Thanks

This booklet would not have been possible without the help of several friends.

First of all, Prof. Dr. Ian P. Williamson from the University of Melbourne, Australia, was kind enough to provide the foreword. Ms. Wendy Wells from the University of New Brunswick, Canada, edited the English text and made valuable suggestions to improve its readability. Mr. Bruno Teucher, graphics artist in Rüdlingen, Switzerland, designed the graphics and the nice layout of the booklet. Last, but surely not least, printing was made possible by the sponsorship of the Swiss surveying instruments manufacturer Leica Geosystems Ltd.

To all of these kind supporters, we give our most cordial thanks.

Jürg Kaufmann, Daniel Steudler

Foreword

It gives me great pleasure to write the foreword for the excellent publication CADASTRE 2014 produced by Jürg Kaufmann and Daniel Steudler, the Chairperson and Secretary of working group 7.1 of Commission 7. This publication presents a clear vision for cadastral systems in the future as well as being an excellent review of the strengths and weaknesses of current cadastral systems. I believe this report will become a benchmark against which cadastral systems world-wide will measure their development and reform. It will also become essential reading for students of cadastre.

Commission 7 set Jürg and Daniel a difficult task in 1994 to develop a vision for a modern cadastre 20 years into the future. They have undertaken the task with commitment and energy. They developed a work plan and systematically pursued the tasks they set themselves. The excellent seminar on 'Modern Cadastres and Cadastral Innovations' held as part of the Commission 7 annual meeting in Delft, The Netherlands in 1995 set the scene for the scope and innovation of their working group. Subsequent annual meetings of the Commission in Budapest and Penang strengthened and extended their work.

The outcomes of their working group has far exceeded my expectations. The resulting research and publication is an important document which will have an impact on cadastral reform world-wide for many years. The cadastral vision developed by the working group fully recognises the changing role of governments in society, recognises the changing relationship of humankind to land, recognises the dramatic influence of technology on cadastral reform, recognises the changing role of surveyors in society and recognises the growing role of the private sector in the operation of the cadastre.

As well as completing this publication, the working group also produced an excellent publication titled 'Benchmarking Cadastral Systems' published in The Australian Surveyor (Vol. 42, No. 3, 87-106, 1997). The research on benchmarking has already had a significant impact on the development of many cadastral systems world-wide.

As Chairperson of Commission 7, I want to thank Jürg and Daniel for their commitment and excellent work. I also want to thank the members of their working group who have assisted them. They can all feel proud that they have made a significant contribution to the way that we will manage land for the benefit of all in the next millennium.

Ian Williamson
Chairperson
Commission 7 (Cadastre and Land Management)
International Federation of Surveyors