BACKGROUND
The Computo-Geological Advisory Unit (CGAU), a Remote Sensing/GIS Lab, was initiated in 1998 as a Belgian funded programme under the supervision of  Dr. Patrick Jacobs of the  University of Ghent and Prof. Imasiku Nyambe of the University of Zambia, with the following aims:
• Transfer of knowledge through training of students and members of staff to ensure continuity of the Computo-Geological Advisory Unit as a fund generating research and consultancy lab of the School of Mines. It is a laboratory for remoting sensing & GIS courses for undergraduates (e.g. GG332) and post graduate students (Masters and PhD) in IWRM.
• Setting up a software library in the School of Mines, to be used for education and scientific research.
• Assist in the prospecting and evaluation of mineral deposits in Zambia  as well as consultancy services to small-scale entrepreneurs and investors in small- to medium-scale mining in Zambia
• Providing assistance in research projects outside the University of Zambia for computer assisted tasks and publishing of scientific papers in the field of mining and geology.
The workstations in the lab have increased following funding from the collaborative GIS/RS project between UNZA and University of Kansas, USA; Danish support to Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) Centre; Finnish support on Geodata Management project and WWF’s project on IWRM.

FIELDS OF APPLICATION
During the course of the programme, it became clear that Remote Sensing Techniques, and the use of Geographic Information Systems, can be, and are applied in a very broad variety of fields, of which mining and mineral exploration just form a small part. Moreover, the demand for these techniques in any of these fields of application largely outweighs the current use of the lab.
The CGAU has therefore developed its capacities to  encompass other fields of application, to ensure that GIS
and Remote Sensing plays an important role in the development of the country’s resources, both mining and  non-mining such as Agriculture, Tourism, Veterinary, Forestry, Wildlife, Environmental impacts assessment and monitoring and Land use.
Research - with emphasis on application of Remote Sensing (RS) and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) in geology, land use and environmental monitoring.Consultancy - especially in environmental geology, land-use management and all GIS related fields. 
Training - in-house staff training of  geologists, final year undergraduate students and postgraduate students and tailored short GIS courses for other scientific faculty and other   applications.
GAU offers tailored courses in application of RS and GIS in various disciplines. Initially  participants are made aware of RS and GIS (introductory) and then made to work on case studies related to their disciplines (e.g. solving environmental management related to urban  planning).
Participants are therefore expected to have some knowledge in computer hardware and software, though this is not a must for beginners.
Part of the Course Content include:
Map digitising/editing/building
Database creation (GIS, ACCESS)
Data interpretation
Satellite image interpretation
GIS analysis

OTHER SERVICES
Colour plotting (A2 to A0 on normal/coated/glossy papers)
Colour printing (A3; A4)
Laser printing (A3 B/W; A4 B/W)
Photocopying (A3/A4)
Scanning
Satellite image backup
Binding spiral and spine
Poster and Brochure Design and Printing
Business Cards Design and Printing