Cotonou
Benin
- Elind Sulmina
Introductory
Event Organizer(s)
Description
This introductory course establishes foundational competencies in Geospatial Information Systems (GIS) using open source geospatial technologies within the context of national broadband mapping systems under the Africa-BB-Maps initiative.
The course is aligned with the TOR requirements to develop foundational GIS capabilities and prepare participants for progression to intermediate level enterprise GIS and spatial database training.
The course covers the following open source GIS components:
- Introduction to GIS using QGIS
- Core geospatial data management workflows using QGIS and PostgreSQL/PostGIS
The training provides a structured introduction to:
- Core GIS concepts and spatial thinking applied to broadband infrastructure mapping
- Spatial data models (vector and raster) and attribute data structures
- Coordinate reference systems and map projections relevant to national mapping systems
- Core QGIS workflows including data management, visualisation, querying, and basic spatial analysis
- Introduction to spatial database concepts using PostgreSQL/PostGIS
- Foundational data quality assurance and validation practices
- Map production and reporting workflows for regulatory and planning purposes
Through guided hands-on exercises using broadband-related datasets (e.g., fibre routes, mobile coverage layers, infrastructure locations, administrative boundaries, and population data), participants acquire the technical literacy required to manage spatial data and produce structured mapping outputs.
National technical focal points, GIS specialists, data management officers, and technical staff involved in broadband data collection, preparation, validation, and reporting in Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, and Burundi.
Qualifications or experience needed to participate in this training course:
- No prior GIS experience required
- Basic computer literacy
- Institutional role relevant to broadband mapping, geospatial data management, or digital infrastructure planning
Selection criteria:
- Nomination by the participating countries
- Relevance of the participant’s role to national broadband mapping implementation and regulatory data management
Prerequisites
Participants need to have completed the following self-paced courses:
Number of available places per cohort: 20
Upon completion of this course, participants will be able to:
- Identify and explain fundamental GIS concepts and spatial data structures
- Navigate and manage projects within QGIS
- Organise and manage broadband-related spatial datasets
- Create and edit spatial features and associated attribute data
- Apply appropriate symbology and labelling techniques for professional map visualisation
- Perform basic attribute queries and spatial selections
- Integrate tabular broadband datasets using joins and data relationships
- Design structured map layouts suitable for regulatory reporting
- Interpret basic spatial analysis outputs in support of broadband planning and infrastructure monitoring
Instructor-led sessions combining structured presentations, live demonstrations, guided hands-on exercises, practical labs, and broadband-focused case studies.
The methodology emphasises experiential learning, with a minimum of 60% of training time dedicated to practical exercises using QGIS and related open source geospatial tools.
Training exercises will use broadband infrastructure datasets such as fibre routes, mobile coverage layers, infrastructure locations, and administrative boundaries to simulate real-world regulatory workflows.
Practical exercises and labs: 60%
Active participation and attendance: 40%
Total: 100%
A total score of 70% or higher is required to obtain the ITU certificate.
The training shall be delivered using widely adopted open source geospatial technologies, including:
- QGIS Desktop
- PostgreSQL and PostGIS spatial database
- GDAL/OGR geospatial data processing tools
Detailed course content, modules, and practical exercises shall follow recognised open source GIS training practices covering:
- Introduction to GIS concepts using QGIS
- QGIS essential workflows for spatial data management and mapping
- Spatial data formats and interoperability
- Coordinate reference systems and map projections
- Data editing and attribute management in QGIS
- Spatial queries and basic spatial analysis
- Data integration and transformation using open geospatial tools
- Introduction to spatial database concepts using PostgreSQL/PostGIS
- Map design, layout creation, and export for regulatory reporting
Broadband mapping datasets will be incorporated into practical exercises to contextualise the training within the Africa-BB-Maps initiative.
These exercises will simulate typical workflows used by national regulatory authorities when managing broadband infrastructure datasets, enabling participants to apply open source GIS tools to real-world connectivity mapping scenarios.
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.
