Towards a unified Nordic approach to geodesy education

Geodesists are urgently needed to keep the current systems working. But where will they come from, what demands must they meet in the future, and what does this mean for the approach to training and education? To better understand the challenges in the Nordic and Baltic countries and to discuss opportunities for collaboration, the Nordic Geodetic Commission (NKG) is mapping out the programmes provided in each country.

Geodesy is the science that makes the world go round in a very real sense. It is the science that is used to define coordinate systems and Earth’s position in space, as well as Earth’s gravity field. Geodesy is the backbone for all geospatial data, the reliable and stable reference systems as well as the satellite positioning used to obtain coordinates for different types of geospatial data. Modern spatial science is a sophisticated interaction of people, systems and applied knowledge. At their core, and as the foundation of all other geospatial disciplines, is geodesy. One visualization of how geodesy supports all the fields and applications in the geospatial economy can be seen in Figure 1.

Who, then, are the people who support the pyramid? Who are needed to keep the current systems working? The short answer to that is: geodesists. They are experts who understand and define the reference systems, Earth’s movement in space and how the different systems work and support each other. The follow-up to this question is naturally: where do these geodesists come from, who is training and teaching them, and what will be demanded from a geodesist in the future? These questions have recently become more important.

Declining student interest

Education with the title ‘geodesy’ has diminished in Europe and, according to Bevis et al (2022), also in the USA. In fact, the only part of the world where geodesy education is increasing is China. Elsewhere, many university study programmes that depend on students’ interest and abilities in mathematics, such as geodesy, are experiencing a decline in enrolment. Recent data shows decreasing interest among young people in several mathematically intensive science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields, including engineering, robotics and computer science (Mercat, 2018, Junior Achievement USA, 2024).

Moreover, although the science of geodesy is quite straightforward, the terminology is often less clear. Geodesy-related topics can be taught under land surveying, geomatics, spatial sciences, geophysics and geoinformatics, as also remarked by Nally (2022). Geography degrees typically have some teaching on coordinates and positioning, although the term geodesy might not be used. This underlines the widespread use of geodetic information and techniques in current society and the importance of accurate and easily available information on the topic.

Different levels of geodetic knowledge

There are several levels in geodetic knowledge, as noted also by Bevis et al (2022). Firstly, skilled experts are needed who can maintain the geodetic infrastructure and explore new possibilities with research activities. Secondly, as the use of coordinates and geospatial data is increasing, there is a growing number of experts in other fields that need some level of understanding of the topic. For example, automatic vehicles need precise positioning, and many modern photogrammetric and laser scanning devices will not work if the satellite positioning is compromised. Geodetic techniques are also used in other fields, such as hydrogeodesy, where gravity changes from satellites or water-surface heights from satellites or ground-based geodetic measurements are used in hydrological research.

The third level is the common knowledge among the general public. People using and relying on their mobile phones and navigation tools are not necessarily aware of what is needed to make the ‘dot’ on the map move and show their real-time position. In this context, the United Nations recently established the Global Geodetic Centre of Excellence (UN-GGCE) in Bonn, Germany, supported by a very informative website. Its main mission is “to connect science with policy: raising awareness, securing resources and strengthening global geodetic infrastructure” according to an article in a previous edition of GIM International.

Mastering modern complexities

The ability to map and define the location of its borders is one of the signs of a sovereign country. Clear borders allow a country to govern, enforce laws, manage resources and interact with other countries, making border definition both a practical and symbolic expression of sovereignty. Traditionally, this has been the reason for defining national coordinate systems and reference frames and keeping them up to date. Defining borders is not a small or insignificant task, and it requires knowledge about the local history, laws and practices. All of this necessitates that training and education is provided at least somewhat ‘domestically’.

The traditional role of geodesy still exists, but geodesy as a field is expanding. The complexities today’s geodesists must master can be illustrated by the concept of time frames. In traditional geodesy, observations have focused on movement of the tectonic plates or land uplift after the last ice age – things that move very slowly (approximately at the speed at which fingernails grow). These changes and velocities can be reported every now and then, and are vital in keeping the reference frames stable. However, the modern applications such as precision farming or real-time positioning on construction sites require geodetic data to be put into the hands of end users with just milliseconds of a delay, or no delay at all.

Quantum technology

Quantum technology and chronometric levelling is entering the world of geodesy, pushing the envelope even further into attoseconds. Therefore, the geodetic education environment of tomorrow must encompass disciplines of mastering long-time series spanning years, harnessing real-time processing/data distribution at milliseconds, as well as envisioning and developing the coming wave of relativistic/quantum applications, and consequently possessing and promoting the knowledge needed to fully understand it.

Europe is at the forefront in quantum gravimeter research, as well as climate science and satellite positioning. These mostly geodetic disciplines have facilitated several public/private-sector startups and fed directly into ESA’s Copernicus Earth observation programme and Galileo GNSS system. In Europe, the geodesy triangle (Figure 1) is in relatively good shape but needs nurturing and constant development to support the demands by European society and public sector.

A shrinking pool

One further challenge in education is that university teachers and lecturers are retiring. University funding models sometimes favour larger fields with many students, meaning that small fields like geodesy might not survive. As the number of students is falling, some of the people leaving these positions might not be replaced or there might not be enough suitable applicants to fill the positions.

Even as the pool of specialized geodesists shrinks, experts will still be needed to maintain the systems, which will lead to the hiring of people from varying backgrounds: engineering, physics, astronomy, geography. While people from varying backgrounds are not necessarily a problem, it is crucial for them to develop a sense of identity as a geodesist in order to become involved, committed and enthusiastic geodesists. It remains to be seen how they can best be supported.

Outlook

The NKG Presidium is keen to better understand the challenges in geodesy teaching and education in the NKG countries. Therefore, a small group has been established to map out the educational programmes and teaching provided in each country, to analyse which topics are taught at which level, and to discuss the opportunities for collaboration in teaching (experts in both geodesy and other fields) as well as in raising public awareness of geodesy.

Elsewhere in Europe, the International Master in Geodesy programme offered by the TU Delft, ETH Zurich, RWTH Aachen, Chalmers University and Politecnico di Milano has brought one solution to the problem of diminishing student numbers (Hanssen and Teunissen, 2024). However, since part of being a successful geodesist in a particular country is also tied to understanding the local legislation related to coordinates, real estate and the cadastral system, international education cannot be the only solution for the lack of experts.

Geodesy student numbers will probably continue to decline in the future, not least because the birthrate is generally decreasing in the Western world and the cohorts are becoming smaller. At the same time, many study programmes that require interest and skills in mathematics and related subjects are experiencing a decline in appeal. To address this, the industry must probably ask itself: why would it be worthwhile for a young student to aspire to a career in geodesy? Key parameters are most likely profit/salary, as well as the possibility to work on very interesting and challenging tasks in a global setting. It is, however, worth noting that aspiring young students must be informed that geodesy is a rewarding option in many ways. In Nally’s (2022) article, Nicholas Brown envisions a recruitment campaign revolving around ‘Study geodesy – see the world!’. Perhaps this can be a source of inspiration for the NKG as part of its initiatives to develop a unified Nordic approach to geodesy education.

About the NKG

The Nordic Geodetic Commission (NKG) is an association of geodesists from Nordic and Baltic countries, i.e. Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Iceland, Finland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. The main goal is to meet and collaborate, share good practices and support each other. The NKG community consists of people working at universities that are active in teaching and doing research in geodesy, as well as at the national mapping authorities.

Further reading

Hanssen R. and P. Teunissen, 2024, International Master in Geodesy, https://un-ggim-europe.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/20240820_Presentation_UN_hanssen_teunissen.pdf

Zilkoski, D.B., 2022. The inverted geospatial pyramid shows our vulnerability, https://www.gpsworld.com/the-inverted-geospatial-pyramid-shows-our-vulnerability/

Bevis et al. 2022, America’s loss of capacity and international competitiveness in geodesy, the economic and military implications, and some modes of corrective action, https://aagsmo.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/The_Geodesy_Crisis_Final_Version_Mike_Bevis.pdf

Nally, J, (2022) Is there a crisis brewing in geodesy?, https://www.spatialsource.com.au/is-there-a-crisis-brewing-in-geodesy/

Mercat, C. (2018). Mathematics education in EU for STEM disciplines. In S. Pohjolainen et al. (Eds.), Modern Mathematics Education for Engineering Curricula in Europe. Springer.

Stemming the STEM decline. Junior Achievement USA, (2024). https://jausa.ja.org/news/blog/stemming-the-stem-decline

https://www.gim-international.com/content/article/the-visibility-challenge-of-geodesy

https://geodesy.science/