGIS software
- Introduction to Geospatial Data Types
- Projections and Coordinate Reference Systems
- Open geospatial data in ICT infrastructure
- Practice: Getting open data
- Practice: Standardizing data using ITU data dictionaries using QGIS
- Practice: Proximity analysis using QGIS
- Practice: Coverage analysis using QGIS
- Practice: Demand analysis using QGIS
- Practice: Fiber path analysis using QGIS
- Practice: Visibility analysis using QGIS
- Practice: Creating visualizations with QGIS
- Practice: Cost Analysis using Python/Google Colab
- Group work: end-to-end infrastructure analysis and business planning for an area of participant’s choice
- Group work: end-to-end infrastructure analysis and business planning for an area of participant’s choice
- Group work presentations
Financial support available
The training is offered free of charge, travel and DSA will be covered for selected participants.
You will be able to apply for the fellowship when you submit your training course application.
Registration information
Unless specified otherwise, all ITU Academy training courses are open to all interested professionals, irrespective of their race, ethnicity, age, gender, religion, economic status and other diverse backgrounds. We strongly encourage registrations from female participants, and participants from developing countries. This includes least developed countries, small island developing states and landlocked developing countries.