VC UAF highlights IT benefits

FAISALABAD: Pakistan can reap the IT benefits by effectively using the remote-sensing and digital image processing technology and producing vibrant human resources to make planning ahead of any activity.

This was stated by Professor Dr. Iqrar Ahmad Khan Vice Chancellor (VC) University of Agriculture Faisalabad (UAF) while addressing the participants of an intensive training course on "Remote Sensing & Digital Image Processing with special reference to Pakistan" here Saturday.

He said that India had harnessed the potential timely and effectively and prepared a vigorous and galvanized manpower by using the technology at school level while its 1800 organizations offer the courses to its youth enable them getting the macro as well as micro data of the crops, climates and using the technology for precision agriculture.

"We can transform Pakistan into a developed country by using the technology in various fields," he added.

He said that today plethora of information and knowledge is available around us, but it is up to the observers that how they use and interpret the data.

He said that Pakistani youths are lucky enough that they are using state-of-the-art computers and internet with hundreds of supporting software to feed and get analysis of their data timely and effectively but UAF has gone through the time when there were only two calculators available in Agri Economics Faculty to whom students had to make efforts.

Pakistan can touch new heights of success by using this technology as sustainable development revolve around using the modern technology, he said and revealed that Germans are asking to learn this technology for every discipline they used to offer. So Pakistan needs to be a vibrant part of the technology globally.

The VC urged the students to always chase the knowledge as every participant would get the certificate but knowledge and expertise have their own credit.

Earlier, Principal Research Scientist/Leader Common Wealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization Perth, Western Australia Dr.Waqar Ahmad Khan while delivering keynote lecture, said that he remained abroad for 31 years and he used to talk with two presidents, prime ministers and army senior officers to get their help for making the technology more friendly and common in the country.

He told that sitting in Australia, he used the technology and got all detailed information and digital images of the flood victims in Pakistan.

He offered his expertise to supervise as many PhD students from UAF to make them fully aware of the technology as it would be a great service to Pakistan.

Dean Faculty of Agri Engineering & Technology Professor Dr.Rae Niaz Ahmad, Director Research Professor Dr.Allah Bakhsh and Assistant Director Research Dr.Abdul Rasheed Malik also spoke on the occasion.

Later, Vice Chancellor distributed shields and certificates amongst the participants of the training course.