UNIGIS India (www.unigis.net/India) has launched programmes at 2 new study centres in India. The new centres have been established at Panjab University, Chandigarh (www.unigis.net/PU_Chandigarh) and the All India Institute for Local Self Government (www.unigis.net/AIILSG_India). The introductory-cum-orientation workshops were held in Chandigarh from 4th to 6th September and in Cochin from 11th to 13th September.
Prof. Josef Strobl (UNIGIS International and Director of the Centre for Geoinformatics – Z_GIS, University of Salzburg , Austria) emphasised that UNIGIS has the vision of ’Educating GIS Professionals Worldwide’ and Z_GIS (http://www.zgis.at/) is supporting this mission by establishing UNIGIS programmes with partner institutions around the world as joint study programmes with the University of Salzburg (http://www.uni-salzburg.at/)
Dr Shahnawaz (UNIGIS Director for South & Southeast Asia) stated that the addition of 2 new centres made India the only country hosting 4 UNIGIS study centres. In 2004, India became the first UNIGIS site within Asia and a 2nd study centre was established in 
2006. The previous centres are located at Goa University, Goa (www.unigis.net/Goa) and GIS Institute, Noida-Delhi (www.unigis.net/Noida).
Out of 4 study centres in India, 2 offer UNIGIS MSc and UNIGIS professional diploma programmes via Online Distance Education and 2 focus on the UNIGIS professional diploma delivered through eLearning as tutored full time courses. Distance education serves the career advancement needs of in-service GI-professionals and full time residential courses provide opportunites to young students aspiring to enter the fast growing GI-Job market.