Commissioning the ICA Commissions
Article

Commissioning the ICA Commissions

This year, 2015, is a notable one for the International Cartographic Association: we can look forward to the 16th quadrennial General Assembly and the 27th International Cartographic Conference, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, at the end of August. These highlights for the global cartographic community are the culmination of a four-year period of work by committees of the ICA and its constituent Commissions.

The ICA Commissions (listed at the bottom of this page) are the core of activity in addressing ICA’s mission statement – to promote the disciplines and professions of cartography and GIScience in an international context. Their work is often reported in these columns, and their endeavours can be examined in more detail through their individual Commission pages accessible through the main ICA website.

The schedule of Commissions’ meetings and workshops is of particular note, as it is these activities which most effectively promote discussion and progress in the specific topics. Many Commissions organise such activities throughout their four-year term. Supplementary to these, there is a longstanding tradition for Commissions to arrange a more informal workshop/symposium prior to the main International Cartographic Conference, and there will be a number of such ‘taster’ events in August this year before the main event in Rio de Janeiro. If the subject matter appeals to you, or if you are interested in engaging with an ICA Commission, you are encouraged to participate in these events. 

Already scheduled are the following events:

  • The Art and Cartography Commission presents ‘Mapping ephemeralities/ephemeral cartographies’ in Rio de Janeiro (21-22 August)

  • a workshop of the Commission on Geoinformation Structures and Standards, jointly presented by the Commission on Open Source Geospatial Technologies, on ‘Spatial data infrastructures, standards, open source and open data for geospatial’ will also be held in Rio de Janeiro (21 August)

  • a joint meeting of the Commission on Cognitive Visualization, the Commission on Use and User Issues, and the Commission on Geovisualization will be held in Curitiba (21-22 August), including a workshop on ‘Designing and Conducting User Studies’

  • a joint meeting of the Commission on Education & Training with the Commission on Maps & the Internet will take place, also in Curitiba (20-21 August)

Anyone unable to attend these events can still engage with the work of these, and all other, Commissions at the regular business meetings held by Commissions during the main conference. At these meetings, reports on the Commission activities and plans for the future are presented. It is at the concurrent ICA General Assembly that Commissions are approved, confirmed and renewed. The Commissions also have significant input into the programme of presentations, demonstrations and posters of the main conference. Geomaticians from around the world are strongly encouraged to connect with ICA in 2015 through the Commissions, their events and the main ICC in Rio de Janeiro in August.

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