Third Training Course in Topography for Young Surveyors

The third International and Professional Training Course for Surveyors that took place in Athens, Greece, from 3rd to 14th October 2011 ended with great success and didactic results for the participants. The course was arranged by the Consiglio Nazionale Geometri e Geometri Laureati in cooperation with the Hellenic Association of Rural and Surveying Engineers and supported by Geoweb. The previous two courses were held in Rome, Italy, in 2006 and 2010.  

"Young surveyors are the future of our profession," declared Fausto Savodi, President of the Italian National Council of Surveyors. "A course that is a tribute to the land where we can find the origins of the surveyor's profession." This is how Fausto Savoldi, Italian President of the Consiglio Nazionale Geometri and Geometri Laureati, opened the 3^rd International Training Course in Topography in his address to more than 50 young surveyors coming from some 20 different countries (Albania, Belgium, Bulgaria, Estonia, Greece, Italy, Israel, Kosovo, Macedonia, Malta, Moldavia, Montenegro, Norway, Poland, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Spain, Sweden and Turkey). He continued: "Europe and Italy now need to address our activities to young surveyors and we think a good training on the professional themes could be the key to creating passion for the activities of the surveyors. We mentioned only a few challenges that our society has to accept. Nevertheless, these topics are all linked together by something they have in common: the need of a deep and more accurate knowledge of our territory, of the air we breathe and of the water surrounding and running through all the continents. Land, air and water are common heritage for all human beings. Their knowledge and representation (nowadays more digitalised than cartographic) are the basis for their preservation and for their exploitation within a sustainable economic growth. Therefore, the very way we represent the territory is interwoven with the life, the history, the traditions and the rules of the people who inhabit it. Traditionally, topography just measured a portion of land in order to answer to the question 'Where?'. Today its task has increasingly become to collect, to put in order and to manage all the metric, environmental, historic and cultural data that enable the growth of society, a fair distribution of food and resources, and an orderly way of life. Every measurement, every piece of data, every representation of a detail is a piece in the big puzzle of the global cartography that we use to find our way, to meet each other, to effectively face the emergencies. In a word, to 'live'. The modern topographer should be able to do all this. That's why he needs specialised training and the ability to operate increasingly sophisticated devices, the utilisation of which requires high-level computer skills. Most of all, the modern professional needs that kind of 'curiosity' that can push forward the research and help to find solutions to the various problems. CNGeGL thinks that these topics have a strategic importance for the future and that their knowledge has to be faced with scientific rigour from the youth who have more interests towards future well-being. In this spirit, the Italian Surveyors have undertaken the initiative of this course, in Athens, representing an important appointment for the future of the profession."

According to Jean Yves Pirlot, President of the Council of European Geodetic Surveyors, the course in Athens is an example of continuous training: "The first need is a strong education at university and high school but afterwards we need a strong CPD. CPD means Continuing Professional Development and what we are doing here is one of the best examples. I can see that Italy has been very active, committed in the European and International Affairs, for some years. I think it's a good move because we need a network of friends and colleagues all over Europe to cooperate and to push forward our profession."

The programme took into consideration that nowadays we have to face and solve crucial problems: environmental preservation, reduction of air and water pollution, global heating, research on renewable power sources, waste collection and recycling, and so on. In short, we are talking of the protection of the world we are living in and where we want our children to be able to live.

Therefore, the topics and matters of the course were the following:

• Topographical and geomatic surveys, with application of the various instruments and techniques;

• Surveys of artistic and heritage assets;

• GNSS surveys, data processing and transformation, for the preparation of new digital mapping, assessment of the precision of GNSS survey, necessary transformations between geodetic reference systems;

• Deformation of GNSS signals, atmospheric effects on RTK applications;

• hydrography and offshore positioning, survey results and opportunities in the waters of the Mediterranean area, techniques and methods;

• Identification of the coastal line in Greece-special aspects;

• Visit to KTIMATOLOGIOSA (CADASTRAL SERVICE - in 2 groups);

• the Action Plan of the Hellenic Cadastre;

• The information System of the Hellenic Cadastre;

• Informal Urban Development in Europe-Tools for formalization;

• Structural monitoring and soil deformation survey, techniques, opportunities and results which may be obtained;

• Geo-referencing of cadastral map;

• photogrammetric and LIDAR survey of artistic and heritage assets;

• HEPOS, mapping, GIS and effects of surveys on cadastral mapping;

• Real Estate Market needs in Europe;

• Methods, opportunities and results and experience of aerial surveys;

• The weaknesses of Real Estate Market in Greece- Real Property Taxation;

• Laser Scanner and 3D photogrammetric survey;

• archaeological surveys guided tour for surveys at historical, cultural and archaeological sites (Acropolis) (in 2 groups, 1 of the 2 groups will also split into 2 groups);

• LPIS land parcel identification system for agricultural development, Geomatics and new surveying techniques;

• Visit to the Hellenic Military Geographical Service.

The course was addressed to European Young Surveyors and was held in the English language. The teachers involved in this event were from Italy, Greece, Turkey and United Kingdom. The venue of the course was the President Hotel in Athens.

In order to take part in the course, all participants had to satisfy the following: Age up to 35 years old; Good knowledge of English language; Expertise in the field of topography (curriculum); Moral and psycho-physical requirements that are valid to work in the Public Administration and to practise the free profession.

For Chrissy Potsiou, vice president of the International Federation of Surveyors, it is important to start from the young surveyors: "Everything today changes so rapidly, so I believe that university education is not enough and capacity-building is most important. After graduation, we need also to have means, to provide means for the surveyors, to build their knowledge, to develop new ideas and to exchange experiences with the others and the other countries. So to see how things are changing and how the profession is changing. This is really very important and I congratulate the Consiglio Nazionale Geometri e Geometri Laureati for this contribution. It is very important. Italy participates in all international meetings, in all international associations and in the International Federation of Surveyors and all events and participates actively, this is most important that Italy comes and contributes, contributes ideas, exchanges experiences, and also the most important is that the Consiglio Nazionale is sponsoring the event. This is very, very rare and I think what Italy is doing is unique."

For Randolph Camilleri, President of the European Group of Surveyors, young surveyors are pivotal in the organisation: "Young surveyors are an important part of our organisation. The name of our organisation is EGOS, European Group of Surveyors. We collaborate with our Italian colleagues so that the 1^st course was organised in cooperation with the Mediterranean Surveyours and with the Italian Council of Surveyors."

All participants studied with interest and received good results during the lessons of the programme, as approved by CNGeGL, amounting to a total of 66 hours including the technical visits. Very instructive was the visit to the Hellenic Military Geographical Service, therefore the Consiglio Nazionale sent a formal letter of thanks to the same Institute, to the Minister of National Defense Mr. Panos Beglitis and to the Deputy Minister of National Defense Mr. Konstantinos Spyliopoulos.

The programme was slightly modified due to several contingencies but, thanks to the full avaibility of the teachers, the adjustments ran smoothly. The 23 teachers, coming from Italy, Greece, Turkey and United Kingdom were all up to the task assigned to them in relation to the intensification topics on topography according to the most modern scientific aspects.

At the end of the course, a questionnaire was handed to all participants aimed at obtaining their comments on all aspects of the course (location, topics, avaibility of the teachers, some suggestions for the future). All 50 participants completed the questionnaire.

According to the responses to the questionnaire, the course can be regarded a great success. In particular receiving very positive feedback were the content of the topics and the full avaibility of the teachers involved.

The initiative of CNGeGL to organise and sponsor such a good and successful event for its scientific content and for the extensive participation from several nations represented a fact already known and well considered in all the world as concrete action of exchange of experience between the populations and common effort for the scientific research and peaceful living.

The experience in Athens was a considerable improvement in comparison with the previous experiences and it constituted the best presupposition to repeat and attract new and numerous participants next year.