News in 2025
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The international scientific conference themed "Towards a State Plane Coordinate System: Scientific Approaches and Practical Challenges", held in hybrid format on October 31, 2025, in collaboration with 8 esteemed international organizations and companies.
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FIG President Dr. Diane Dumashie, United Kingdom, participated in the opening ceremony with an address thanking the organisers for their vivid engagement in this special hybrid conference. |
At Mother Teresa University in Skopje, North Macedonia, participants from leading regional cartographic associations and international experts gathered to address the critical establishment of a cutting-edge State Plane Coordinate Reference System (SPCRS) for North Macedonia.
Organized by the South-East European Research Institute on Geo Sciences (Geo-SEE Institute), the conference focused on crucial themes such as existing Common Reporting Standard (CRS) practices, legal frameworks, and implementation challenges.
The Geo-SEE Institute, as the main organizer and under the umbrella of the International Federation of Surveyors (FIG), was strongly supported by the Bulgarian Cartographic Association, the Croatian Cartographic Society, the Kosovo Association of Surveyors, the European Group of Surveyors, and the Macedonian Chamber of Trade Surveying Companies as co-organizers. The event was sponsored by the Alb Matrix Group (Geo Sensors) from Albania and the company FARO Europe.
FIG President Dr. Diane Dumashie, United Kingdom, participated in the opening ceremony with an address thanking the organisers for their vivid engagement in this special conference. Honorary President of FIG, Chryssy Potsiou, Greece, took active part in the entire conference virtually.
The primary objective of the conference was to present the key results of the national project SCRS Project (National Scientific Project: State Plane Coordinate Reference System - Republic of North Macedonia), engage international experts, share experiences, discuss methodologies and findings, and explore the future implementation of the proposed coordinate reference system (CRS) for North Macedonia.
Distinguished presenters from North Macedonia, Albania, Bulgaria, Croatia, Germany, Greece, Kosovo, the Netherlands, and Türkiye shared their scientific findings and practical experiences related to state plane coordinate reference systems. The hybrid event attracted a diverse range of participants, including experts, researchers, and institutions working towards harmonizing national geospatial systems with European standards. In total, 67 participants attended the conference in person and 91 joined online, demonstrating strong regional and international engagement in this important field.
Key outcomes underscored the urgent need for a legally compliant CRS that aligns with European standards (ETRS89/GRS80)*, robust stakeholder engagement, and a clear transition from research to actionable implementation. The conference not only facilitated vital knowledge exchange but also laid a strong foundation for ongoing collaboration to enhance national geospatial systems, with effective dissemination strategies set to amplify its impactful findings through publications and digital platforms.
The international scientific conference on the state-plane coordinate system marked a key step in advancing the theory of state-plane coordinate systems and map projections for large-scale mapping. By bringing together science, practice, and policy, the event strengthened the foundation for a modern national CRS that will benefit geospatial applications, environmental monitoring, surveying, topographic mapping, cadastre, civil engineering, Geographic Information System (GIS), and all national-level activities related to geospatial data and information. For practitioners and researchers, this development offers a timely opportunity to align projects and data infrastructures with evolving national standards, enhance data interoperability, and strengthen the scientific quality of analyses.
*ETRS89: European Terrestrial Reference System 1989. GRS80: Geodetic
Reference System 1980.
Bashkim Idrizi, Chair, North Macedonia
Lyubka Pashova, Co-chair, Bulgaria
Published 24 November 2025
