FIG Standards Network

FIG Questionnaire on Standards

Background

The development of standards is a long process and currently involves few survey practitioners. This often results in impractical or outdated standards. FIG believes that it can assist in the creation of workable standards covering survey activities by being involved in the work of the standards bodies. The FIG Standards Task Force will co-ordinate this activity on behalf of FIG.

The Task Force believes that there are three primary roles:

  • gaining liaison status and appointing experts to appropriate committees of standards bodies, to assist in the creation of workable and current standards;

  • creating explanatory material and guidance notes as to the implications of standards for surveyors; and

  • proposing professional guidelines which can be translated into standards as technology and methodology matures (it is possible that, in the future, professionals should be initiating standards activity rather than reacting to activity begun by others).

Activities of the Task Force

The work of the Task Force will include:

  1. the creation of a working relationship with the ISO Central Secretariat to acquaint them with the benefits that a relationship with FIG can bring them, and to agree the most appropriate ways in which to realise the benefits
  2. a review, with the Commissions, Permanent Institutions and Member Associations, of items of the work (past, present and future) which are relate to or impact on standards. In the short term, this will include determining if/ how the FIG Statement on the Cadastre and related material, and the FIG Multi-Lingual Dictionary, can be integrated with standards
  3. discussing with other international NGOs representing surveyors as to how we can work most effectively together in the fields of standards
  4. discussing with instrument manufacturers and others how they have become involved in standards activity, to see what lessons we can learn from their experiences.
  5. creating a guide for the Bureau and the Commissions on what needs to be done to integrate FIG material with standards, and how to do it
  6. creating a guide for FIG Member Associations as to how they can best influence national standards activity, including national experts involved with international standards activity
  7. reviewing the current standards (with reference to their review date) which impact on surveyors and determining with the Commissions how these can be interpreted for surveyors (this may include the creation of FIG Publications, articles in the FIG Bulletin or technical journals). This work will include determination of which countries have adopted which international standards.
  8. creating and maintaining with the Commissions a list of potential FIG experts to standards activity, with their field(s) of expertise.
  9. in light of progress with ISO, determining the most appropriate standards bodies with whom to build further relationships (for instance, bodies responsible for valuation standards in different countries, including the International Assets Valuations Standards Committee, this in conjunction with Commission 9) and how this may best be accomplished
  10. maintaining a flow of information on activity of the Task Force to members of FIG, through articles in the FIG Bulletin etc.

Purpose of this questionnaire

The task force has decided to send out this questionnaire to all member associations of FIG. The aim of this questionnaire is to collect as much information as possible world-wide. The information provided will be used to analyse the needs of the member associations of FIG on new standards which need to be established, or existing standards which need to be transformed into a version which is easily understandable by all practitioners.

Standard in this context means

  • official standards created by the respective authorised standardisation body such as ISO on a world-wide basis, CEN in Europe on a regional basis, or a national standards body like DIN in Germany or ANSI in the US.

  • de facto standards such as laws, legal regulations, industry standards and professional instructions.

We would like you to find one or more members of your association involved in standardisation work and ask them to complete this questionnaire and send it back as soon as possible.

Likely experts in this activity include those involved in official standardisation work, delegates to FIG Commissions, equipment and system manufacturers, and national and state mapping and cadastral agencies. We are very happy to receive more than one completed questionnaire from each country.

By sending back this questionnaire you will be included in an FIG information network about activities in standardisation work.

Please send your replies to:

Dr.-Ing. Winfried Hawerk
c/o Baubehoerde
Amt fuer Geoinformation und Vermessung
Postfach 10 05 04
20003 Hamburg
GERMANY

Fax +49 40 2375 5963
email winfried.hawerk@gv.hamburg.de

On behalf of the FIG Task Force on Standards thank you very much for your contribution.

Iain Greenway
Chairperson

Winfried Hawerk

Hans Knoop

Questionnaire regarding standardisation activities

The following comments are valid for:

Country

Province

State

Filled in by

Name

Affiliation

Function

Address

Telephone

Fax

E-mail

Note: Please feel free to continue any of your answers on an extra sheet of paper.

Official standardisation activities

Is your country a member of

(   )

ISO

(   )

no

(   )

regional standards body

(   )

no
 

Name of regional standards body:

    
       

Name and address of your national standardisation body:

 
 
 
 

Which activities of ISO are you familiar with or interested in?

(   )

None

Technical Committee

Activity

Significance

1

2

3

4

5

How is your country involved in these ISO activities?

Do surveyors in your country use any ISO standards?

(   )

None

ISO No.

Title

Significance

1

2

3

4

5

What comments do you have on the usefulness of these standards?

Which activities of your regional standards body are you familiar with or interested in?

(   )

None

Technical Committee

Activity

Significance

1

2

3

4

5

How is your country involved in these regional standards activities?

Do surveyors in your country use any regional standards?

(   )

None

No.

Title

Significance

1

2

3

4

5

What comments do you have on the usefulness of these standards?

Which activities of your national standardisation body are you familiar with or interested in?

(   )

None

Technical Committee

Activity

Significance

1

2

3

4

5

How is your organisation involved in these national standards activities?

Do surveyors in your country use any national standards?

(   )

None

No.

Title

Significance

1

2

3

4

5

What comments do you have on the usefulness of these standards?

De facto standards

Do surveyors in your country use any de facto standards?

(  )

None

Name

Responsible body

Significance

1

2

3

4

5

What comments do you have on the usefulness of these de facto standards?

Further standards activity

Are there any guidance notes or other de facto standards in your country which could usefully become official standards?

(    ) None

(   ) Yes

Comments:
 
 
 
 

What results do you require from the FIG Task Force on Standards?

(   )

None

(   )

Collect information about standardisation activities, and prepare information for surveyors via Newsletters or any other kind of information tool available

(   )

Take part as an active member in standardisation bodies in order to get more influence in decision making

(   )

Others
   
   
   

Any other comments:

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Thank you very much for your contribution.