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A Joint Seminar on Appraisal and Property Protection will take place in Beijing, China, on 18th and 19th October this year, organised by the China Institute of Real Estate Appraisers and Agents (CIREA), the Hong Kong Institute of Surveyors (HKIS) and the International Federation of Surveyors, FIG Commission 9 - Valuation and the Management of Real Estate, in co-operation with FIG Commission 8 - Spatial Planning and Development.
The major goal is to intensify discussion between valuators, surveyors, property experts, investors, financiers, urban planners, researchers, teachers and decision-makers, and to develop common ideas for shaping the future. With a world population now concentrated in cities, there is a huge need for new building land, especially in many Asian countries. Before building can begin, land-use planning must be conducted, land made available, valuation carried out and financing found. The seminar will address these themes. Papers are to be presented in Mandarin, but the wider context will also be considered.
Sharing Good Practice
From the 11th to 13th of June 2008 a group of international professionals engaged in e-learning and distance education came together at ITC in the Netherlands for the International Workshop ‘Sharing Good Practices: e-learning in Surveying, Geo-information Sciences and Land Administration’. The workshop was a jointly organised by Commissions 2 and 7, and the International Institute for Geo-information Science and Earth Observation (ITC). The event programme, sponsored by Netherlands Cadastre, Land Registry and Mapping Agency, consisted of keynote speakers, technical and hands-on sessions, demonstrations and guided discussions. The organisation welcomed seventy participants from 27 countries.
Key Speakers
Dr Nicholas Frunzi, director of educational services, ESRI, USA delivered the first keynote address, presenting an overview of ESRI developments in educational services. His talk charted progression from instructor-led classroom training in 1988 to the ESRI Virtual Classroom of today, and moved on to mention future Blended Learning in cohorts with ESRI Press. Professor Bela Markus from the University of West Hungary and chair of FIG Commission 2, gave the second keynote, discussing the status, trends and importance of business models in e-learning. He stressed the significance of a business model in reusing and sharing resources to build sustainable courses within networking partnerships. András Osskó, chief advisor, Budapest Land Office and chair of FIG Commission 7, focused in his talk on changes in the education of land surveyors. Interest in traditional land surveying is, he said, falling away, while that in land administration is on the increase. Osskó made a plea for lifelong learning as vital not only for the individual but also for institutions in keeping staff knowledge uptodate.
Sparking Interest
FIG is concerned at waning interest on the part of university students in the land-surveying profession. Universities and professional training institutions need to review their educational programmes in the light of new requirements and students’ interests. E-learning might have a contribution to make in motivating students to join the profession. The workshop made clear that much knowledge had been accumulated over recent years in e-learning and surveying, geo-information sciences and land administration. Many lessons have been learned and now is the time to analyse these and publish the findings.
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