12 February,1999

Newsletter February 1999

To the National Delegates of FIG Commission 2

Dear Colleagues

In this letter you will get information about the coming FIG Symposium in Sun City South Africa. In the previous newsletter I gave the first quick information from the Wuhan Workshop last October - in this newsletter there is something more about the contents of the presentations as well as the discussions. I have also added some pieces of maybe interesting information on actual matters in the end of this letter. Also you will receive a copy of the new FIG Annual Review.

FIG COMMISSION 2 SEMINAR, 14.-16.October, 1998, Wuhan, P.R.China

"University Curricula, Teaching Method, Quality Assurance"

 

FIG Commission 2 Seminar at Wuhan Technical University of Surveying and Mapping was held in October 14.-16.1998. The seminar was organized by professor Liu Yanfang from Wuhan Technical University. The seminar is part of the work in Commission 2 Working Group 3. The seminar included two working days as well as dinner and evening party hosted by the university.

In the opening ceremony Chinese representatives gave their kind welcoming words: Rector of the University Professor Li Deren, Professor Liu Yanfang,

Chairman of the Educational Committee of Chinese Society of Surveying and Mapping Mr Ning Jinsheng, Director of Educational Affairs at the National Bureau of Surveying and Mapping Professor Liu Xiaobo.

You will receive a copy of my presentation in this letter, it is a kind of introduction to the work of Commission working groups at the moment. Also quite soon you will find more information about the seminar on our web pages, opening and closing speeches as well as some other presentations.

The main topics of the seminar, both in presentations and in lively discussions, were:

-lifelong continuous learning
-management of change in a surveyors´ professional life
-quality of education as well as
-computer assisted learning.

In the seminar program 11 oral presentations were given selected out of 38 which were printed in the Proceedings. The Proceedings is available and those who want to have a copy are adviced kindly to contact Prof. Liu yanfang.

Some points worth of mentioning were emphasized in the presentations:

                    -firstly:
                    project oriented learning as a modern approach in university education - we could even speak about Aalborg -model (described in presentation given
                    by Stig Enemark) which could easily be followed by other modern universities,

                    -secondly:
                     managing change by using a quality approach represents a holistic view to profession as well as to education, we should not only put value
                    on technology but see also other points (this was pointed specially in presentation given by John Parker from Commission 1),

-thirdly:
geoinformatics curriculum seem to be a newcomer in many universities, however at the moment the time is much more mature to introducing GIS to an university than for example ten years ago, at the moment we have good GIS software available as well as powerful workstations and on the top of all we have Internet via which education can be organized as a virtual university.

University curricula which was one main topic of this seminar will be further worked on in Commission 2 Working Group 3. Professor Liu Yanfang has a challenging job in co-chairing this WG together with Professor Jud Rouch from USA. A summary of this seminar will be given as a presentation in Sun City South Africa next May by Liu Yanfang.

Also - on behalf of Commission of Education - a message from the seminar was forwarded to the students: On the basis of what was said about the change of the world and the professional life, we could emphasize the following:

-you are responsible on your own career
-you are responsible on the future of your country
-you are responsible on the future of the whole world.

Teachers should encourage students to make individual choices as well as to plan their future in general. No-one will be invited to work - everyone should be able to market himself or herself. - Maybe this is the most important message from Commission 2 today.

In addition to the seminar program we also were able to visit University Laboratories and see the advanced level of teaching. Especially the laboratories of geoinformatics, cartography and remote sensing were amazing.

FIG Commission 2 wants to thank the organizers, Rector Professor Li Deren and Professor Liu Yanfang, as well as all others who worked for the seminar and made it a real success - the seminar is a good start for Commission 2 new four year period!
 

The PC Meeting and Symposium in Sun City South Africa

The next PC meeting and Symposium of FIG will be held in South Africa , SunCity from the 29^th of May until the 4^th of June, 1999.

The "early bird" registration time is until the 26^th of February, this registration fee is 2400 SAR. Please, read more information on the web site www.plato.org.za. If possible, please, attend the Symposium. Commission 2 will have three sessions as well as Commission meeting during the week.

The sessions/presentations which we have proposed for the organizers are the following:

Session1: Surveying Curricula
-Liu Yanfang: Surveying Curricula in China
-Jud Rouch: Surveying Curricula Design in The USA
-maybe something from South Africa?
-WS - discussion

Session2: Virtual Academy
-Bela Marcus: Virtual Academy concept in Hungary
-Esben Munk Sörensen: On the road to Virtual Universities - examples from Aalborg University
-maybe something from South Africa (there are some names also on my list)
-WS - discussion

Session 3: A Joint session with Com1

-Chris Hoogsteden: Position paper of WG 1
-Stig Enemark: Quality Assurance report
-WS -discussion

FIG WORKING WEEK, SUN CITY CONVENTION CENTRE, SOUTH AFRICA,

29 MAY - 4 JUNE 1999

Saturday 29 May	pm	informal ACCO meeting
Sunday 30 May	am	Bureau meeting
	pm	ACCO meeting
Monday 31 May	09.00	Individual commissions’ meetings
	11.00	General Assembly
	pm	General Assembly (continued)
	evening	Welcome reception
Tuesday 1 June	09.00	Bureau/Sponsors’ meeting
	11.00	Opening Ceremony
	pm	Technical sessions 1 - 5 (see below)
	evening	Cocktail party
Wednesday 2 June	am	Technical sessions 6 - 9
		Workshop 1 (see below)
		African Association of Quantity Surveyors’ meeting
		Technical tours 1 and 2 (see below)
	pm	Technical sessions 10 - 13
		Workshop 2
		Technical tours 1 and 2 (continued)
	evening	Banquet
Thursday 3 June	am	Technical sessions 14 - 17
		Workshop 3
	pm	Technical sessions 18 - 21
		Workshop 4
	evening	Night drive (optional extra)
Friday 4 June	09.00	General Assembly (until 13.00)

Technical sessions

TS1 Successful practices (Commission 1)
TS2 Managing real estate resources for prosperity (Commission 9)
TS3 Engineering surveys for constructions and dams (Commission 6)
TS4 Education - key to successful adaptation: surveying curricula (Commission 2)
TS5 Trends in positioning measurement (Commission 5)
TS6 Spatial information management in developing countries and countries in transition - differences and similarities (Commission 3)
TS7 Hydrography for countries in transition (Commission 4)
TS8 The spatial information business (Commission 3)
TS9 Under-represented groups in surveying (Commissions 1 and 2)
TS10 Tenure reform and land restitution (Commission 7)
TS11 Working in the global village (Commissions 1 and 2)
TS12 Cadastral transformation and legislation (Commission 7)
TS13 Opportunities - innovation and diversification (South Africa)
TS14 Education - key to successful adaptation: virtual academy (Commission 2)
TS15 Technological front lines and frontiers (Commissions 5 and 6)
TS16 Sound spatial planning principles: foundations for successful development

(Commission 8)

TS17 Reference frame in practice - position (Commission 5)
TS18 Reference frame in practice - heighting (Commission 5)
TS19 Transportation and utility lines (Commission 6)
TS20 The internet as a tool and an opportunity (South Africa)
TS21 Applications for industry and facilities management (Commission 6)

Workshops

WS1 Tenure reform, cadastral reform, accessibility and affordability: other models and
options. Informal settlements and the delivery of mass housing (South Africa)
WS2 Valuing real estate in new markets and transitional markets and in the absence of
market history (Commission 9)
WS3 The demand for cost control and accountability on construction and engineering projects in Africa (ad hoc commission on construction economics)
WS4 Obstacles to inward investment on development projects in Africa (ad hoc commission on construction economics)

Technical tours

TT1 Hartebeesthoek satellite remote sensing station and VLBI site
A local platinum mine
Positioning in wildlife applications

TT2 A local informal settlement and a traditional tenure settlement contrasted with
planned formal township devloment

Accommodation (all prices are per night and include breakfast)
 

The Palace (luxury hotel)	single R1150 per room
	double R615 per person sharing
The Cascades (elegant hotel, closest to the Convention Centre)	single R600 per room double R350 per person sharing
Sun City Hotel (elegant hotel)	single R600 per room
	double R350 per person sharing
The Cabanas (relaxed and casual hotel)	single R400 per room
	double R255 per person sharing

Fees (covering all items listed in the programme, coffee/tea, lunches, exhibition, all papers, accompanying persons programme)
 

Delegate early bird (by 28 February)	R2400
Delegate full fee	R2850
Accompanying person early bird	R850
Accompanying person full fee	R1000
Full time registered student fee	R750 (banquet R160 extra)

 
Pre- and post-meeting tours

Please contact Event Dynamics for details
telephone +27 11 442 6111
fax +27 11 442 5927
E-mail tasha@eventdymanics.co.za
 

Working group activities

In addition to the actitivities for Sun City we can report for you the following about the work of working groups:

WG 2.1

-WG is planning to organize a meeting of experts in virtual universities. Where and when is still under consideration. Henrik Haggren will receive with pleasure all contacts on this topic. WG2.1 and WG 2.4 -We will organize a meeting during the CLGE meeting in Finland in March. Pedro Cavero , Stig Enemark and Kirsi Artimo will discuss mainly the work plan of WG 2.4. Also the general matters of commission is discussed for example the maintenance of the website. WG 2.3

                -This WG organized the Wuhan seminar. No new plans at the moment. The
                principle is to present papers in each symposium - papers deal with surveyors
                curricula in different part of the world.

WG 2.4

-Pedro Cavero will give a presentation in the International Meeting of the Geodetic Students Organization in Valencia next spring, as well as in Finland for the surveying students of Helsinki University of Technology (in March,1999); the presentation is on "FIG and geodetic students: Why and how to participate in this supranational organization?"                     -Workshop will be organized in 2000 and the Spanish Association of Surveyors
                    has promised to help in organizing.
 
 

Other activities and information

As decided in Brighton The Permanent Office of FIG will be established in Denmark, Copenhagen. The new director of the Office now nominated is Mr. Markku Villikka, the ex-chair of Commission 8. Let us wish good luck to Markku and let us see what kind of new support Commissions will get from the new office. Clear signs of positive development are already "in the air".

As you have probably noticed our web site is still under development. We are planning to move it from Denmark to Finland. This may take some time, but try to be patient, we do our best.

Sincerely yours
Kirsi Artimo
 
 
 
 

Maintainer: Arzu Coltekin Arzu.Coltekin@hut.fi
Last modified: May 1999

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