News in 2015
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General Assembly 2015 – close run between VCGR, Vietnam and geosuisse,
Switzerland
FIG 38th General Assembly was held on 17 and 21
May 2015 in Sofia, Bulgaria in connection with FIG Working Week
2015. The Vietnamese association VCGR won the election for the
FIG Working Week 2019, both a Honorary President and a Honorary
Member was appointed, and FIG Council introduced a new
appreciation as Honorary Ambassador. The Work Plans for the term
2015-18 were introduced and debated, and four new Task Forces
were endorsed by the General Assembly.The General Assembly was very well attended. On 17 May 51 member
associations out of 102 were represented and on 21 May 56 out of 103
member associations were present. Hereto there were both affiliate,
academic and corporate members attending as well as observers.
FIG president Chryssy Potsiou opened the General Assembly with the FIG
Fanfare. The very first time the FIG Fanfare was played was in the exact same
room as the 38th General Assembly took place – in the National Palace of
Culture in Sofia in Hall 3. This was 1983. Now 32 years later FIG proved
to be as vivid as ever and with many interested participants
representing all ages from the young surveyors, who also followed the
General Assembly, to the experienced and older surveyors who have had a
long history within FIG.
FIG Council as the FIG Fanfare was
played
FIG Working Week 2019 election
The only election that took place during the FIG Working Week 2015 was
the decision on the venue for the Working Week 2019. This was however
also spell-binding. Four strong candidates were included in the first
round – this is a notably high number of interested bidders. FIG is very
thankful that there is this large interest in hosting a future FIG
Conference. It is of great importance to FIG that Member Association can
see the benefit of hosting a FIG Working Week and are expressing their
interest in working together with FIG. It is therefore also important
for FIG to thank all the bidding associations – there is a substantial
amount of work in submitting a bid, and at the end there can only be one
winner. The competition was very tight with four so strong candidates,
and all bidders showed great creativity in their presentation of
themselves and their destination throughout the Working Week. The actual
election was therefore eagerly anticipated. The second round of voting
was between geosuisse, Switzerland and VCGR, Vietnam. Altogether 75
voting sheets resulted in 35 votes for Switzerland and 40 votes for
Vietnam, which means that the FIG Working Week 2019 will be held in
Hanoi, Vietnam.
Voting time |
Voting - standing in line |
The tellers made sure that the voting was done correctly |
Vice President Rudolf Staiger almost forgot to call the vote
from VCGR, Vietnam |
President Dr. Tran Bach Giang and Vice President Mr. Trinh Anh
Co thanking for the election |
The two tellers are busy handing out the voting sheets |
Membership
Three new member associations were admitted as new members by the General
Assembly. We hereby welcome:
- Colombian Society of Surveyors, Sociedad Colombiana de
Topografos (S.C.T.) (MA-10124)
- Distinctive Engineering Group, Rwanda (MA-10125)
- Licensed Surveyors Association of Ghana (LISAG) MA-10126
Since the last General Assembly FIG Council has admitted:
5 new Affiliate members:
- iTaukei Land Trust Board, Fiji – AF-20051
- Geospatial Information Authority of Japan/Geodetic Department –
AF-20052
- Guatemalan Registry of Cadastral Information (Registro de
Información Catastral de Guatemala – RIC), AF-20053
- Land Administration Authority (LAA) Lesotho – AF-20054
- General Direction of Land Registry, Mapping and Cadastre, Benin
5 new Corporate members:
- Branco Etera Ltd, Kazakhstan – CM-30055 (Category F)
- NEH Engineering survey and mapping limited company, Vietnam –
CM-30056 (Category E)
- Ripro Corporation, Japan – CM-30057 (Category D)
- Datalife, Nigeria (Category F)
- Innovation for Trading and Contracting (Category F)
7 new Academic members:
- Technical University of Civil Engineering - Faculty of Geodesy,
Bucharest, Romania (AC-40134)
- Sabaragamuwa University of Sri Lanka, Faculty of Geomatics
(AC-40135)
- Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology,
Department of Geomatic Engineering, Ghana
- Kaduna Polytechnic – Department of Topographic Science, Nigeria
- University of Benin, Nigeria – Faculty of Environmental Sciences
& Technology, Nigeria
- Federal Unioversity of Technology, Surveying & Geoinformatics
Minna, Nigeria
- University of Nigeria Nsukka Enugua Campus, Surveying and
Geoinformatics UNES
Unfortunately the General Assembly had to expel Ordre National des
Geometres du Cameroun and Tunisian Association of Chartered Surveyors
because of unpaid membership fees. We do hope that it will be possible
to sort this out and welcome both associations back again.
Last year College of Engineers and Surveyors of Puerto Rico
(MA-10069) and Geodetic Engineers of the Philippines, Inc. (MA-10107)
were actually expelled by the General Assembly, but both member
associations managed to find the funds to stay within FIG and FIG
Council could proudly announce to the General Assembly that the
associations are still amongst the members of FIG.
Honorary President, Honorary Member and Honorary Ambassador
It was an honour for FIG Council and President Chryssy Potsiou to
appoint Mr Teo CheeHai Honorary President for his contributions
especially during the last four years as President of the Federation.
The nomination was motivated by Dr. Zaid, President of PEJUTA, Malaysia.
Mr. Peter Hoogwerf, GIN, Netherlands, motivated the nomination for
Christiaan Lemmen to be appointed Honorary Member. Christiaan Lemmen has
done an outstanding job for FIG for many years, not only as Chair of the
Permanent Institution, OICRF but in many various aspects, assisting the
development and promotion of the surveying profession at an
international level. Further to this Christiaan Lemmen has contributed
to several FIG publications and the work in FIG Commission 7.
Both appointments were adopted with standing ovation.
Dr. Clarissa Augustinus, UN-Habitat, has worked
closely with FIG for many years through her position in UN-Habitat and
since the establishment of the Global Land Tool Network (GLTN). FIG
Council wanted to acknowledge the longstanding cooperation with Clarissa
Augustinus that has lasted throughout many councils and FIG presidents.
Clarissa Augustinus is founder and Lead on the Global Land Tool Network.
Clarissa Augustinus is in June 2015 standing down from UN-HABITAT. At
the General Assembly FIG Council therefore introduced to the audience
that they had decided to appreciate Clarissa Augustinus as Honorary
Ambassador as a special consideration. The certificate was motivated and
presented by FIG President Chryssy Potsiou during the Plenary session 2
on 19 May during the FIG Working Week 2015 in Sofia, Bulgaria, where
Clarissa Augustinus was one of the plenary speakers.
President Chryssy Potsiou congratulating FIG Honorary President
Teo CheeHai |
Chryssy Potsiou fastening the silver pin to mark the appointment
of Christiaan Lemmen as FIG Honorary Member |
At the 2nd plenary session Chryssy Potsiou handed over a framed
certificate of appreciation to Dr. Clarissa Augustinus as FIG
Honorary Ambassador |
Participants during the General Assembly |
FIG Work Plan and 4 new Task Forces
FIG President Potsiou and other representatives gave short
reports from the activities since the last General Assembly, and
hereafter she reveled the ideas behind the
Work Plan 2015-18 and
the planned activities. A new FIG Regional Capacity Development Network
was established, based on the work and outcome from the Africa Task
Force 2009-2014. Four Task Forces were furthermore endorsed by the
General Assembly:
- Task Force on Real Property Markets, Chair Pekka Halme, Finnish
Association of Geodetic and Land Surveyors MIL
- Task Force on Commission Structure, Chair Mikael Lilje, Swedish
professionals for the built environment, Samhällsbyggarna
- Task Force on Corporate Members, Co-chairs John Hohol, NSPS, in
cooperation with Bryn Fosburgh, Trimble
- Task Force on Scientific Journal, Yerach Doytsher, Association
of Licensed Surveyors in Israel (ALSI)
The 10 Commission chairs as well as the chair of Young Surveyors
presented their Work Plans.
It was pleasant to see an active General Assembly commenting and asking
questions to the Commission Work Plans of which many related to
communication, education, mutual recognition and how national delegates
can be more involved in the work of the commissions. There was
furthermore a very specific question, since there is now a publication
on boundaries on land (FIG Publication 59), whether boundaries at sea
can also be a focus are for a working group. Most participants also
agreed that it was important that surveyors from neighbouring countries
help each other, and use each other as sparring partners to improve both
education, conditions and the work for surveyors and in general.
Unfortunately the Chair of Commission 9, Dr. Liao Junping, had to
make the sad decision to step down as chair. FIG Council thanked him for
the work he has done until now for FIG. The matter was discussed in FIG
Council as well as at the Commission 9 Meeting, and the Council
hereafter decided to appoint Mr Steven Nystrom, NCSP, US, as Chair of
Commission 9 for the rest of the term 2015-2018. Mr Steven Nystrom
received the FIG bronze pin as symbol of his appointment.
At the Presidents Meeting 49 Member Associations were represented and
the overall theme for this meeting was how the member associations
prepare the surveyor of tomorrow.
Steven Nystrom was appointed Chair of Commission 9 for the rest
of the term 2015-18 |
49 presidents had found their way to the Presidents meeting
prior the 2nd General Assembly |
At the second General Assembly on 21 May 2015 there were reports from
the various activities throughout the Working Week, hereunder the Member
Association Forum, Director General Forum, Academic Forum, Task Force
meetings, Commission Meetings and last but not least Brent Jones, ESRI
gave a feed back from the Corporate Members meeting which also included
an evaluation of the Working Week in general (link).
FIG council thanks for the participation to the General Assembly and
is looking forward to a close cooperation with all members. The General
Assembly and Working Week 2015 was closed with a farewell reception
which was at the same time a welcome to New Zealand – to the FIG Working
Week 2016 in Christchurch 2-6 May.
Welcome
to Christchurch New Zealand 2-6 May 2015 -
www.fig.net/fig2016
More information:
Louise Friis-Hansen
3 June 2015
