The Faculty of Geography, Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM), concluded its Remote Sensing Training Program for Indonesian Air Force personnel on Monday, 26 October 2026, at the Faculty of Geography, UGM. The 15-day training program, which began on Monday, 12 October 2026, was attended by 10 personnel from the Indonesian Air Force Geospatial Center, comprising seven men and three women. The program was part of a collaboration between the Faculty of Geography, UGM, and the Indonesian Air Force, formalized through an agreement signed on 5 October 2026.
At the opening of the training, Dean of the Faculty of Geography, UGM, Dr. Dyah Rahmawati Hizbaron, S.Si., M.T., M.Sc., stated that the program provided an opportunity for the Faculty of Geography to support the institutional needs of the Indonesian Armed Forces through geographical expertise. She emphasized that remote sensing must be thoroughly understood by competent human resources to ensure that foundational data can be utilized optimally for national resilience, disaster management, and humanitarian operations. She also noted that the participants had developed an understanding of remote sensing interpretation through both manual and digital approaches.
At the closing ceremony, Letkol Sus Dedi Aji Kuncara, S.T., M.I.Pol., expressed his gratitude and appreciation to the Faculty of Geography, UGM, for organizing the training. During the reflection session, Serka (W) Nur Janatun, representing the participants, shared her impressions of the program.
“We were delighted to learn from remote sensing experts. We made the most of this opportunity to explore the field. We would like to thank the instructors for answering our many questions, as well as the teaching assistants,” she said.
The training program was structured progressively, covering topics from fundamental concepts to advanced analytical techniques. During the first week, participants explored remote sensing technology and human resource requirements within the Indonesian Air Force, the fundamentals of remote sensing, and image interpretation. The topics included large-scale land cover imagery, multispectral imagery, and physiographic interpretation using Digital Elevation Models (DEM).
During the second week, participants focused on digital image analysis, including image enhancement, image transformation through spectral indices and Principal Component Analysis (PCA), image classification, geometric correction, and LiDAR data analysis. The third week was dedicated to independent assignments and presentations.
Each theoretical session was complemented by classroom-based practical exercises supervised by experienced teaching assistants. In addition, participants took part in two field practice sessions held on Saturdays, consisting of an orientation activity around the UGM campus and field data collection in Pakembinangun, Sleman. During these sessions, participants were introduced to data acquisition methods using unmanned aerial vehicles (drones) and GPS devices before processing the collected field data in the classroom.