The Certificate in Geomatics and Environment is of interest to students from a broad range of backgrounds. It is a valuable complement to social, natural, and applied sciences programs such as anthropology, biology, computer sciences, earth sciences, history, economics, engineering, health and medicine, physical oceanography, environmental sciences and environmental studies.

The fields of remote sensing, geographic information sciences and systems and cartography provide the most effective methods of gathering, managing, analyzing and representing geographic information. Remote sensing images provide resourceful information to observe and study cultural and physical landscapes. Examples of remote sensing applications include the monitoring of spatial changes, environmental quality evaluation, natural resource exploration, assessment and monitoring, and archaeological site assessment. Geographic information sciences and systems enable the compilation, organization, and processing of spatial (maps) and non-spatial (text statistics, graphs) data. Socio-economic, political, and environmental management decision-making is supported by the results of GIS analyses and modeling. Cartography involves the compilation, organization, and visual representation of spatial information. A variety of geographical information can effectively be communicated through cartography.