FIG Task Force on Under-represented Groups in Surveying

FIG Task Force on Under-Represented Groups in Surveying

Background

The major question may be: Why do we need a task force called "Under-represented Groups in Surveying"? There are two reasons for minorities in a professional field. On one hand it is possible that the surveying profession is not interesting for certain groups of the society; on the other, it is possible that certain groups do not have the same opportunities to choose a particular profession. The result of both is that talents of a large pool of individuals are not used. The differences in the surveying profession have direct consequences to the individual members of FIG.

At the FIG PC Meeting in Buenos Aires in 1996 it was therefore stated that a task force should be established to concentrate on the topic "Women in Surveying". Now the task force is renamed due to a wider definition of tasks.

During the FIG Congress in Brighton in July 1998 the task force had three meetings, two open meetings and one meeting of the core group. The delegates gave very important and interesting reports about the situation and activities in the represented countries concerning under-represented groups. The report of the results of the questionnaire sent out to FIG member associations and universities was also very helpful when discussing further activities. An Interim Report of these activities was given to the FIG General Assembly.

The activities during the FIG Working Week in Sun City in May/June 1999 were concentrated to an own session and an open task force meeting. The session included a presentation from Jenny Whittall: The Surveying Industry in South Africa and a presentation from Gabriele Dasse: Gender Aspects in Programmes of the European Union. The following discussion gave a deep insight about the topical situation in education and studies in South Africa. The open task force meeting concerned the "Draft Discussion Document on the future Governance and Management of FIG" and especially the issue of the "Need for Involvement of the New Generation of Contributors to FIG". An Interim Report of this meeting was given to General Assembly of FIG.

During the FIG Working Week May 2000 in Prague the Task Force on Under-represented Groups in Surveying intensified the contact to UN Habitat. Dr. Sylvie Lacroux from UNCHS(Habitat) gave two very interesting and informative presentations. Within both well attended task force meetings one of the main topics was the ongoing discussion concerning the "Need for Involvement of the New Generation of Contributors to FIG". The task force focused on aspects of Commissions work. An Interim Report of this meeting was given to General Assembly of FIG.

The task force Workshop held during the FIG Working Week in Seoul, Korea dealt with the plans for the FIG Congress 2002 in Washington, USA and the future of the task force. The limited time period of the task force will end in 2002 with the FIG Congress. In the session of Commission 2, "Curricula II - How to Manage and Keep the Curricula Contents Up-to-date?", the Task Force Chair presented a paper "Which Changes in the Curricula do we need to attract more Women to study Surveying?". An Interim Report of all activities was given to the FIG General Assembly.