FIG Working Week

FIG Working Week
Name	FIG Working Week
Status	Active
Genre	Conference
Frequency	Annual
Location	Various
First	1862
Organiser	International Federation of Surveyors
Participants	Surveyors, geospatial professionals, policymakers

FIG Working Week The FIG Working Week is an annual international conference organized by the International Federation of Surveyors (FIG). It gathers practitioners from the fields of surveying, geomatics, cadastre, land administration, and geospatial science for technical sessions, policy dialogue, and professional exchange. The event routinely attracts delegates from national mapping agencies, academic institutions, United Nations bodies, and regional organizations.

Overview

The FIG Working Week serves as the principal annual forum of the International Federation of Surveyors alongside the FIG Congress, linking entities such as the United Nations agencies, the World Bank, the European Commission, the International Organization for Standardization, the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, the American Congress on Surveying and Mapping, and the International Cartographic Association. Typical programming includes plenary sessions, technical seminars, workshops, keynote addresses, and exhibition halls featuring vendors like Trimble, Esri, and Hexagon AB. The event routinely engages stakeholders from the Food and Agriculture Organization, the United Nations Development Programme, the World Health Organization, the International Labour Organization, and regional development banks such as the Asian Development Bank.

History

Roots trace to nineteenth-century professional assemblies and nineteenth-century surveying associations in cities like London, Paris, and Berlin. The International Federation of Surveyors formed into an enduring federation with links to historical gatherings such as events associated with the Great Exhibition era and later twentieth-century professional congresses in Rome, The Hague, Madrid, and Bern. Post-World War II reconstruction and internationalization brought closer collaboration with organizations including the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization and the International Geodetic Student Organisation, while Cold War-era contacts involved participants from the Soviet Union, United States, United Kingdom, France, and Germany. In recent decades, FIG Working Week meetings have reflected debates tied to the Millennium Development Goals and the Sustainable Development Goals, alongside technological shifts prompted by vendors and research centers like MIT, ETH Zurich, University College London, and Delft University of Technology.

Organization and Governance

The International Federation of Surveyors governs the Working Week through its Council and technical commissions, which coordinate with national member associations such as the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, the Australian Institute of Surveyors, the Canadian Institute of Geomatics, and the South African Geomatics Council. Committees mirror collaboration with standard-setting bodies like the International Organization for Standardization and regional networks including the European Union agencies and the African Development Bank. Governance procedures align with statutes comparable to those used by the International Bar Association and the International Chamber of Commerce, while professional credentialing conversations involve entities like the International Association of Hydrogeologists and academic accreditation bodies at universities including Stanford University and University of Cambridge.

Themes and Programmes

Programme themes vary year to year, addressing topics such as land tenure modernization, cadastre reform, disaster risk reduction, urban resilience, smart cities, and climate adaptation. These themes connect to global initiatives driven by actors like the United Nations Human Settlements Programme, the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, and the International Telecommunication Union. Technical streams feature geodesy, remote sensing, GIS, and BIM, drawing presenters from research centers such as NASA, the European Space Agency, CSIRO, and the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency. Capacity-building workshops often partner with universities and professional institutes including University of Melbourne, Peking University, National University of Singapore, and the University of Cape Town.

Notable Meetings and Locations

Historic and recent host cities have included Helsinki, Hong Kong, Rotterdam, Vienna, Sydney, Rome, Warsaw, Kuala Lumpur, and Prague. High-profile editions have featured keynote speakers or sessions alongside delegations from the United Nations, the World Bank, and national mapping agencies like the Ordnance Survey and the United States Geological Survey. Special symposia have been convened in contexts linked to events such as the World Urban Forum, the International Geographical Congress, and regional summits hosted by the ASEAN and the African Union.

Participation and Membership

Delegates include licensed surveyors, cadastral experts, geodesists, cartographers, land-use planners, academic researchers, and representatives of ministries and municipal authorities. Member organizations span national associations such as the Bundesamt für Kartographie und Geodäsie, the Swedish National Land Survey, the Kadaster (Netherlands), and professional societies like the American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing. Student participation and young professional programmes link to networks including the International Geodetic Student Organisation and university chapters at institutions such as Columbia University, University of Tokyo, and Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne.

Impact and Outcomes

Outcomes from Working Week meetings include technical resolutions, guidelines, collaborative research projects, and recommendations influencing policy at organizations like the United Nations Committee of Experts on Global Geospatial Information Management, the World Bank land projects, and regional development programs run by the Asian Development Bank and Inter-American Development Bank. Proceedings and position papers have informed standards used by the International Organization for Standardization and operational practices at national mapping agencies including Ordnance Survey and the United States Geological Survey. The event acts as a nexus linking academic research from institutions such as ETH Zurich, Imperial College London, and University of California, Berkeley with operational practice at corporations like Esri and Trimble, and with policy frameworks advanced by United Nations entities and multilateral banks.

Category:International conferences