Minutes

29th General Assembly
8 and 13 October 2006 in Munich, Germany

Introduction

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Changes after the minutes have been distributed to the member associations:

• Slides or handouts of the Powerpoint presentations that were displayed during the General Assembly. 9 November 2006

1. OPENING PROCEEDINGS

President Holger Magel opened the 29th General Assembly and welcomed the members and delegates to Munich and to the XXIII FIG Congress.

A moment of silence was held to appreciate those delegates and active FIG people that had passed away during the past year, especially to respect the memory of Mr. Abdel Munem Samara, Director General of the Department of Lands and Survey from Jordan (affiliate member), Prof. Kazimierz Czarnecki, President of the Association of Polish Surveyors and Mr. Geza Apanyi, President of the Hungarian Society of Surveying, Mapping and Remote Sensing.

Noted that several greetings and apologies were received from member associations, other members and Honorary Presidents and several Honorary Members who were no able to attend the General Assembly this time.

2. ROLL CALL

Vice President Andreas Drees took the roll call. The roll call was made only for member associations and affiliate members. Other members were recorded based on the registration information given to the FIG office at the door of the meeting room.

Appendix to items 2 & 25: Roll Call. (53 kB)

57 member associations out of 100 were present at this session, which is more than one third of the membership needed for the General Assembly to be constitutionally valid.

Motion: That present members are recorded in the minutes.

Decision: The motion was adopted.

3. APPOINTMENT OF TELLERS

Motion: The General Assembly shall appoint two persons as tellers following the principle adopted at the 22nd General Assembly so that the tellers will represent member associations hosting the preceding (The Egyptian Committee on Surveying and Mapping ECSM) and the current General Assembly (DVW – Deutscher Verein für Vermessungswesen – Gesellschaft für Geodäsie, Geoinformation und Landmanagement). Proposals from the member associations will be given at the session. That the General Assembly appoints Dr. Dalal S. Alnaggar from Egypt as a teller for the two sessions of the General Assembly and Mr. Volkmar Teetzmann from Germany as a teller for the first session of the General Assembly and Ms. Christiane Salbach as a teller for the second session of the General Assembly.

Decision: The motion was adopted.

4. ADOPTION OF THE AGENDA

Motion: That the agenda be adopted.

Decision: The motion was adopted.

5. ADOPTION OF THE MINUTES OF THE 28th GENERAL ASSEMBLY

Minutes have been circulated previously.

Appendix to item 5: Minutes of the General Assembly in Cairo, Egypt, April 2005

Minutes of the General Assembly in Cairo, Egypt, April 2005 without appendices, pdf-format. (93 kB)

Motion: That the minutes be adopted as recorded.

Decision: The motion was adopted.

6. MEMBERSHIP

6.1 Acceptance of new members

6.1.1 Institution of Surveyors of Tanzania (IST), Tanzania

Institution of Surveyors of Tanzania (IST) from Tanzania has submitted its membership application to become a member association of FIG. The association has 132 qualified members and 164 qualifying members and in addition 64 members and 70 qualifying members at technical level. The association is representing surveyors from public and private sectors in Tanzania. The Council has considered the application and believes that the association meets criteria for membership of FIG as a member association.

Appendix to item 6.1.1: Membership application from the Institution of Surveyors of Tanzania (IST) (16 kB)

Motion: That the General Assembly admits the Institution of Surveyors of Tanzania (IST) from Tanzania as a member association of FIG.

Decision: The motion was adopted.

6.1.2 Syndicat National des Géomètres-Topographes et Assimilés du Bénin (SYNAGETAB), Republic of Benin

The Syndicat National des Géomètres-Topographes et Assimilés du Bénin (SYNAGETAB) from Benin has submitted its membership application to become a member association of FIG. The association has 251 qualified members and 52 qualifying members. It is the only association regulated by law representing surveyors in Benin. The Council has considered the application and believes that the association meets criteria for membership of FIG as a member association.

Appendix to item 6.1.2: Membership application from the Syndicat National des Géomètres-Topographes et Assimilés du Bénin (SYNAGETAB) (1,357 kB)

Motion: That the General Assembly admits the Syndicat National des Géomètres-Topographes et Assimilés du Bénin (SYNAGETAB) from the Republic of Benin as a member association of FIG.

Decision: The motion was adopted.

6.1.3 The Iranian Society of Surveyors (ISS), Islamic Republic of Iran

The Iranian Society of Surveyors (ISS) from the Islamic Republic of Iran has submitted its membership application to become a member association of FIG. The association has 1,000 qualified members and 400 members with technician education. The association is representing surveyors in Iran. The Council has considered the application and believes that the association meets criteria for membership of FIG as a member association.

Appendix to item 6.1.3: Membership application from the Iranian Society of Surveyors (ISS) (25 kB)

Motion: That the General Assembly admits the Iranian Society of Surveyors (ISS) from the Islamic Republic of Iran as a member association of FIG.

Decision: The motion was adopted.

6.1.4 Federation des Ingenieurs Géomètres-Topographes (Geométrè Pluriel Asbl), Democratic Republic of the Congo

Federation des Ingenieurs Géomètres-Topographes (Geométrè Pluriel Asbl) from the Democratic Republic of the Congo has sent the Council a letter and membership application to become a member association of FIG. The association has 24 active members at the moment and their work is based on governmental decision. In D.R. Congo about 200 surveyors have been educated since 1984 at Masters level and about 1,000 at Bachelor level. The Council has considered the application and believes that the association meets criteria for membership of FIG as a member association.

Appendix to item 6.1.4: Membership application from the Federation des Ingenieurs Géomètres-Topographes (Geométrè Pluriel Asbl) (219 kB)

Motion: That the General Assembly admits the Federation des Ingenieurs Géomètres-Topographes (Geométrè Pluriel Asbl) from Democratic Republic of the Congo as a member association of FIG.

Decision: The motion was adopted.

6.1.5 Mongolian Association of Geodesy and Cartography (MAGaC), Mongolia

The surveyors associations have been reorganized in Mongolia. The current FIG member association Mongolian Association of Surveying and Mapping (MASM) has expired. A new association called the Mongolian Association of Geodesy and Cartography (MAGaC) was established in May 2004 and registered in July 2004. The total number of members is 128. The new association has sent its application to become a member of FIG. The Council has considered the application and believes that the association meets criteria for membership of FIG as a member association.

Appendix to item 6.1.5: Membership application from the Mongolian Association of Geodesy and Cartography (MAGaC) (157 kB)

Motion: That the General Assembly admits the Mongolian Association of Geodesy and Cartography (MAGaC) from Mongolia as a member association of FIG.

Decision: The motion was adopted.

6.1.6 The Society of Professional of Land Information Technologies (SPLIT), Georgia

The Society of Professional of Land Information Technologies (SPLIT) from Georgia has sent the Council an application to become a member association of FIG. The establishment of SPLIT is a result of the visit of the President to Georgia in May 2006. The association has been registered in July and has applied immediately FIG membership. The current number of members is 50 in total. The Council has considered the application and believes that the association meets criteria for membership of FIG as a member association.

Appendix to item 6.1.6: Membership application from the Society of Professional of Land Information Technologies (SPLIT) (19 kB)

Motion: That the General Assembly admits the Society of Professional of Land Information Technologies (SPLIT) from Georgia as a member association of FIG.

Decision: The motion was adopted. Mr. Merab Nadaraia, President of SPLIT addressed the General Assembly on behalf of the new member association and the association was given its membership certificate.

6.1.7 The Hong Kong Institution of Engineering Surveyors (HKInstES), Hong Kong SAR, China

The Hong Kong Institution of Engineering Surveyors (HKInstES) applied the membership of FIG in 2001. The General Assembly agreed after negotiations with the HKInstES and the Hong Kong Institute of Surveyors (HKIS), which is a current member of FIG, at its meeting in Washington in April 2002 to:

• Postpone the vote on the application from the HKInstES until the FIG General Assembly meeting in 2003, and in the intervening period
• Establish an FIG Forum in the HKSAR (Hong Kong Special Administrative Region)

The FIG Forum in HKSAR was thereafter established but according to the reports from HKInstES and HKIS has not worked in the way that the General Assembly hoped and has not developed to a Forum that could represent Hong Kong SAR in FIG. Recently also interest to attend the meetings of the Forum has been low.

The Council has discussed the situation with both HKInstES and HKIS several times between 2002 and 2006 including a visit of Vice President Drees to Hong Kong SAR and has decided to bring the membership application of the HKInstES to the General Assembly in Munich for decision without any recommendation from the Council. In the FIG statutes and internal rules following is stated on handling on the membership application:

Statutes
§ 3.1. There shall be the following categories of members … member association: a national association representing one or more of the disciplines of surveying …
Internal Rules
§ 2.1 A member association is comprised of individuals who possess relevant academic qualifications (which should normally be equivalent to at least UNESCO International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED) level 5 degrees) plus approved professional experience; and who provide professional services in accordance with ethical standards.
§ 2.2 Associations which include technician grades of membership are also eligible for membership of the Federation.
§ 2.4 In the case of an application received from an association in a country which already has one or more member associations, these associations shall be informed of the application and their comments sought.
§ 2.5 An association wishing to become a member of the Federation shall make an application to the Council which will consider it and submit it to a vote of the General Assembly.

The Council decided to give the application to the General Assembly for its decision.

Appendices to item 6.1.7:

• Membership application Hong Kong Institution of Engineering Surveyors (HKInstES), 2002 and letter from HKIS, 2002 (766 kB)
• Membership application Hong Kong Institution of Engineering Surveyors (HKInstES), 2006 (475 kB)
• Letter from the Hong Kong Institute of Surveyors (HKIS), 2006 (350 kB)

Mr. Mannars CHAN, Honorary President of HKInstES, presented the HKInstES application to the General Assembly. Mr. WONG Chung Hung, President of HKIS made speech on behalf of HKIS on the application.

• Handouts of the presentation of Mr. Mannars Chan of behalf of HKInstES (223 kB), 9 November 2006
• Handouts of the presentation of Mr. Wong Chung Hung on behalf of HKIS (29 kB), 9 November 2006

Motion: That the General Assembly decides on the membership of the Hong Kong Institution of Engineering Surveyors.

Decision: The decision on the HKInstES membership was made by a vote with secret ballots. In the vote 54 ballots were cast. The result was 26 votes in favour of the membership application, 24 votes against and 4 abstained or spoiled ballots.

The General Assembly thereby adopted the application of the HKInstES as a new member association of FIG. Mr. Mannars CHAN, Honorary President of the HKInstES addressed the General Assembly on behalf of the new member association and the association was given its membership certificate.

After the voting the HKIS submitted a letter to FIG President Magel questioning whether the voting was made according to the FIG statutes as there may have been member associations attending the meeting that have unpaid membership fees or other arrears to FIG and therefore should have not had the right to vote.

During the session the statutes were checked. In the statutes it is stated in para 6.5 that "... Only member associations which have paid their fees for the previous calendar year and have no other arrears and which are represented at the meeting by an individual member shall be entitled to vote...".

After the arrears of all member associations were reviewed, it was found that there was one association present that had not paid its membership fee for 2005 and 9 member associations that had small amounts in arrears consisting of banking costs and differences in exchange rates.

The General Assembly voted and decided by a clear majority that those member associations whose arrears consist of banking costs or other small amounts will be allowed to vote in the General Assembly. The General Assembly then agreed unanimously that those member associations that have not paid their membership fees for the previous year would not be allowed to vote.

The General Assembly then voted with a clear majority that it will not vote again on the membership of the HKInstES as there was only one vote that was given by a member association that had no right to vote, and that this vote would not change the result of the voting since the vote was carried by a majority of two votes.

The result of the original voting was therefore declared valid and the membership of the HKInstES as a member association of FIG was confirmed.

6.1.8 China Institute of Real Estate Appraisers and Agents (CIREA)

China Institute of Real Estate Appraisers and Agents (CIREA) from China P. R. has submitted its membership application to become a member association of FIG. The association has 16,000 qualified members. The association is representing appraisers in China and the application has been approved by the Ministry of Construction of the People’s Republic of China. Representatives of CIREA will be present at the meeting and present their application to the General Assembly. CIREA will discuss the application with the current member association from China the Chinese Society of Geodesy, Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing in Munich during the congress.

The FIG Council has considered the application and believes that the association meets criteria for membership of FIG as a member association and therefore proposes to the General Assembly that it adopts the membership application in the second session of the General Assembly after the current member association has been consulted and its opinion sought.

Appendix to item 6.1.8: Membership application from the China Institute of Real Estate Appraisers and Agents (270 kB)

Dr. (Patrick) LIAO Junping, Vice President of CIREA presented the application to the General Assembly.

Motion: That the General Assembly postpones decision on the member application of CIREA to the second session of the General Assembly 13 October 2006.

Decision: The motion was adopted.

6.2 Other membership matters

The Council wants to inform the General Assembly on the following changes in the membership of FIG:

Member associations

Union of Surveying Engineers of Serbia, Republic of Serbia

After Serbia and Montenegro was divided into two independent states, the Union of Surveying Engineers of Serbia has sent the Council a formal letter that the association represents the Republic of Serbia in FIG and that it will be responsible for the commitments of the former member. A separate membership from the Republic of Montenegro is expected in the near future.

Mongolian Association of Surveying and Mapping (MASM), Mongolia

After the rearrangements in Mongolia the Mongolian Association of Surveying and Mapping (MASM) has expired. The new association the Mongolian Association of Geodesy and Cartography (MAGaC) was established and registered in 2004 and has joined FIG in 2006. at the time of the new member association joins FIG the membership of MASM will expire.

Affiliates

The Council has admitted following organisations to become an affiliate member of FIG:

• ANZLIC - the Spatial Information Council, Australia and New Zealand
• The Land Registry of Iceland (Fasteignamat rikisins), Iceland
• Administration of Land Affairs, Geodesy & Cartography, Mongolia
• State Authority for Geodetic Works, Macedonia FYROM

The Council has expelled the Instituto Geográfico Agustin Codazzi from Colombia from FIG membership based on unpaid membership fees.

After these changes the number of affiliate members is 18.

Corporate members

The Council has admitted the following companies to become a Corporate Member of FIG:

• Grontmij nv, the Netherlands, membership category C
• Mason Land Surveys Limited, United Kingdom, membership category D
• GIS Development Pvt. Ltd., India, membership category E
• Oxfordgeospatial, United Kingdom, membership category E
• P. V. Publications Ltd, United Kingdom, membership category E
• Galileo Instruments, Inc., USA, membership category F

The Council has further approved the application from AED-SICAD Aktiengesellschaft from Germany to change its membership level to level D.

One of the corporate members has changed it name: GITV Bv. GIM International is now GIM International – Reed Business Information - Geo.

The Council has restored the membership of Cameroon Engineering as a corporate member.

The number of Corporate Members in after these changes 32.

Academic members

The Council wants to inform the General Assembly that 12 new Academic Members have joined FIG after the General Assembly in Cairo. The new academic members are:

• University of Southern Queensland, Department of Surveying and Land Information, Australia
• University of Technology Sydney, School of Construction Property & Project Management, Australia
• University of Applied Sciences Kaho Sint-Lieven, Department of Engineering in Construction and Land Surveying, Belgium
• Université Laval, Department of Geomatics Sciences, Canada
• Ecole Supérieure des Géomètres et Topographes (ESGT), France
• Technological Educational Institute of Athens, Department of Topography (Surveying), Greece
• Land Management Training Centre, Ministry of Land Reform and Management, Nepal
• North University Baia, Surveying Department, Romania
• Oxford Brookes University, School of Built Environment, United Kingdom
• Ferris State University, Surveying Engineering, USA
• Texas A&M University – Corpus Christi, Conrad Blucher Institute for Surveying and Science, USA
• Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala, Faculty of Agronomy, Postgraduate Studies

Following academic members have resigned from the membership:

• Annamalai University, Department of Earth Sciences, India
• Michigan Technological University, Surveying, USA
• The University of Southern Mississippi, Department of Marine Science, USA

The Council has further expelled following academic members because of unpaid membership fees:

• Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Tecnologias / UNSE, Departamento Academico de Agrimensura, Argentina
• Universidad del Valle, Departamento del Valle del Cauca, Colombia
• Department of Geodesy of the Mongolian Technical University (MTU), Mongolia
• Mongolian Agricultural University, School of Agrobiology, Land Management, Mongolia
• Federal School of Surveying, Oyo, Nigeria
• The Royal School of Military Survey, Geographic Engineer Group, United Kingdom
• Leeds Metropolitan University, School of the Built Environment

Membership of Istanbul Technical University, Civil Engineering Faculty, Department of Geodesy and Photogrammetry, Turkey has been restored.

Following academic member has changed its name: University of Applied Sciences Northwestern Switzerland (former FHBB Basel Institute of Technology and Management, University of Applied Sciences)

The number of academic members 8 October 2006 is 82 from 51 nations.

Motion: That the General Assembly notes the actions that the Council has taken with other membership matters.

Decision: The motion was adopted. ANZLIC and the State Authority for Geodetic Works, Macedonia FYROM were given their membership certificates.

7. HONORARY MEMBERS

7.1 Prof. Dr. habil. Ing. Kazimierz Czarnecki

The Association of Polish Surveyors SGP has sent the Federation a nomination letter in which it proposes that FIG appoints Prof. Dr. Ing. habil. Kazimierz Czarnecki as an Honorary Member of the Federation. About his Prof. Czarnecki’s CV can be mentioned:

• Prof. Warsaw University of Technology and Prof. Military University of Technology
• Head of the Teaching Section of Geodesy at the Institute Geodesy and Geodetic Astronomy WUT and at the same time he served as the vice-director (1993-2002) and Director (2002-05) of the Institute.
• Dean of the Faculty
• President of the Association of Polish Surveyors for two successive terms of office (1983-86, 1986-89) and then elected for three terms (1998-2001, 2001-04, 2004-07).
• Author of ca 100 publications and papers presented to the international symposia.

Prof. Czarnecki’s activities in FIG:

• Chairman of FIG Commission 2 “Professional Education and Literature” (1988-91), vice-chair (1984-88).
• Organised the Working Group on Professional Education of the International Union of Surveying and Mapping and he chaired this Group (1990-91).
• In 1985 he chaired the local organizing Committee of the FIG Permanent Committee Meeting in Katowice, Poland.
• Coinitiator and organizer of two Cadastral Congresses held in Poland (Warsaw, 1998, Cracow 2003) under FIG umbrella.

Appendix to item 7.1: The nomination letter from the Association of Polish Surveyors and CV of Professor Czarnecki (171 kB)

According to the Statutes paragraph 3.1.7 an individual who has materially assisted the development and promotion of the surveying profession at the international level can be appointed as an honorary member. Nomination for this appointment shall be made by a member association or the Council, which will consider it and submit it to a vote of the General Assembly.

The Council has considered the proposal and decided to propose to the General Assembly that it appoints Prof. Kazimierz Czarnecki as an Honorary Member of the Federation for the outstanding services he has provided to the Federation in different positions and functions.

Prof. Czarnecki passed away 23 August 2006.

Motion: That the General Assembly appoints Professor Kazimierz Czarnecki an Honorary Member of FIG posthumously.

Decision: The General Assembly appointed Prof. Kazimierz Czarnecki as an Honorary Member of FIG. The badge with silver oak leaves and certificate of Honorary Member were given to Dr. Adrianna Pulecka, daughter of Prof. Czarnecki.

7.2 Mr. Jürg Kaufmann

The Swiss Association for Geomatics and Land Management – geosuisse has proposed to the Council that its long-time member Dipl.Ing. ETH Jürg Kaufmann to be awarded with the Honorary Membership of FIG. About the contributions of Mr. Kaufmann following should be mentioned:

• Mr. Kaufmann has been a long time delegate in Commission 7 from 1990 to 2003; in this period he chaired twice a working group, each time with significant contributions in terms of organizational, social and professional development; the first working group from 1994-98 focused on visions for the cadastre, resulting in the publication of "Cadastre 2014", and the second working group from 1998-2002 focused on "Benchmarking the Cadastre", also resulting in a publication.
• He organized the annual meeting of Commission 7 in 1992 in Switzerland
• Publication of "Cadastre 2014" as a result of the 1994-98 working group "Vision cadastre" was a major contribution to the profession; it has been translated into over 25 languages and still is a reference nowadays and talked about prominently in the profession worldwide
• on the national level in Switzerland, Cadastre 2014 also stood at the beginning of discussions and developments, which will soon be culminating in the new Law on Geoinformation, which very likely will entail the development of a cadastre of public rights and restrictions
• within Switzerland he has participated in uncountable workshops, working groups, commissions and by producing many reports and publications
• since June 2003 serves as the President of geosuisse

Appendix to item 7.2: The nomination letter from the geosuisse and CV of Mr. Kaufmann (55 kB)

According to the Statutes paragraph 3.1.7 an individual who has materially assisted the development and promotion of the surveying profession at the international level can be appointed as an honorary member. Nomination for this appointment shall be made by a member association or the Council, which will consider it and submit it to a vote of the General Assembly.

The Council has considered the proposal and decided to propose to the General Assembly that it appoints Mr. Jürg Kaufmann as an Honorary Member of the Federation for the outstanding services he has provided to the Federation in different positions and functions.

Mr. Thomas Glatthard presented the nomination on behalf of geosuisse.

Motion: That the General Assembly appoints Mr. Jürg Kaufmann an Honorary Member of FIG.

Decision: The General Assembly appointed Mr. Jürg Kaufmann as an Honorary Member of FIG. Mr. Kaufmann was presented his badge with silver oak leaves and certificate of Honorary Member.

8. PRESIDENT’S REPORT

The report of the President of the Federation includes a review on the activities of the Federation, the Council and the FIG office from April 2005 to July 2006.

Appendix to item 8: President's report (41 kB)

Motion: That the General Assembly accepts the President’s report.

Decision: The motion was adopted. The General Assembly recorded its thanks to the President and the FIG Council and all officers for the past year’s work.

9. REPORT FROM ACCO 2002-2006

Vice President Andreas Drees and the ACCO representatives in the Council Gerhard Muggenhuber (2003-2004) and Matt Higgins (2005-2006) have prepared a report on the activities of the joint Commission and the Advisory Committee of Commission Officers (ACCO) activities and also recommendations for the commissions and commission activities in the future. Vice President Drees will present the report.

• Handouts of the presentation of Dr. Andreas Drees, Chair of ACCO (60 kB), 9 November 2006

Appendix to item 9: Report from ACCO 2002-2006 (39 kB)

Motion: That the General Assembly accepts the ACCO report and records its thanks to Dr. Andreas Drees as chair of the ACCO 2002-2006, ACCO representatives in the Council and all members of ACCO.

Decision: The motion was adopted. The General Assembly recorded its thanks to Vice President Drees and members of ACCO for the excellent work they have implemented during the last four years.

10. REPORTS FROM CHAIRS OF COMMISSIONS 2002-2006

The Commission chairs have submitted their written reports on the Commission activities. These reports cover the term of office of the current commissions from the Congress in Washington 2002 to the Congress in Munich 2006. Their reports include reports of the working groups in each Commission. Some of the Working Group reports will be printed before the Congress and be tabled in Munich at the General Assembly.

The chairs of the Commissions were admitted to make a short oral presentation on the main results of their commission work.

Appendices to item 10:

• 10.1/1: Commission 1 (31 kB)
• 10.1/2: Report of the Standards Network (29 kB)
• 10.2: Commission 2 (82 kB)
• 10.3: Commission 3 (84 kB)
• 10.4: Commission 4 (30 kB)
• 10.5: Commission 5 (47 kB)
• 10.6: Commission 6 (219 kB)
• 10.7: Commission 7 (51 kB)
  • Handouts of Commission 7 presentation (717 kB), 9 November 2006
• 10.8: Commission 8 (27 kB)
• 10.9: Commission 9 (19 kB)
• 10.10: Commission 10 (22 kB)

Motion: That the General Assembly adopts the reports of the Commission chairs and records its thanks to the chairs and officers of the Commissions for their excellent work in 2002-2006 and decided to award the chairs and officers with the FIG certificate of appreciation, the FIG table banner and the FIG globe.

Decision: The motion was adopted.

11. REPORTS FROM THE DIRECTORS OF PERMANENT INSTITUTIONS

Appendices to item 11:

• 11.1: Report from the International Office of Cadastre and Land Records (Office International du Cadastre et du Régime Foncier) OICRF (55 kB)
• 11.2: Report from the FIG Multi-Lingual Dictionary Board (15 kB)
• 11.3: Report from the International Institution for the History of Surveying and Measurement, Permanent Institution of FIG (26 kB)

Motion: That the General Assembly adopts the reports and records its thanks to the Directors for their past year’s work.

Decision: The motion was adopted

12. REPORT OF THE PRESIDENT OF THE FIG FOUNDATION

Mr. John Hohol, President of the FIG Foundation gave a short report on the activities of the FIG Foundation April 2005 – July 2006.

Appendix to item 12: Report of the FIG Foundation activities 2005-2006 (35 kB)

Motion: That the General Assembly adopts the report of the President of the FIG Foundation.

Decision: The motion was adopted.

13. REPORT OF UN ACTIVITIES

The President has provided a report on the co-operation between FIG and the United Nations and its agencies from April 2005 to July 2006.

Appendix to item 13: Co-operation with the United Nations and Its Agencies April 2005 – July 2006 (26 kB)

Motion: That the General Assembly adopts the report on the co-operation with the United Nations and its agencies and records its thanks to the UN Co-operation Network.

Decision: The motion was adopted.

14. LIAISON WITH INTERNATIONAL ORGANISATIONS

After the International Union for Surveys and Mapping (IUSM) was disbanded in 1999 the co-operation with sister organisations has been based on bilateral agreements. Memoranda of understanding have now been signed with all former members of IUSM. A new body called the Joint Board of Spatial Information Societies JB-GIS was formally established during the FIG Working Week in Cairo in 2005. The JB-GIS met at its annual meeting in Vienna in July 2006. The Joint Board is chaired by President Holger Magel and the office services are provided at the moment by FIG.

FIG has further bilateral agreements of co-operation with several other international associations like ICEC, IFHP, CIB, FIABCI and IFHS. Some of the partners are also working together in the Habitat Professionals Forum. Since September 2004 the Chairperson of the Habitat Professionals Forum has been Prof. Holger Magel, FIG President.

FIG is a member of the International Council for Science (ICSU) and working together with ISO and International Valuation Standards Committee (IVSC) on standards.

The President has provided a report on the co-operation between FIG and other professional associations from April 2005 to July 2006.

Appendix to item 14: Report on the Co-operation with International Organisations April 2005 - July2006 (19 kB)

Motion: That the General Assembly confirms the report on the liaison with other international associations.

Decision: The motion was adopted.

15. REPORTS FROM EVENTS 2005

The Council has asked the organisers of the major FIG events during the past year to report orally to the General Assembly on the outcome and impacts that the FIG Working Week and Regional Conference have had to the surveying profession, role of surveyors and the member association in their own country. Therefore the following two member associations have been asked to make oral reports on the outcome of the two events held during the past year:

• The Egyptian Committee on Surveying and Mapping ECSM to report on the Working Week in Cairo and its impacts and results to the surveying profession in Egypt
• The Ghana Institution of Surveyors GhIS to report on the Regional Conference in Accra and its impacts and results to the surveying profession in Ghana

The report of the FIG Working Week 2005 in Cairo was given by Dr. Dalal S. Alnaggar, ECSM and the report of the 5th FIG Regional Conference in Accra by Mr. Samuel Ofori-Offei, Senior Vice President of GhIS.

Motion: That the General Assembly records the oral reports.

Decision: The motion was adopted.

16. TASK FORCE ON THE FUTURE GOVERNANCE OF FIG

The Council established in January 2005 a Task Force to study the commission structure after 2010 and also to study if there are any needs to the current statutes and internal rules after the experiences with the new statutes and internal rules were approved in Seoul, Korea in 2001. This study should also include the review of the role and format of the Nomination Review Group and Commission Review Group. The Council decided to appoint the members of the Task Force as follows: Vice President Ken Allred, Canada as the chairperson and Matt Higgins, ACCO, Iain Greenway, United Kingdom, Teo CheeHai, Malaysia and Stephen Djaba, Ghana as members.

The task and ideas have been discussed at meetings during the Working Week in Cairo and the regional conference in Accra. The chair has also presented the ideas of the Task force to the Council and to the Commission chairs. The interim report will be introduced to the member associations in Munich. The members will have a chance to make written comments on the draft until 24 November 2006 to the FIG office.

The Council has not discussed the interim report and has therefore not made any recommendations on the report and its proposals. The new Council will decide on its proposal to the General Assembly on any changes to the statutes and internal rules.

Appendix to item 16: Interim report of the Task force on the Future Governance of FIG (51 kB)

• Handouts of the presentation of the Task Force made by Ken Allred (10 kB), 9 November 2006

Motion: That the General Assembly notes the interim report of the Task force and that any member association willing to make written comments on the report should provide these to the FIG Office by 24 November 2006. The Council 2007-2010 will decide on its recommendations and proposal to the General Assembly in beginning of 2007 and then bring the issue for decision of the General Assembly.

Decision: The motion was adopted.

17. FIG PUBLICATION ON ENHANCING THE REPRESENTATION OF UNDER-REPRESENTED GROUPS IN FIG

The joint Commission Working Group (earlier Task force) on Under-represented Groups in FIG has prepared a policy paper on enhancing the representation of under-represented groups in FIG. The Working Groups has been chaired by Ms. Gabriele Dasse from Germany who was also the chair of the Task force.

The report has been adopted by the Council to be published in the FIG publication series as publication number 35. The printed version will be circulated with the minutes of the General Assembly.

Appendix to item 17: FIG publication 35: Enhancing the Representation of Under-Represented Groups in FIG (98 kB)
http://www.fig.net/pub/figpub/pub35/figpub35.htm

Motion: That the General Assembly endorses the FIG policy paper on enhancing the representation of under-represented groups in FIG and to use its recommendations as guidelines when preparing FIG policies and events. That the General Assembly records its thanks to Ms. Gabriele Dasse and her working group and those who have contributed to this report.

Decision: The motion was adopted. Ms. Gabriele Dasse was given certificate of appreciation as thanks for the work she

18. INTRODUCTION OF FIG PUBLICATIONS

At the end of the term of office of the Commissions, there will be several publications and reports from the Commissions and their Working groups. Following reports were launched in Munich:

• FIG Publication no 36 - Administering Marine Spaces: International Issues
  http://www.fig.net/pub/figpub/pub36/figpub36.htm
• FIG Publication no 37 - Guide on the Development of a Vertical Reference Surface for Hydrography
  http://www.fig.net/pub/figpub/pub37/figpub37.htm
• FIG Publication # 38 - The Contribution of the Surveying Profession to Disaster Risk Management
  http://www.fig.net/pub/figpub/pub38/figpub38.htm 

These publications will be circulated together with the minutes of the General Assembly.

The Council is further considering preparing an FIG policy statement on Disaster Risk Management that would be endorsed by the General Assembly in Hong Kong.

Motion: That the General Assembly records the reports and records its thanks to the Commissions and Working group chairs and all those who have contributed to the get the reports done.

Decision: The motion was adopted.

19. FIG ACCOUNTS FOR 2005 AND AUDITOR’S REPORT AND BUDGET FOR 2006 AND 2007

Vice President Ralf Schroth has prepared a financial report on the economic situation of the Federation. This report includes summary of the accounts for 2005, an updated budget for 2006 and proposal for budget 2007 with notes.

• Handouts of the presentation by Dr. Ralf Schroth, FIG Vice President (72 kB), 9 November 2006

The Auditors Report includes the auditors report from 2005, official accounts (income statement 2005) and balance sheet 31 December 2005.

Appendices to item 19:

• 19.1: Financial Report – Accounts 2005 and Budgets 2006 and 2007 (74 kB)
• 19.2: Auditor's Report, Income Statement for 2005 and Balance Sheet at 31 December 2005 (21 kB)

Motion: That the General Assembly adopts the audited accounts for 2005 and budgets for 2006 and 2007.

Decision: The motion was adopted.

20. SUBSCRIPTION RATES FOR 2008

The General Assembly is required to set levels of fees for member associations two years in advance of the year in which they become payable. Fees are payable in respect of each individual member up to a maximum of 4,000 members; member associations with more than 4,000 members pay fees in accordance with a sliding scale. Fees for 2006 and 2007 are:

President's Meeting, Friday 13 October 2006, 9:00–11:00, Forum 8, Holiday Inn City Centre

24. PRESIDENT'S MEETING

Totally 63 people attended this President’s Meeting out of which 52 were Presidents or leaders of delegations. At the meeting co-operation between FIG and its member associations as well as actual issues raised by the member associations were discussed. A separate memorandum of this meeting is circulated to the participants of the meeting and to the Presidents of member associations.

General Assembly, Second Session, Friday 13 October, 11:30–13:00, Grand Ballroom, Holiday Inn City Centre

25. ROLL CALL

Vice President Andreas Drees took the roll call. The roll call was made only for member associations and affiliate members. Other members were recorded based on the registration information given to the FIG office at the door of the meeting room.

Appendix to items 2 & 25: Roll Call (53 kB)

65 member associations out of 101 were present at this session, which is more than one third of the membership needed for the General Assembly to be constitutionally valid.

General Assembly had appointed Dr. Dalal S. Alnaggar from ECSM, Egypt and Ms. Christiane Salbach from DVW, Germany as tellers to this session of the General Assembly. Under item 30 and 31 the teller was Mr. Hannu Ridell from MIL, Finland.

Motion: That present members are recorded in the minutes.

Decision: The motion was adopted.

26. MEMBERSHIP

26.1 Member associations

26.1.1 China Institute of Real Estate Appraisers and Agents (CIREA)

China Institute of Real Estate Appraisers and Agents (CIREA) from China P. R. has submitted its membership application to become a member association of FIG. The association has 16,000 qualified members. The association is representing appraisers in China and the application has been approved by the Ministry of Construction of the People’s Republic of China. CIREA has discussed the application with the current member association from China (the Chinese Society of Geodesy, Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing) during the congress in Munich.

The FIG Council has considered the application and believes that the association meets criteria for membership of FIG as a member association and therefore proposes to the General Assembly that it adopts the membership application.

Appendix to item 26.1: Membership application from the China Institute of Real Estate Appraisers and Agents (269 kB)

Motion: That the General Assembly admits the China Institute of Real Estate Appraisers and Agents (CIREA) from China P. R. as a member association of FIG.

Decision: The motion was adopted. Dr. (Patrick) LIAO Junping, Vice President of CIREA addressed the General Assembly on behalf of the new member association and the association was given its membership certificate.

26.1.2 FENEA – Federação Nacional dos Engenheiros Agrimensores

FENEA – Federação Nacional dos Engenheiros Agrimensores from Brazil has submitted its membership application to become the second member association of FIG from Brazil. The association has about 300 qualified members. The application has been discussed with the official delegate of the current member association from Brazil (Brazilian Society of Cartography, Geodesy, Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing – SBC) in Munich and SBC has supported the application.

The FIG Council has considered the application and believes that the association meets criteria for membership of FIG as a member association and therefore proposes to the General Assembly that it adopts the membership application.

Appendix to item 26.2: Membership application from FENEA – Federação Nacional dos Engenheiros Agrimensores (500 kB)

Motion: That the General Assembly admits FENEA from Brazil as a member association of FIG.

Decision: The motion was adopted. Prof. Jose Sergio Pahor addressed the General Assembly on behalf of the new member association and the association was given its membership certificate.

The Council further informs the General Assembly that surveyors association from Montenegro will join FIG by the next General Assembly in Hong Kong.

Motion: That the General Assembly notes this report.

Decision: The motion was adopted.

26.2 Other membership issues

The Council informs the General Assembly:

• that the Council has adopted following new affiliate member:
  • National Agency for Cadastre and Land Administration from Romania
• that the Council has adopted following new academic member:
  • Riga Technical University, Department of Geomatics, Latvia
• that the Council has adopted following new corporate member:
  • SEDIC – Sudan Engineering & Digital Information Center, level D

Motion: That the General Assembly endorses the new members.

Decision: The motion was adopted.

27 ELECTION OF THE FIG PRESIDENT FOR 2007-2010, TWO VICE PRESIDENTS FOR 2007-2010 AND ONE VICE PRESIDENT FOR 2007-2008 (OPTIONAL)

27.1 Election of the FIG President

Introduction, nominations and appendices are under item 21.1.

In the election of the FIG President every member association has one vote to give to one of three candidates. If one candidate gets more than 50 per cent of the given votes, he will be elected. If there is no majority in the first vote, a second vote will be carried between those two candidates that have got most votes in the first vote. The candidate with most votes will then be elected.

Motion: That the General Assembly elects the FIG President for the term of office 1.1.2007-31.12.2010 following the election procedure described above.

Decision: In the election 61 votes were given. Prof. Stig Enemark got 35 votes, Mr. Ken Allred 16 votes and Mr. TN Wong 10 votes. Because Prof. Enemark got an absolute majority of the votes available he was elected as the FIG President for term of office 1.1.2007-31.12.2010. The General Assembly welcomed Prof: Enemark as the new President of FIG and he gave a short speech of thanks.

27.2 Election of two FIG Vice Presidents for 1.1.2007-31.12.2010

Introduction, nominations and appendices are under item 21.2.

Motion: That the General Assembly appoints Dr. Dalal S. Alnaggar and Mr. Matthew Higgins as FIG Vice Presidents for the term of office 1.1.2007-31.12.2010 as there are no other candidates.

Decision: Motion was adopted and Dr. Dalal S. Alnaggar and Mr. Matthew Higgins as FIG Vice Presidents for the term of office 1.1.2007-31.12.2010.

27.3 Election of an FIG Vice President for 1.1.2007-31.12.2008 (optional)

After Prof: Stig Enemark was elected as the new FIG President, an election for a Vice President for his remaining term of office 1.1.2007-31.12.2008 was needed.

Introduction, nominations and appendices are under item 21.3.

In the election of the FIG Vice President every member association has one vote to give to one of three candidates. If one candidate gets more than 50 per cent of the given votes, he will be elected. If there is no majority in the first vote, a second vote will be carried between those two candidates that have got most votes in the first vote. The candidate with most votes will then be elected.

Motion: That the General Assembly elects the FIG Vice President for the term of office 1.1.2007-31.12.2008 following the election procedure described above

Decision: In the election 62 votes were given. Prof. Paul van der Molen got 40 votes and Prof. Ralf Schroth got 22 votes. Because Prof. van der Molen got an absolute majority of the votes available he was elected as the FIG Vice President for term of office 1.1.2007-31.12.2008. The General Assembly welcomed Prof: van der Molen as the new Vice President of FIG and he addressed the General Assembly briefly after the election.

28 DECISION ON THE VENUE OF THE FIG WORKING WEEK 2011

Introduction, nominations and appendices are under item 22.

The presentations of the candidates to host the FIG Working Week 2011 has taken place at the first session of the General Assembly.

The voting of the venue will take place so that each member association will have one vote. If one of the candidates will get the absolute majority of the given votes on the first vote, it has been selected. If there is no majority for any of the candidates a second vote will be organised between the two venues that have got most votes in the first vote. The venue that gets most votes on the second vote will be selected as the venue of the FIG Working Week 2011.

Motion: That the General Assembly decides on the venue of the FIG Working Week 2011.

Decision: In the voting 62 votes were given in total as follows: Marrakech, Morocco 30 votes, Rome, Italy 16 votes, San Juan, Puerto Rico 10 votes and Abuja, Nigeria 4 votes, in addition two abstained or rejected votes. As there was no absolute majority for any of the candidates a second vote between the destinations that got most votes in the first round should have taken place. These were Marrakech and Rome. Consiglio Nazionale Geometri however informed that they with withdraw their bid. After this it was announced that the FIG Working Week 2011 will be held in Marrakech, Morocco hosted by FIG and ONIGT.

29 COMMISSION WORK PLANS 2007-2010

The new Commission chairs will be given an opportunity to briefly report back to the General Assembly on any major changes to their work plans based on commission and planning meetings during the Congress.

Draft Commission Work Plans are introduced under item 23.

Motion: That the General Assembly records the progress reports and notes that the final work plans will be brought to the General Assembly for its approval in Hong Kong in May 2007.

Decision: The motion was adopted.

30 REPORTS OF THE WORKING WEEKS 2007, 2008 AND 2009 AND THE CONGRESS 2010

The hosts of the Working Week 2007 (HKIS, Hong Kong SAR, China), 2008 (SLF, Sweden) and 2009 (ALSI; Israel) and the FIG Congress 2010 (ISA and SSI, Australia) have been asked to make brief oral reports on the preparations for their respective events.

Report on the 6th FIG Regional Conference to be held in San Jose, Costa Rica 11-15 November 2007 will be given at the meeting.

Motion: That the General Assembly notes the reports. That the General Assembly confirms the dates of the next FIG events as follows:

• FIG Working Week 2007, Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China, May 13-17, 2007
• 6th FIG Regional Conference in San Jose, Costa Rica, 11-15 November 2007
  • Handouts of the presentation (1.8 MB), 9 November 2006
• FIG Working Week 2008, Stockholm, Sweden, June 14-19, 2008
  • Handouts of the presentation (2.5 MB), 9 November 2006
• FIG Working Week 2009, Eilat, Israel, 3-8 May 2009
  • Handouts of the presentation (166 kB), 9 November 2006
• FIG Congress, Sydney, Australia, 9-16 April 2010

Decision: The motion was adopted and the General Assembly confirmed the dates of the future FIG events as proposed.

31 PRESENTATION OF CERTIFICATES OF APPRECIATION

President Holger Magel presented at the closing ceremony certificates of appreciation to members of the local organising committee of the XXIII FIG Congress and to other persons that had actively participated in the arrangements of the successful Congress. Special thanks were recorded to Mr. Hagen Graeff, President of DVW for hosting the FIG Congress and Council for the past four years and to Mr. Thomas Gollwitzer, FIG Congress Director.

CLOSING CEREMONY

The President formally closed the 29th General Assembly of FIG.

At the closing ceremony the FIG banner was handed over by Mr. Hagen Graeff, President of DVW to Graham Marion, President of ISA. The FIG Congress 2010 will be held in Sydney, Australia, 9-16 April 2010. The next FIG event is the FIG Working Week in Hong Kong SAR 13-17 May 2007.

Data supplied by the FIG Office. 

Whilst every effort has been made to ensure that this data is accurate errors might exist. Requests for updates and corrections should be emailed to the FIG Office.

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