The Minister for National Planning and Monitoring, Richard Maru, gave a cheque of K200,000 to the Department of Lands and Surveying at the University of Technology today.
The funding will help the Department to purchase four (4) high Global Navigation satellite System Receivers.
Minister Maru challenged the University to rise in conducting applied research and teaching by capitalizing on investment by the Government.
The Minister for National Planning and Monitoring, Richard Maru, who is also a graduate of Unitech said the Government believes that without state-of-the-art technology, University graduands will remain less competitive internationally.
He said the country would raise highly job-worthy human resources for the private and public enterprises once students become proficient in using world-class equipment.
The Minister said he came to know that the Department of Lands and Surveying at Unitech was using outdated GNSS equipment when visiting the institution a month ago.
The Global Navigation Satellite system or GNSS Receivers form the basic requirement for teaching and research for Surveying and Geographic Information Science at Higher Learning Institutions such as Unitech and UPNG.
The Lands and Surveying Department at Unitech teaches RS and GIS and undertaking research through postgraduates with a number of PhD and masters degree students.
But the teaching and research has been undertaken using outdated equipment.
The new GNSS receivers will join the latest group of satellites from the complete galaxy of global positioning satellites operated by the US, Russia, European Union and India.
The receivers would be utilised for research into Mapping and Earth studies related programs such as to support precise point positioning for execution of infrastructure projects on roads, dams and the land registration.
The Deputy Provincial Administrator for Madang, Francis Irara, who is currently undertaking a GIS course at the Department said the new equipment would help them to collect accurate information.
