ACSM.NET - F.I.G. Report Vol1 2006

The F.I.G. Report

Vol. I, No. 1

John D. Hohol, ACSM F.I.G. Forum Head of Delegation

With the new ACSM organizational structure, instituted in 2003, three of the four current ACSM Member Organizations (AAGS, GLIS, NSPS) have formed the ACSM F.I.G. Forum to represent their interests in F.I.G.� The fourth ACSM M.O., CaGIS, is the ACSM representative to the International Cartographic Association (ICA).

The F.I.G. Report will appear in each issue of the ACSM Bulletin.�� The objective is to provide information and news about the International Federation of Surveyors (F.I.G.) and surveying around the world.� The first report will provide background information on the who and what F.I.G. is.� The acronym F.I.G. is derived from F�d�ration Internationale des G�om�tres, French for International Federation of Surveyors.

F.I.G. today is composed of over 125 member organizations from over 110 countries on 6 continents representing over 250,000 surveying professionals worldwide.

The beginning of F.I.G.

F.I.G. was founded on July 18, 1878 at Paris by delegates of seven national professional organizations (Belgium, Germany, France, Great Britain, Italy, Switzerland and Spain). Between the founding year and the turn of the century activities were limited, and between the two world wars (1914-1918 and 1939-1945) all efforts of F.I.G. came to a standstill.

The first F.I.G. Congress was held July 18-20, 1878 in Paris, France.� The most recent, the XXII F.I.G. Congress, was held in 2002 in Washington, DC.�� Munich, Germany will host the XXIII F.I.G. Congress, to be held October 8-13, 2006 in conjunction with the annual Intergeo Surveying and Mapping Geospatial Conference, sponsored by the German Association of Surveying � Association for Geodesy, Geoinformation and Land Management (DVW e. V. � Gesellschaft f�r Geod�sie, Geoinformation und Landmanagement).� Over 16,000 geospatial professionals and 515 exhibitors from 24 countries participated in the 2005 Intergeo held in Dűsseldorf.� More information on the XXII F.I.G. Congress can be found at www.fig2006.de� More information about the 2006 Intergeo is available at www.intergeo.de/englisch/page/main

ACSM participation in F.I.G.

In 1954, an invitation was received from F.I.G., the French Embassy, and the National Research Council to send a representative to the VIII F.I.G. Congress in Paris, France that August.� Marshall S. Wright, ACSM Past President, was appointed ACSM representative.� In 1959 ACSM sent Past President Lester Higbee and Vice President George Bestor as representatives and observers to the IX F.I.G. Congress held in Delft, The Netherlands.

During the 1959 ACSM business meeting held on March 10, 1959, a motion was made and passed recommending membership in F.I.G.� The awareness of the need to participate internationally in the field of surveying and mapping, and President George Bestor�s report from his attendance at the IX F.I.G. Congress led to a board-approved budget allocation of $500 to cover the initiation fee and 1959 dues to F.I.G.� President Bestor appointed five delegates to the F.I.G. Permanent Committee meeting to be held that September in Krakow, Poland. �[Note: the American Institute of Real Estate Appraisers (now the Appraisal Institute) was also a member of F.I.G., having joined in 1935] An interesting notation was made that federation rules called for pronouncement of the acronym not be �fig� but F.-I.-G. and that periods should be used between letters.

ACSM hosted the XIV F.I.G. Congress, in conjunction with the ACSM-ASP Fall Conference held September 7-16, at the Washington Hilton Hotel in Washington, DC.� William A. �Rad� Radlinski, F.I.G. President 1973-1975 and U.S. Geological Survey Associate Director, presided over the F.I.G. Congress and F.I.G. General Assembly meeting.� Radlinski, in his presidential address, stressed that one of the prime requisites in planning for better use of land is information on existing land use and changes in land use over time.� He appealed to the profession to make major contributions in the resolution of data shortage and dissemination, to bring order out of the existing chaotic proliferation and diversification of data, and to develop effective reference systems.� In conclusion, he said, �We have much to do if F.I.G. is to play its proper role in proving vitally needed information about our earthly habitat.�� It should be noted here that his statements are accurate even today, some 30+ years later.

Permanent Committee (PC) meetings were held in the intervening years between the F.I.G. Congresses.� ACSM has participated as a Member in all PC meetings and Congresses since 1959.

In 1993 ACSM hosted the 60^th F.I.G. PC Meeting, in conjunction with the ACSM-ASPRS Annual Conference held during Mardi Gras, in February, in New Orleans, Louisiana.

In 2002, ACSM once again hosted the F.I.G. Congress.� The XXII F.I.G. Congress was held in conjunction with the ACSM-ASPRS Annual Conference, April 19-26, at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel in Washington, DC.�� Robert Foster, ACSM Past President and F.I.G. President 1999-2002, presided over the Congress and General Assembly.� Over 5,000 surveying and mapping professionals attended with over 210 exhibitors also participating.� To date it was the largest F.I.G. Congress ever held.� President Foster cited the many different names and titles surveyors call themselves across the world, but said the differences encompass one common thing: "Whatever we call ourselves," Foster said, "it is about the land."�� As Bill Radlinski stated almost 30 years before at the last F.I.G. Congress held in the U.S., Foster also highlighted the need for a standardization of geospatial information by working toward a Global Spatial Data Infrastructure (GSDI). This is to be an effort embraced by surveyors, as they are the core players, users and makers of spatial data. "Surveying is in the center of the solution of all land questions and concerns," Foster said.

F.I.G. Governance

F.I.G. is administered by its General Assembly � delegates of the member associations and, as non-voting members, the Council, commission chairs and representatives of affiliates, corporate members and academic members � which meets annually during the F.I.G. working week or the F.I.G. congress. The General Assembly debates and approves policies. Polices are implemented by the Council which meets at least twice a year (and usually meets or teleconferences in the intervening months).

Each Council is provided on a four-year rotational basis by one of the F.I.G. member associations which nominates the President of F.I.G. (currently Holger Magel), three of the four Vice-Presidents and the Congress Director. The fourth Vice President is elected by the General Assembly. At the moment the structure is in a transition period so that after the current Council all Council members will be elected by the General Assembly and represent different countries. Additional two Vice Presidents were elected in May 2004. The new governing structure will be in full operation in 2007. In addition commission chairs appoint their representative to the Council.

The work of the General Assembly and the Council is assisted by an Advisory Committee of Commission Officers (ACCO); ad hoc task forces appointed from time to time to review existing work plans and develop new strategies; and three permanent institutions: the International Office of Cadastre and Land Records (Office International de Cadastre et du R�gime Foncier- OICRF), the F.I.G. Multi-Lingual Dictionary Board, and the International Institution for the History of Surveying and Measurement.

The F.I.G. Office is responsible for all administrative issues including records, publications, bulletins as well as maintenance of the F.I.G. web site (www.fig.net).� The current Director of the F.I.G. Office is Markku Villikka.� The F.I.G. Office is located at the Surveyors House in Copenhagen, Denmark and is hosted by the DdL (Den danske Landinspekt�rforening), the Danish member association of F.I.G.

F.I.G. Commissions

F.I.G.�s technical work is led by ten Commissions. The responsibilities and work plans of Commissions are approved by the General Assembly during the F.I.G. Congress. The work of each Commission is lead by the Chairperson � elected for four-year term of office by the General Assembly at the Congress. He is assisted by the Commission Vice-Chairpersons also appointed by the General Assembly. The Chair-Elect is elected by the General Assembly two years before the Congress. The Commission Chair is also assisted by a Vice-Chair of Administration who is in charge for the administration of the Commission. Every Commission has established at least three working groups on special topics.� All member associations have the right to nominate a national delegate to each of the ten Commissions. The F.I.G. affiliate and academic members have a right to nominate a correspondent to each commission.

The ten F.I.G. Commissions include (ACSM Delegates to each commission in parentheses):

Commission 1 � Professional Standards & Practice (Don Buhler)

Commission 2 � Professional Education (Steve Frank)

�� Working Group 2.1 - Virtual Academy

�� Working Group 2.2 - The Studies of Surveying in Latin America

�� Working Group 2.3 - Mutual Recognition

�� Working Group 2.4 - Knowledge in Spatial Information Management

�� Working Group 2.5 - Capacity Building in Land Management

Commission 3 � Spatial Information Management (Chuck Pearson)

Commission 4 � Hydrography (Jerry Mills)

Commission 5 � Positioning and Measurement (Tomas Soler)

�� Working Group 5.1: Standards, Quality Assurance and Calibration