The 24th International Cartographic Conference (ICC) will be held from 15^th to 21^st November 2009 in Santiago (Chile). Presented by an effective local organising committee (LOC), under the auspices of the International Cartographic Association (ICA), this biennial conference is a major highlight for cartographers from all over the world. Although ICA is proud of its record in reaching out to all parts of the world, this is the first time it has held an ICC in South America, and it promises to be an exciting and significant event.

The president of the LOC, Colonel Juan Vidal Garcia-Huidobro, is the newly appointed director of the Instituto Geográfico Militar (IGM), and ICA is grateful to him and his staff at IGM for organising the conference. Already, sub-committees of IGM staff and cartographers from all over Chile are hard at work addressing scientific, communications, exhibitions, social and other aspects of the conference.

The conference website 1 is a well-designed and informative gateway to information on the conference. The second call for papers can be viewed, along with a description of the many events that will take place in Santiago in November.

The ICA's scientific research agenda will be addressed with a full range of papers and presentations on every topic related to contemporary cartography. In addition, each of the Commissions and Working Groups (listed on this page), through which the scientific advance of cartography is directed, will have open meetings explaining their remit and progress. The ICA research agenda (which will be published in 2009 as a special paper in the three officially recognised ICA journals) focuses on the role of cartography not only in science, but also in society, education, art and professional practice. All of these topics will be addressed in Santiago.

In addition, the usual extensive exhibitions associated with ICA conferences will be present. These include the International Map Exhibition, to which all member nations of ICA contribute. As well as the outstanding display of paper mapping, there will also be facilities to effectively showcase digital map submissions. The customary contribution of hydrographic charts will be present and the biennial Barbara Petchenik children's map competition will also be held. Technical and social visits, along with a range of other activities, including tutorials, workshops, a meeting for national cartographic agencies and an orienteering event, will complement the conference.

The Executive Committee of ICA, which met in Santiago in November 2008, found it to be an ideal location for our international cartographic conference - travel from Europe, Asia and North America is straightforward, and a cosmopolitan, friendly and accessible city awaits. The presence of the international mapping community will enhance both local cartographic activity and international developments in the vibrant field of cartography.