The EcoGIS Center was established on May 30, 2003 on the basis of the Department of Engineering Ecology of the Institute of Environmental Sciences of Wageningen University, the Ministry of Agriculture and Water Resources of the Republic of Uzbekistan, the State Committee for Ecology and Environmental Protection of Uzbekistan, the State Committee for Environmental Protection of Uzbekistan, and UNESCO under a joint agreement with the Institute of Environmental Sciences of the Republic of Uzbekistan.

The mission of the EcoGIS Center is to contribute to environmental and economic and social development through geographic information systems. The main task of the EcoGIS Center is to actively implement bilateral master's programs with foreign universities, joint doctoral studies, advanced training of specialists, and the widespread use of geographic information systems and remote sensing technologies in conducting research on ecology, environmental protection, and sustainable natural resource management.

Priority scientific directions of the EcoGIS Center:

1.    Assessment of land use and land resource degradation using geographic information systems and remote sensing.

2.    Development of resource-saving technologies on irrigated land (technological, technical, environmental, economic and innovative features).

3.    Study the impact of climate change on agricultural development.

4.    Analysis of ecosystem services and sustainable management of land resources in regions.

5.    Improvement of land use classification methods using geographic information systems and remote sensing.

6.    To implement innovative methods in the scientific research and education system of Central Asia and the South Caucasus, in cooperation with inter-university and international organizations of agricultural science.

During its development, the EcoGIS Center has been involved in the DESPES (2002-2005), EWASIA (2003-2006), TEAM (2004-2007) projects within the framework of the TEMPUS program of the European Union, as well as the CASIA I (2010-2014), CASIA II (2011-2016), CASIA III (2012-2017), TEMUR (2013-2018), Erasmus + (2017-2022) projects within the framework of the Erasmus Mundus program.

Currently, the EcoGIS Center actively cooperates with 15 leading specialized universities of the European Union, 8 American universities, 4 universities of the People's Republic of China and other universities in Russia, Central Asia and the South Caucasus. The EcoGIS Center has extensive international cooperation and currently participates in more than 12 international projects and programs.

To date, the center has trained 194 master's degree students through various forms of cooperation with foreign universities (Wageningen University - Netherlands, Bonn University - Germany, and Weihenstephan University - Germany). Including 92 master's degree students in environmental protection (agriculture and water management) in Russian and Uzbek languages.

For the bilateral diploma program between the Institute of Environmental Sciences and the Wageningen University, 44 masters in three specialties in environmental protection were trained in English at the EcoGIS Center. As a result of successful training, 12 master's degree students received master's degrees from the Institute of Environmental Sciences and the Wageningen University. In addition, under the bilateral leadership and in Uzbekistan, research on environmental issues and geographic information systems was conducted. 8 students received master's degrees from the Wageningen University as part of the joint training. 34 foreign students from the Wageningen University conducted their specialized internships, courses and dissertation research in cooperation with the EcoGIS Center.

Master's students, graduates, staff and project participants of the EcoGIS Center are conducting their research at leading universities in the Netherlands, Germany, Sweden, Slovakia, Japan, Italy, Austria, 20 of whom have received PhD degrees and 5 have received PhD degrees in Uzbekistan. Currently, 8 PhD students are continuing their research at leading universities in the Netherlands, Germany, Slovakia and the Czech Republic.

EcoGIS, in close cooperation with foreign partners and together with the State Committee for Environmental Protection and Ecology, has improved the qualifications and skills of more than 2,500 specialists, university and college teachers involved in environmental issues and environmental protection.

The center is also conducting research on the impact of soil protection and resource-saving technologies on irrigated lands when planting cotton and wheat. This technology has been tested in Tashkent, Syrdarya and Khorezm regions, and in Tashkent region this technology is being used on 652 hectares of land. To date, the center has conducted trainings for 256 farmers, specialists and researchers to promote this technology. This technology has been introduced in the fields of 137 farms.

Scientists from Wageningen University and the EcoGIS Institute of Soil Science and Technology have developed a methodology for assessing salinity and soil degradation based on vegetation indices. One of the first to use the method of assessing soil salinity using the method of space thermography of vegetation was the Syrdarya region. Currently, due to the interest of Australian scientists, research is being conducted in Australia on irrigated and fallow fields under cotton and grain.

Master's and doctoral students are conducting research on improving the accuracy of land use and inventory of cropland and forest areas in the Tashkent region using LANDSAT (USA) and SENTINEL (EU) satellites. Research was conducted on the topic "Wheat yield forecasting system using SPOT (EU) satellite crop data in Uzbekistan". During the research, the European CGMS model was used to predict wheat yields in arid areas of Uzbekistan. The correlation coefficient between the predicted and statistical data of wheat yields for all regions of Uzbekistan was 0.92.

Together with scientists from Lund University (Sweden), a model was developed to assess the impact of climate change on insect populations (for example, the Colorado potato beetle) and their movements from the south to the north of the European Union.

As part of the FAO Forest Assessment Project, scientists from the EcoGIS Center participated in the implementation of the Collect Earth system, which combines the capabilities of Google Earth, Bing Maps, and Google Earth Engine.

The research results of the scientists of the EcoGIS Center are published in highly rated international journals, including Global Change Biology, Climate Research, Agricultural and Forest Meteorology, Ecosystems & Environment, Biosystems Engineering, Biogeosciences Discussion, Science of the Total Environment, Geoderma, Sensors, Remote Sensing of Environment, Agricultural Water Management, and others.

The EcoGIS Center contributes to the annual increase in the performance of the National Research University "TIKHMMI" in international rankings. Our university has been an active member of the Global Consortium for Agricultural Education and Research (GCHERA) since its inception.

On July 12-13, 2010, the historic founding meeting of the Consortium of Agricultural Universities for the Development of Central Asia and the South Caucasus (KASKAD) was held. On that day, representatives of 8 of our higher education institutions from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan , Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan unanimously approved the establishment and charter of the consortium, within which we continue to operate to this day. The main goal of the consortium is to develop higher education, scientific research and innovation in the countries of Central Asia and the South Caucasus in order to support sustainable development. Currently, the KASKAD consortium includes 20 higher education institutions from Central Asia and the South Caucasus.

On September 26, 2019, the Poznan Agricultural University in Poland became one of the first Uzbek higher education institutions to join the Silk Road Agricultural Education and Scientific Innovation Alliance, chaired by the Northwest Agricultural and Forestry University (NWAU) of the People's Republic of China.

On October 31, 2019, SuperMap International, in collaboration with the China Association of Geographic Information Society and the Chinese Academy of Sciences, organized an International Forum within the framework of the International Conference on GIS Software Products and Technologies (GTC 2019) in Beijing. A Memorandum of Understanding was signed between SuperMap, an international company of the People's Republic of China, which ranks 3rd in GIS software products and 1st in the Asian market, and the TIQHMMI and the CASCAD consortium for the development of Central Asia and the South Caucasus.

In the 2020-2021 academic year, the KASKAD International School of Economics and Management, initiated by the EcoGIS Center, was established in partnership with 15 prestigious universities from Azerbaijan, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan and began its activities with an opening ceremony. The Tashkent Institute of Irrigation and Agricultural Mechanization initiated this educational program under the chairmanship of KASKAD. Our institute presented the subject “Digital Economy”, developed in collaboration with German scientists, to international school students. In 2020, on the eve of the 10th anniversary of the KASKAD consortium, the KASKAD International School of Economics and Management was established. 350 foreign students and 50 professors and teachers were involved in this school.

On December 10-11, 2020, an international scientific conference dedicated to the 10th anniversary of the Consortium of Agricultural Universities for the Development of the Countries of Central Asia and the South Caucasus was held. During its activity, the Consortium has united more than 15 higher educational institutions of Azerbaijan, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, embodying inter-university integration in science, education and innovation. The first international scientific and practical conference CASCADE 2020 "Sustainable Development of Agriculture in Central Asia and the Caucasus", dedicated to the 10th anniversary of the Consortium, began its work online at the EcoGIS Center. The main goal of the conference is to strengthen educational, scientific and innovative cooperation in the field of agriculture of the countries of Central Asia and the South Caucasus, and has created a new communication platform for more than 1,000 of its scientists to work together. The opening of the event was attended by scientists, professors, teachers, and doctoral students from more than 20 countries (Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, China, Costa Rica, Georgia, Ghana, India, Italy, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, South Korea, USA, Portugal, France, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan). In particular, Professor of Wageningen University in the Netherlands, Nobel Prize laureate Rick Leemans gave an interesting lecture on global environmental change and ways to effectively use databases.

On December 30, 2020, the Tashkent Institute of Irrigation and Agricultural Mechanization Engineers held a conference on "Digital Technologies Cluster for Sustainable Management of Natural Resources" It was organized under the auspices of AKFA Group. The EcoGIS Center is part of this cluster. The purpose of the cluster is to conduct research on monitoring and controlling situational processes in agriculture, water and forestry, land use, geodesy and cartography, ecology and environmental protection, and climate change assessment using modern remote sensing methods and geographic information systems.

Over the past 15 years, as part of the Institute's collaboration with prestigious European universities, many of our professors, doctoral students, and master's students have been able to acquire new knowledge and skills in remote sensing and the use of geographic information systems in the field of agriculture and water management, and apply them in practice.

On April 30, 2021, an agreement was signed between the Tashkent Institute of Irrigation and Agricultural Mechanization Engineers (TIAIAM) and the Agency for Space Research and Technologies under the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Uzbekistan (Uzbekosmos). It is also planned to create a joint Faculty at TIAIAM in cooperation with the Uzbekcosmos Agency for the first time. On May 7, 2021, an agreement was signed between the Tashkent University of Information Technologies named after Muhammad al-Khwarizmi and the Tashkent Institute of Irrigation and Agricultural Mechanization Engineers on joint scientific research and training of highly qualified and scientific and pedagogical personnel.

On June 8, 2021, the Tashkent Institute of Irrigation and Agricultural Mechanization Engineers (TIIAM) and the Chinese industrial corporation Great Wall Industry (CGWIC) held the II International Online Forum on Global Navigation Satellite Systems and Space Research. The meeting discussed the development of BeiDou global navigation satellite systems and remote sensing in Uzbekistan, Central Asia and the South Caucasus, as well as training in this field. Also, for the first time in Central Asia, PP-42 was included in the creation of a BeiDou/GNSS center based on TIIAM.

The Asia Hub and CASCADE Joint Annual Conference was held on April 18-20, 2022. The main goal of the event is to address emerging challenges in the water-energy-food nexus (integration) in the context of climate change through international partnerships, collaborations and knowledge exchange. Partner universities from the Asia Hub and CASCADE consortium participated in this meeting. More than 45 higher education institutions and international organizations from 19 countries participated in the event. A total of more than 135 participants actively participated during the event and made more than 40 presentations and speeches. The opening ceremony was attended by Professor Fadi Chen, President of Nanjing Agricultural University of the People's Republic of China; Professor Tia Suwit, President of King Mongkut's University of Technology of Thailand; and Professor Bakhodir Mirzaev, Rector of the National Research University "Tashkent Institute of Irrigation and Agricultural Mechanization Engineers", Chairman of the CASCAD Consortium. The three-day conference discussed the achievements of Asia Hub partners, the establishment of cooperation within the framework of the Future Earth NEXUS KAN project, future research priorities, funding opportunities, and future plans for the network.

In the final part of the conference, Professor Chiaguo Chi highlighted the following results:

1.       Cooperation with international organizations Future Earth, NEXUS, MAIRS-Future Earth, CASCADE, CESRA, CORDEX has been strengthened;

2.       New research initiatives have been introduced, including establishing collaborative research and organizing joint educational programs.