11 May - Smart Surveyors

What is a Smart Surveyor? Rapid urban growth, smart energy, cleaner mobility, and ‘land rights for all’ are some of the challenges demanding innovative surveying approaches and technologies. Sensing technologies, spatial data processing technologies and related approaches are already available. Use and improve them to become future proof, Smart Surveyors!

Today's theme of the FIG Working (from home) Week is Smart Surveyors. To answer the question "what is a Smart Surveyor?", the papers of the FIG proceedings have been analysed by Tim Brouwer, Mila Koeva, Peter van Oosterom and Iris Theunisse and in the first article, the main trends are presented. In the second article, Leica Geosystems gives you the five most recent trends in the surveying industry bringing about the next-generation Smart Surveyor.

The articles are followed by contributions from the FIG Commissions on Professional Standards and Practice (Commission 1), Professional Education (Commission 2), Spatial Information Management (Commission 3) and FIG Standards Network. The chairs will highlight for you the hot-topics, the ground breaking research, and the hidden gems in the proceedings from the their respective perspectives.

Enjoy the articles.

Smart Surveyors - Developments and Trends from the FIG Working Week 2020

Some of the challenges demanding innovative surveying approaches and technologies are rapid urban growth, smart energy, cleaner mobility, and ‘land rights for all’. Sensing technologies, spatial data processing methods, and related approaches are already available. However, the question is how to use and improve them to become future proof, smart surveyors? Read the article.

The Evolution of the Smart Surveyor

Surveyors are a versatile and flexible bunch. As the current COVID-19 situation has proven, this group, like others, has had to find new ways of operating. Even this article is an adjustment. Originally planned as a presentation, Sensor Fusion for the Smart Surveyor,  for the International Federation of Surveyors (FIG) Working Week 2020, adapting to a new platform for information sharing is becoming the new normal. As surveyors continue to navigate in these new confines, surveyors will do what they’ve always had to do – adapt, overcome and evolve. Read the article.

FIG Commission 1: Professional Standards and Practice

Need for International Ethics Standards, Peace and Gender Equality

Commission 1 focuses on establishing a set of ethical principles that fits the surveying profession for reference by professional institutions. It also focuses on promoting greater understanding and improving community perceptions about the surveying profession, which is underlined by the foundation’s vision to improve gender equality and maintaining global peace and justice, in line with Goal No. 5 and 16 of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDG) respectively. Read the article.

FIG Commission 2: Professional Education

COVID-19 responses and FIG2020: lessons for Surveying Education

During 2020, there have been significant developments in surveying professional education due to the COVID-19 restrictions. Globally, many surveying academic institutions were required to adapt to these restrictions by moving their learning and teaching completely online. This has presented a range of challenges as we grappled with which learning management system and video communications platforms we would use. Read the article.

FIG Commission 3: Spatial Information Management

Spatial Information Management, a key discipline for managing spatial and temporal dynamics

One of the most impressive examples of how phenomena evolve over time and space is the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Knowing in real time where a local outbreak occurs, how outbreaks evolve over time, how many people are affected at any given location is of utmost importance to take appropriate measures. As with many other applications, well-established spatial information management, including an implemented system for digital information exchange can help to provide the required spatial information in near real time. Read the article.

FIG Standards Network

The FIG Standards Network and Standards in Surveying

A simple inspection of still-existing Roman roads, aqueducts and canals shows that the Romans were exceptionally skilled engineers. Shoe sizes provide a person’s shoe fitting size. There are many different shoe-size systems used in the world today. Wi-Fi is a family of wireless networking technologies, commonly used for local area networking of devices and Internet access. Wi-Fi and internet technologies are particularly important in the situation we find ourselves in today. But what do Roman roads, shoe sizes and Wi-Fi have to do with surveying and indeed FIG? Surprisingly they have a lot in common… Read the article.

Thank you to our sponsors and supporters, we really do appreciate you being part - from the distance - of the FIG Working Week 2020!

Kind regards
FIG Office

Louise Friis-Hansen, Director and co-conference director
Claudia Stormoen, Event Manager
Maria Bangholz, Finance and Administration 

International Federation of Surveyors Fédération Internationale des Géomčtres Internationale Vereiningung der Vermessungsingenieure

During the days of the Working Week 2020 FIG and GIM Magazine will publish newsletters with articles that will guide you through the technical programme. Look out for the newsletters. If you do not already subscribe to GIM Magazine, you are encouraged to sign up now