President visits Czech Republic and Slovakia
 Eduard
Matak, President of the Slovak Union of Surveyors and Cartographers (on
right) and Dr. Juraj Valis (left) hosted President Robert Foster and Markku
Villikka, Director FIG office during their visit to Slovak Republic. The
farewell dinner was eaten in a typical Slovak restaurant outside Bratislava.
President Robert W. Foster visited Czech Republic
and Slovakia together with the Director, FIG office, March 28 – April 4.
In Czech Republic he visited the new Czech Office for Surveying, Mapping and
Cadastre (CUZK). The President, Dr. Jiri Sima, gave the visitors
a tour of the building. In the afternoon they visited the offices of
the Research Institute of Geodesy, Topography and Cartography where they
were given a complete briefing by Dr. Vaclav Slaboch, Director of the
Institute. At the evening there was a meeting with Czech surveyors at a
dinner put on by the Czech Union of Surveyors and Cartographers.
During the weekend the guests were driven by Dr. Sima and
Dr. Josef Weigel to Karlovy Vary, a spa and tourist area west of
Prague, where they spent 2 hours at the cadastral office (Katastralni
urad v Karlovych Varech), a branch of the CUZK, had lunch, then toured
the town including a visit to the spa quarter and the Becher Museum and
distillery/bottler for the potent liquour. The guests were led on the tour
by Ing. Jitka Stoklasova, Director of the local cadastral office. Ing.
Stoklasova is a woman in our profession who has made it to the management
level on the basis of superior competence and ability.
On Sunday the guests visited GEODIS, Inc. in Brno, which
is one of the new surveying/mapping/GIS companies that are doing quite well
in this nation in transition from Communism to a market economy. In the same
evening they arrived to Bratislava, Slovakia, where they met with Eduard
Matak, President of the Slovak Union of Surveyors and Cartographers and
Vice President of the Geodesy, Cartography and Cadastre Authority of the
Slovak Republic and Dr. Juraj Valis, Deputy Director of the Research
Institute of Geodesy and Cartography and FIG Focal Point in Slovakia.
In Bratislava the first professional visit included the
Geodetic and Cartographic Institute where they met the Director, Ing. Jozef
Brziak, and the Research Institute of Geodesy and Cartography and its
Director Dr. Juraj Kadlic. In the afternoon they visited the Slovak
University of Technology, Faculty of Civil Engineering, and were briefed on
their program by the Dean, Dusan Petras, Vice Dean Alojz Kopacik
and Associate Professors Jan Hefty and Marcel Mojzes of the
Department of Theoretical Geodesy. The programs at this university are
thriving at a time when surveying is a busy occupation in the Slovak
Republic, even though the economy is not booming. The university enjoys
three applicants for every opening in the program.
Later that afternoon the guests met with directors and
leaders of the Slovak Union of Surveyors and Cartographers and the Chamber
of Surveyors and Cartographers (the licensed members of the Union). An
interesting issue is the fact that the licensing authority is being turned
over from the Geodesy, Cartography and Cadastre Authority of the Slovak
Republic to the Chamber of Surveyors and Cartographers. The Chamber will
have the duty of disciplining its members as well as licensing them, the
heavy responsibility and burden of which they may not be fully aware.
On the last day in Bratislava Imrich Hornansky, President of the
Geodesy, Cartography and Cadastre Authority (GCCA) of the Slovak Republic
welcomed the visitors and gave an extensive briefing on the role of the
Authority. President Hornansky has direct management responsibility for the
Geographic and Cartographic Institute of Bratislava, the Cadastral Institute
of Zilina, and the Research Institute of Geodesy and Cartography in
Bratislava. Following another delightful lunch in a wine cellar restaurant
they were taken on a tour of Bratislava by an assigned professional tour
guide.
The Annual Conference
of the Lithuanian Surveyors Association
 During
his visit to Lithuania President Foster was able to visit several private
companies. He was particularly impressed by the qualification of specialists
and quality of work. At the office of Vytautas Zeimys’s company he said
that in USA this kind of work would require input of three specialists
(surveyor, lawyer, and negotiator) in comparison to what is done here by one
person.
The annual conference of the Lithuanian Surveyors
Association – LSA is a public organisation joining together surveyors
of Lithuania – was held on 6 April, 2001. This conference was held for
reporting and electoral purposes. Robert Foster, President of the
International Federation of Surveyors (FIG) residing in the USA, was invited
to participate in the conference. The LSA has been a member of FIG since
1994. Mr. Foster’s visit in Lithuania was considered a particular event
for Lithuanian surveyors.
During his visit President Foster met Eugenijus
Palavinskas, Vice-Minister of Environment, and Gintautas Tiskus,
Director of the Territorial Planning Department. The discussions during the
meeting focussed on the role of the modern surveyor in the areas of land
administration and territorial planning. Mr. Robert Foster highlighted the
important role of land use planning in today’s economy of Lithuania. When
the restitution process is over, privatisation process of the State land
will start only upon drafting territorial planning guidelines for land use
on a national level. In the context of globalisation, urbanisation, and
sustainable development processes, land use planning and monitoring
activities become as important as secure ownership of land.
President of FIG also met Zenonas Kumetaitis,
Director of Geodesy and Cartography Service under the Government of the
Republic of Lithuania. They exchanged views on the issues of national
cartographic activities, discussed the importance of basic cartographic data
in the development of territorial planning, land administration and other
sectors of economy. President pointed out that the Government was
responsible for enabling the private sector to use cartographic data, built
at the expense of the State (taxpayers) funds. This could facilitate a wider
use of the expensive data and introduction of the added value. President of
FIG was also surprised by the fact that the national cartographic activities
are financed through occasional contracts, whereas the long-term permanent
financing strategy for cartographic activities is absent. Zenonas Kumetaitis
presented the companies engaged in cartography of the country – GIS Center
and the Institute of Aerogeodesy. Robert Foster visited the Institute of
Aerogeodesy and studied in greater detail cartographic activities and
development of databases in this enterprise. After the visit Mr. Foster
noted that the Institute of Aerogeodesy was one of the most modern
cartographic companies that he had ever visited. The Institute has modern
technologies and qualified staff. The Institute is involved in major
production activities and simultaneously carries out practical researches,
as well as organises training programmes for specialists.
Mr. Foster visited also the State Land Cadastre and
Register (SLCR). Kestutis Sabaliauskas, Director of the SLCR, made an
introductory presentation of the Enterprise. The participants of the meeting
exchanged views on the issues of real property cadastre and register.
President of FIG was impressed by the achievements in the area of real
property cadastre and legal registration of rights within such a short
period after the restoration of independence. Before his visit, Mr. Foster
had already heard about Lithuania’s progress in the development of a
modern land administration system from Western cadastre experts.
Apart from major public institutions President of FIG
visited several private companies, e.g., a company owned by Vytautas
Zeimys, Corporation Matininkai, and HNIT-BALTIC Geoinfoservice. Mr.
Foster was impressed by a small office of the surveyor (Vytautas Zeimys’
company), where he witnessed the usual daily activities carried out by
surveyors. The company employs four specialists who are involved in numerous
activities ranging from the formation of real property to the preparation of
detailed plans. The hardware owned by the company covers a PC and an aging
meter. The visitor was particularly impressed by the qualification of
specialists and quality of work. He said that in his country (USA) this kind
of work would require input of three specialists (surveyor, lawyer, and
negotiator) in comparison to what is done by one person in this company. Mr.
Foster was surprised by the surveyor’s salary, which he considered to be
very low in comparison with the value of the property formed.
During his visit in the Matininkai Corporation the guest
had a chance to see the operation of a larger surveying company, which
besides other services is also engaged in business and property valuation. Rimantas
Masilionis, President of the Matininkai Corporation hosted the meeting
and presented the company.
President of FIG went on a short visit to the HNIT-BALTIC
Geoinfoservice, which is dealing with geoinformation technologies. Linas
Gipiskis, Director of the company, introduced their activities and
achievements. The participants of the meeting talked about the importance of
GIS technologies in cartography, cadastre and surveying, and the role of
geographic data in making planning, management and business decisions.
President of FIG pointed out that the Government should provide the society
and business subjects with an easiest possible access to public data, in
order to contribute to the establishment of the information society, and
increase the scope for investments into ever expanding GIS business, which
has become interrelated with the traditional cartography and surveying
areas.
President of FIG spent a considerable time of his visit
in the meetings with academic society. He visited Vilnius Gediminas
Technical University (VGTU), and met Mr. Edmundas Kazimieras
Zavadskas, Rector of the University. In the meeting Mr. Foster told the
participants about the input of FIG in the area of education. He emphasised
the immense role of education in the improvement of surveyor’s
professional skills, and encouraged Lithuanian universities to participate
more actively in the FIG activities. VGTU immediately filed an application
for academic membership in FIG. Such membership provides broader
opportunities for universities to join the international training and
student exchange programmes, access educational databases, and establish
closer contacts with counterpart universities worldwide. President of FIG
also met a numerous audience of students and teachers and told them about
the activities of FIG. Mr. Foster was also invited to visit The Department
of Geodesy and Cadastre, headed by Dr. Habil. Algimantas Zakarevicius,
and Institute of Geodesy, headed by Petras Petroskevicius, who told
the visitor about activities of the Department and the Institute. This
meeting was also attended by Mr. Maziliauskas, the Dean of the Land
Management and Hydrotechnology Faculty of the University of Agriculture, and
Pranas Aleknavicius, Head of the Land Management Department (advisor
to the Minister of Agriculture). Representatives of the University of
Agriculture were also very interested in the possibility to apply for
academic membership in FIG organisation.
On the last day of his visit, Mr. Foster made a visit to
Government’s Office, where he met Dalia Bardauskiene, advisor to
the Prime Minister for urban and regional development. The discussions
focussed on the organisational structure of the land management and
administration system. FIG President shortly mentioned his previous visits
in different companies and institutions, which made a strongest impression
on him. He noted that land is a valuable asset and a fundamental element in
the national economy. Therefore, development of the efficient and
transparent land administration system underpins the economic development of
the country and promotion of investments. Membership in the European Union
will demand to open the land market to foreign subjects, thus in this stage,
along with an efficient land administration system the focus should be upon
land use planning and the relevant monitoring process.
On 6 April, FIG President made a statement in the general
conference of the LSA He said that he had met a number of highly qualified
specialists and foresaw a good prospect for surveyors’ future in
Lithuania. The United Nations, which cooperates with FIG, aims to implement
globally the concept of sustainable development, which requires maintenance
of balance between use and demand of natural resources (in the widest
sense), so that the upcoming generations would not inherit current
difficulties. A surveyor has and will continue to have a particularly
important role in the implementation of the concept. The modern practice of
a surveyor’s profession involves a broad range of activities from
technical surveying to territorial planning. Real property cadastre and land
management still remain the central work areas.
In the conference urgent issues were also addressed by
the following persons: Kestutis Kristinaitis, Minister of
Agriculture, Eugenijus Palavinskas, Vice-minister of Environment, Gintautas
Tiskus, Head of the Department for Territorial Planning under the Ministry
of Environment, Pranas Aleknavicus, Advisor to the Minister of Agriculture.
They focussed upon another important issue – reform of land management and
administration system and the surveyor’s role in it. Zenonas Kumetaitis,
Director of the State Geodesy and Cartography Service also participated in
the discussions.
No resolutions were adopted on this issue, but surveyors
had an opportunity to study the positions of different institutions and to
form an opinion about the proposed decisions. Discussions ended with no
specific opinion regarding the surveyor’s role in the land management and
administration system. Surveyors employed in public companies are worried
about the proposed dismissal of employees. In the Law on the Real Property
Cadastre (prior to amendments) the legal status of a surveyor enabled the
public surveyors turn to private sector themselves. When this status was
repealed surveyors have no clear future prospect, and shutting down of
public companies looks like efforts to mend budget deficit at the expense of
the dismissed employees rather than promotion of the private surveying. The
Lithuanian Surveyors’ Association expects that the open discussion on this
issue will help to make the best decision.
During the conference the exhibition was held and eight
companies introduced themselves. Those participating in the exhibition made
a short presentation of their companies.
During the conference Vaidotas Sankalas, President
of the LSA, made a report on activities of the LSA during the period of 1998–2000.
The participants elected the new Council, President and Vice-presidents of
the LSA. Vaidotas Sankalas was elected President of the LSA for a second
term of office.
Before leaving Lithuania to Latvia President Foster met also with the
Board of the Lithuanian Association of Property Valuers. He was very much
interested to learn how valuers established property values after 50 years
of no land markets. This meeting was hosted by Steponas Deveikis,
President of the Lithuanian Association of Property Valuers.
President Foster visits Latvia
In early April President Robert Foster visited on
his European tour also Latvia. After arriving from Lithuania to Latvia
President Foster made a tour in Riga with Janis Balodis, President of
the Latvian Association of Surveyors, Uldis Mezulis, Vice President
of the association and Baiba Ziemele, President of Mikrokods
(Intergraph Solutions Centre and Bentley Business Centre). The company
provides systems design and software solutions for public agencies. They
also visited the city of Cesis and the 13th century Livonian Order Castle of
Cesis. The visit included the nearby Araisi Lake Fortress, a reconstructed
village of log huts built in the 9th and 10th century in the middle of a
small lake, for defense. The night was spent at the recently restored State
Opera in Riga.
The first meeting on Monday was with the General Director
of the State Land Service of the Republic of Latvia, Guntis Grube.
The State Land Service is responsible for the geodetic control measurements
and the related technical coordination of the land reform. The process of
land privatisation has been a complex and heavy task for national
authorities. It requires a restoration of control network, boundary and
property survey as well as the foundation of cadastral registers and a
National Data System.
At the University of Latvia President Foster had a short
meeting with Prof., Dr. Indrikis Muiznieks, Prorector for Research.
Then he met with Ivars Knets, Rector of the Riga Technical
University, Elmars Bekeris, Vice-Rector for Academic Affairs and Janis
Bikse, Head of the Department of Civil Engineering where the Geomatics
curricula are taught. Geomatics at this institution includes the "3
main corner points" of Geodesy, Cartography and Land Management. A
workshop for setting up the Geomatics curricula at the Bachelor level was
held during 1998. The Master level curricula was set up in 1999.
Following lunch at the university he visited the regional
Department of the State Land Service, then met with the Latvian Association
of Surveyors, where he gave a brief address to about 20 members, reviewing
the structure and purposes of FIG.
On the final day the President visited together with Andris
Cinis, Managing Director of the LAS and Uldis Mezulis, Vice
President the firm Merko, in which they are partners as well. This is a
surveying company they founded in the mid 90s. They are local dealers for
Sokkia, as well. Their office is fully equipped with all the latest
surveying technology including computer workstations for each of their nine
survey crew chiefs. The discussions included, among other things, the issue
of professional liability and the role the association may play in the
future.
The President commented after the visit that there is great opportunity
in the Baltic area for a regional organisation of surveyors, because they
have very many situations and problems common to them all. FIG can be of
assistance in this – some Commissions are already considering regional
seminars for this area.
Le Groupe francophone de la FIG vient d’ouvrir son site
Internet
Créé en 1998, à Brighton, sous l’impulsion du
Comité français de représentation à la FIG (CFR-FIG), le Groupe
francophone de la FIG est une structure informelle dont l’ambition est de
favoriser les rapprochements entre les diverses entités de la communauté
linguistique parlant le français.
La multiplication des membres qui ont rejoint le groupe
francophone (actuellement une quarantaine), associée au besoin croissant de
communication utilisant les technologies nouvelles de l’information ont
fait émerger l’idée de mettre en place un site Internet, outil de
dialogue et d’échange destiné à favoriser les interactions, à susciter
les rencontres, et à maintenir des contacts en temps réel entre les
professionnels francophones présents en Europe, en Afrique, au Moyen-Orient,
en Asie, dans le Pacifique, en Amérique du nord et en Océanie.
Le site comporte des rubriques d’actualité fixant l’agenda
des rendez-vous à venir, les synthèses des réunions qui se sont
déroulées, une sélection de communications techniques d’intérêt
général émanant des commissions de la FIG, les coordonnées des
établissements d’enseignement et de formation, un inventaire des revues
francophones du secteur professionnel, et des liens utiles. Colonne
vertébrale du service Internet, une liste de discussion, utilisant la
messagerie, permet de fédérer les membres du groupement autour de sujets
ou projets d’intérêt commun, de partager des témoignages, de préparer
une réunion ou une communication écrite.
Bien entendu, le site pourra évoluer et être enrichi en
fonction des contributions et attentes exprimées par chacun des membres, ce
rassemblement se voulant le plus ouvert et le plus convivial possible.
Comité français de représentation à la
FIG (CFR-FIG)
Président: Dominique Lenoir
40 avenue Hoche, 75008 Paris,
Tel. 01.53.83.88.00, fax 01.45.61.14.07,
e-mail: ordre@geometre-expert.fr,
Internet: www.geometre-expert.fr/Cfrfig/
The Francophone Group gets its own web site
The Francophone Group in FIG was established at
the Brighton Congress in 1998 by the initiative of Comité
français de représentation à la FIG (CFR-FIG). It is an
informal group within FIG whose aim is to support and organise
meetings between the various French speaking associations and
French speaking delegates in FIG.
About 40 individuals have joined the
Francophone Group by now. This has caused an increasing need to
improve the information delivery within this group by using modern
technology. Therefore the Group decided to establish a web site to
help dialogue and communication between the French speaking
community in all continents.
The site includes at the moment summaries of
meetings, contacts and information of technical commissions,
education and professional development, links to the surveying
journals in French and useful links.There is also
a discussion group that makes it possible for the members to
participate in discussion on subjects and projects of common
interest, to share experiences and to prepare meetings or written
statements.
The site is, of course, open for improvement and suggestions
from users to get the site as user-friendly as possible are
welcomed. The address to the web site is: http://www.geometre-expert.fr/Cfrfig. |
Invitation to compete for the 2002 FIG Congress Prize
The US Bureau has agreed that the FIG Congress Prize will
be offered to young members of FIG member associations at the XXII FIG
Congress. The value of the prize will be 2,000 Swiss francs, together with
complimentary registration at the congress and a return airfare to and from
Washington, DC.
Those eligible to compete for the prize are members of
FIG member associations who have not reached the age of 36 by 31 December
2002.
The Congress theme is "Geomatics and Property
Valuation for Global Sustainable Development". Any paper submitted
must relate to a surveying subject consistent with that theme. It must
be an original work that has not been previously published. It must be
submitted in English, using 12 pt typeface and be of no more than 12 A4
pages in length (inclusive of illustrations and diagrams) with clear margins
of 25 mm (top and sides) and 30 mm (bottom) on each page. The papers can be
submitted either in electronic format or as hard copy.
Papers must be submitted through their authors’ member
association or through a university that is an academic member of FIG, which
should send submissions to the FIG office to arrive no later than 1 January
2002. Personal data about the author should be presented with the paper and
certified by the member association in accordance with the attached
application. Selection of the successful paper will be made by a committee
appointed by the FIG Bureau.
The successful candidate will be invited by the President
of FIG to attend the Congress and the prize will be presented during the
opening ceremony.
For further information about FIG Congress 2002 please
visit the Congress web site www.fig2002.org
or the FIG web site at www.fig.net.
The address of the FIG office is:
International Federation of Surveyors FIG
Lindevangs Allé 4, DK-2000 Frederiksberg, Denmark
Tel. +45 3886 1081, fax +45 3886 0252, e-mail: fig@fig.net
The Writings of the Roman Land Surveyors
The Writings of the Roman Land Surveyors.
B. Campbell. 2000. LXI + 570 pages and plates. ISBN 0-907764-28-2. Published
by the Society for the Promotion of Roman Studies. Price £78, US$156, Euro
156.
The Writings of the Roman Land Surveyors is a major
scholarly work of interest to all surveyors. The introduction states that
"The Corpus Agrimensorum Romanorum is a collection of manuals on
land survey in the Roman world – – . The texts preserved in the
Corpus were written by different authors, deal with many aspects of land
survey, are of widely differing dates and exhibit a notable variety of
interests and approaches."
The first 60 pages are Introductory and then follow 275
pages of selected texts from the Corpus given both in their original Latin
and with an English translation. A further 130 pages are of Commentary
together with 40 pages of illustrations and 120 pages of Appendices,
Bibliography and Indices.
Among the Roman authors cited are Frontinus, Urbicus,
Hygenus and Flaccus. Columella believed there were
certain tasks that should be undertaken only by a surveyor with appropriate
training. Obviously the history of professions and particularly that of land
boundaries was well established 2000 years ago.
We find details of boundary disputes, different units of
length and area and conversions from one unit to another. So to convert feet
to cubita one should multiply by twelve and divide by eight. Why, one
wonders, not use the easier figures of 3 and 2?
Any manner of aspects of land, its extent, boundaries,
forms of ownership, method of surveying, determination of areas, forms of
boundary stone and inscriptions thereon, tombs used as markers, its
subdivision, disputes and their resolution, feature and are dealt with in
great detail. It is interesting to read that a boundary stone could be found
with any one of the letters of the alphabet inscribed upon it. Each such
individual letter has a different meaning. Thus Z signifies a spring on the
left-hand side whereas M indicates square-shaped land with boundary markers
close-by. The translated text is commented upon in detail and all the
unusual terms are explained.
Not since Oswald Dilke was writing in 1971 have we
had such a major work relating to the early land surveyor. The intriguing
aspect is how little has changed in that period in relation to property
boundaries and related topics. Whilst the chain had yet to be invented it
was obviously similar principles to that of chain surveying that were used
to set out the properties, measure across valleys, round obstacles or for
the calculation of areas.
Supported by the RICS Research Foundation this is a book
that should be of interest to many surveyors even if they are not
particularly involved in cadastral work. More to be dipped into than read
from cover to cover, and except for the few hardy classical readers the 130
or so pages of Latin can be ignored. The volume will not add to the
knowledge one requires for present day survey but as a general interest book
it has much to offer. An expensive purchase but to be expected since its
specialised nature will probably not attract too many sales. How about
putting it on your gift list?
James R. Smith
In Memoriam
 FIG
Honorary Member Ernst Höflinger died on 23 February 2001 – only 3
weeks after his 70th anniversary – at his home in Innsbruck, Austria of a
serious disease but unexpectedly. Ernst Höflinger pursued his studies of
surveying and mapping from 1950 to 1955 at the Technical University of Graz,
Austria and acquired the degree of a Diplom-Ingenieur (M.Sc.) in 1955. After
several years of practice in the construction and surveying industry Ernst
was endowed 1961 by the Austrian government the license of an authorised
consulting engineer in surveying and mapping.
He started his activities in professional organisations
soon and in 1968 he was already elected a member of the executive committee
of the Board of Architects and Consulting Engineers of the Tyrol and
Vorarlberg and President from 1978 to 1982. In the same period he was
Vice-President of the Austrian Federal Board of Architects and Consulting
Engineers (BAIK). Recognising his strong support he gave to the Austrian and
international surveying profession, he was awarded in 1992 the honorary
title "Baurat honoris causa" by the President of the Republic of
Austria.
Ernst Höflinger contributed a lot to the development of
the Austrian Association for Surveying and Geoinformation (ÖVG) as member
of the Executive Board since 1981. His main focus lay in co-operation with
and participation in international professional associations. In 1994 he was
appointed Honorary Member due to his active representation of ÖVG in
international affairs.
Ernst was active in FIG for a long term. Since 1977 FIG
Stockholm Congress in Working Group 6C (Utility Cadastre), and since the
establishment of Commission on Land Information Systems LIS (Commission 3)
in 1978 as Austrian Delegate to this Commission. He was vice-chairman of
this Commission 1987–1991 and chair from 1991 to 1994. He was very much
engaged to Commission 3 during this period holding seminars and preparing
the technical program for the FIG Congress in Melbourne 1994. Access to data
and exchange of data were the main issues under his chairmanship.
Ernst Höflinger participated in a number of FIG task
forces during several FIG Bureaus and was also a correspondent to FIG
Commission 7 (Cadastre and Land Management). Since 1980 the Austrian member
association ÖVG was represented by Ernst both at the PC meetings and
General Assemblies. At the Brighton Congress in 1998 Ernst Höflinger was
appointed an Honorary Member of FIG.
Since 1992 he was Austrian delegate to the Comité de
Liaison des Géomètres Européens (CLGE) in which he was elected as a
member of the Standing Committee as representative of Central Europe in
1997.
When the Austrian Umbrella Organisation for Geographic
Information (AGEO) was founded in 1998, Ernst was a proponent of the first
hour and was elected President. His contribution to the establishment of
this organisation will stay.
The society of the surveyors has lost a great personality
spreading the ideas of developing the profession on an international level
and encouraging the exchange of experience among international professional
associations. Additionally colleagues have lost a comrade and moreover a
real friend. His memory will be honoured forever.
Gerda Schennach
Austrian delegate to Commission 7
|
Agreement
on the Permanent Office