FIG Newsletter July 2025 News from FIG "Strategic Initiatives and collaborative outcomes. Please note: If you cannot see the images or other content of the message properly, please access the newsletter in your browser
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"Strategic initiatives and collaborative outcomes"
is generally what FIG is striving to achieve. This was central at the
special FIG, UN-ECE and World Bank conference which was held in June in
Athens with the theme: Build back better the self-made cities. It is at
the core, too, of the FIG Congress taking place 24-29 May 2026 to which FIG is already counting down.
Please enjoy the video greeting by FIG
President Diane Dumashie. The call for papers is available - now is the time for you to
secure your spot in the technical programme. Submit your abstract and
tell your story during the Congress. Check your options to be visible
through sponsorships and the exhibition.
There is still one day left for applications for grants to
attend the FIG Young Surveyor Africa meeting, read more about the book
on digital technologies made available for free through FIG, and
interesting initiatives by FIG members and partners. We hope you will find
good inspiration for strategic initiatives and collaborative outcomes
presented in this newsletter.
FIG CONGRESS 2026 - Secure your place in the technical programme
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It is our pleasure to invite you to the largest and most prestigious conference of surveying and geospatial professionals in 2026, held in Cape Town, South Africa. The FIG Congress is the major event held every four years and includes elections of the new FIG President and two Vice Presidents. Further, an extensive technical programme will take place over the four conference days 25- 28 May. Secure your place in the programmeThe overall theme of the congress is: The Future We Want - The SDGs and Beyond |
The FIG Congress 2026 gives you as professional the opportunity to:
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Learn and share globally – with participation from around 80-90 countries |
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Network across silos, cultures, generations, sectors and professional roles – with sessions and representation from the broad range of experts |
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Make an impact on careers, organizations and communities |
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Enjoy undisturbed on-site time to focus, concentrate, and collaborate |
The SDGs will be central to all sessions, highlighting how surveyors work with and find solutions towards these goals and beyond. Surveyors must be heard as the next global development agenda for post-2030 is prepared in the next few years.
Read more and submit your abstract
Call for papers
|
Call for papers in PDF
The Survey Review
Biennial Prize 2026 - offered to young surveyors for an
outstanding peer-review paper
Hear FIG President Diane Dumashie on why should should attend the congress and submit an abstract:
Showcase your company/organisation, products and services to a special audience
A range of sponsorship and exhibition opportunities are available during the Congress to highlight your company or organisation.
One of the characteristics and a distinctive feature of FIG conferences are that experts from all the different areas of surveying – interpreted in the broadest sense including land surveyors, geospatial experts, valuers, quantity surveyors, hydrography surveyors etc. – are all represented. FIG brings these different surveying professions and professionals together to enhance the cooperation and understanding of each other’s fields.
Participants normally include:
- 1/3 Public/Governement Read more about your sponsorship and exhibition opportunities: |
 |
More information and news about the Congress is availabe on the congress website: www.fig.net/fig2026
NEWS FROM FIG
Strategic Initiaitives and Collaborative outcomes
|
|
The Joint UNECE, FIG, and World Bank Conference “Build
Back Better the Self-Made Cities in Europe” was convened in
Athens, Greece, from 18 to 22 June 2025 with an overall
focus to promote international best practices for the
formalization of informal constructions, the improvement of
geospatial data ecosystems, and the development of
innovative land administration tools. |
FIG General Assembly 2025 Minutes and Report
|
On 6 and 10 April 2025 the FIG General Assembly was held as part of
the FIG Working Week 2025 and included election for Commission
Chairs Elects, change of statutes and election of the host and
destination for FIG Working Week 2029. |
FIG Working Week 2025 Report: G'day to Brisbane and Aussie-land
|
1400 national and international participants met in the beautiful
city of Brisbane for the FIG Working Week 2025 filled with lots of
activites, technical programme, tours and networking opportunities
FIG Statement June 2025 on GCA and FIG Working Week |
FIG FOUNDATION NEWS
FIG Young Surveyors 4th African Regional Meeting Foundation Grants
|
The FIG Foundation will sponsor and award four Young Surveyor Grants
in support of the FIG Young Surveyors 4th African Regional Meeting
and 10th ISK African Regional Conference. |
NEW PUBLICATIONS AND NEWSLETTERS
Book release from FIG Commission 10 (Construction Economics and Management)
|
Nadzirah Hj. Zainordin and Khoo Sui Lai of UCSI University in Malaysia have written an inspiring book that explores how digital technologies - such as BIM, AI, IoT, and smart infrastructure - are transforming the built environment toward a more sustainable future. With a focus on practical applications and real-world case studies, particularly from Malaysia, it highlights how digitalization enhances efficiency, reduces environmental impact, and supports resilient urban development. Aimed at professionals in surveying, architecture, engineering, and planning, it offers a forward-looking vision for 2050 and a call to action for embracing innovation. “The Eyes for Tomorrow” is a timely resource for those shaping the future of sustainable construction and digital transformation in the built environment.
The authors have generously made the book available to all through
FIG, and we hope
many will benefit from it. |
FIG Annual Review 2024
|
With this Annual Review you can get a short introduction to some of the FIG activities that took place during 2024. Read more |
Publication 83: A CALL TO ACTION: Climate Responsible Land Governance and Disaster Resilience. Safeguarding Land Rights
|
This publication is a result of the FIG Regional Conference 2024 in
Nepal. Read the full CALL TO ACTION and outcome of the sessions and
discussions .
Read more
|
Publication 84: The Land Administration Domain Model: An Overview and LADM in the Classroom
|
|
The overview publication, FIG Publication no 84, is a guide to LADM,
giving
overview of LADM. The publication is intended for anyone wishing to
learn more about LADM: why is it needed, how is it designed, what is
it and what are the benefits. This overview publication has an
extended version titled ‘LADM in the Classroom’ with a focus to
training and higher education.
Read more |
 |
The extended book introduces the reader to the Land
Administration Domain Model (LADM) through examples. It starts by
giving the reader an overview of core LADM concepts then proceeds to
illustrate how data about different people-to-land relationships can
be organized using LADM. Each example represents a scenario that can
be encountered in a Land Administration System. The scenarios used
in examples are derived from the Land Administration System of the
hypothetical town of Watteriver together with its surrounding rural
areas. Each case, representing a particular scenario, is presented
both conceptually and using a simplified representation of a
database in which data are stored concretely. A demonstration
dataset, accompanying GIS project, and reusable slides are available
online - details in the book. |
News from Members and Partners
Unversity of Benin, Nigeria
 |
 |
The Department of Surveying and Geo-infomatics at the University of Benin, Nigeria has taken an important step toward supporting its students by launching a new bursary scheme under the banner of the Plant a Seed Initiative. The initiative was officially introduced during the department’s General Assembly, led by the Wake and See Executives, reflecting a strong commitment to student-centered programs.
According to the departmental president, Tunde Akinyemi, “The Plant a Seed Initiative is designed to provide financial assistance by offering bursaries that help cover smaller, yet essential, academic expenses such as course registration fees.” He added that the goal is to ease the financial burden on students, especially those struggling to meet daily academic costs.
The launch event, held on April 14th, was met with enthusiasm, with notable stakeholders in the department making generous contributions. The Wake and See Executives led the way by making the first donation—symbolically planting the first “seed” in the initiative’s fund. The program has since received widespread praise as a timely and impactful approach to promoting student welfare and fostering a sense of community-driven support.
Despite the importance of Surveying and Geoinformatics in development, our region faces significant challenges, including:
- Lack of access to modern instruments and technology
- Limited resources and infrastructure
- Brain drain and talent retention issues
These challenges hinder the effective study and practice of Surveying,
and it is imperative that we work together to address them.
Hopefully in cooperation with others.
UN-Habitat - Community of Practice on Urban-Rural Linkages
A community of practice session on Advancing Urban-Rural Linkages for Resilient Food Systems was held on 25 June 2025.
Read more about the key messages from the session
Commission and Network Meetings
Commission 7 Annual meeting and FIG Joint Land
Administration Conference
3-5 November 2025 in Florianaplis Brazil
Submit your abstract
and more information
Flyer in English
| Spanish
| Portugise
FIG Commission 8 Annual Meeting ”Responsible Knowledge
Transfer and Innovation in Land and Spatial Governance” held during the 6th
edition of Romanian Surveying Week 21-25 October 2025. Commission 2 will host
a Roundtable on education topics.
More information
Young Surveyors meetings:
17-18 October 2025: Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
FIG Young Surveyors 2nd Americas Regional Meeting 2025: Empowering
tomorrow's surveyors skills for a dynamic industry.
More infomation
Join young geospatial leaders from across Africa at the 4th FIG Young
Surveyors African Regional Meeting (4YSAM)
happening
Theme: LEAD. INNOVATE. TRANSFORM.
Registration Fee: $150
Bonus: Get access to the 10th ISK ARC/CASTLE Conference for just $100 more!
More Information
Awards and Prizes
Check
open awards and prizes
Sarah Sayce
Award 2025, the EAASI Outstanding Thesis Award and the Abel Prize.
ARTICLE OF THE MONTH
The article of the month in July 2025 is Keynote speaker from FIG Working Week 2025, Linda Foster, Esri, USA GIS and the Geospatial Ecosystem: Creating the World You Want to See This presentation explores how the Accelerated technological innovation is presenting an opportunity for geospatial professionals to transform some of the world’s most pressing challenges and create the world they want to see. Read the article
FUTURE EVENTS
21-22 August 2025: Lae, East Taraka, Morobe Province, Papua New
Guinea
The GeoPNG Congress 2025: The inaugural Papua New Guinea National Geospatia
Congress at the Rose Kekedo Lecture Theatre Foyer at the Papua New Guinea
University of Technology (PNG UoT), Taraka Campus. The congress organizing
committee warmly invites you to be part of this exciting event, an
opportunity to engage, learn, share, and showcase knowledge in the
application of Geospatial Technologies across various disciplines and
organizations within Papua New Guinea and abroad.
More information
22-24 August 2025, Beijing, China
9th International Workshop on Dynamic and Multi-dimensional GIS (9th
DMGIS) organised by ISPRS, Technical Commission IV (Spatial Information
Science), hosted by Beijing University of Civil Engineering and Architecture
More
information
2-5 September 2025: Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast)
10es Universités Francophones de Perfectionnement des Géomètres.
More information
Registration
2-3 October 2025, Macoya, Trinidad and Tobago - onsite and
virtual
Regional Surveying Conference and Cocktail reception with the theme:
“Transforming Property Management: Navigating Trends and Challenges in
Surveying for a Resilient Caribbean.” organised byThe Institute of Surveyors
of Trinidad and Tobago (ISTT) and supported by FIG.
website: www.instituteofsurveyors.com
7-9 October 2025, Frankfurt Germany
Intergeo 2025, organised by DVW, Germany.
Web site: https://www.intergeo.de/en/welcome-to-intergeo
15-17 October 2025, Brno, Czech Republic
9th International Conference on Engineering Surveying (INGEO 2025 ),
supported by FIG Commission 6 (Engineering Surveys) Web site: https://www.ingeoconference.com/
17-18 October 2025, 17-18 October 2025, Minneapolis, Minnesota
USA
FIG Young Surveyors 2nd Americas Regional Meeting 2025.
Empowering tomorrow's surveyors skills for a dynamic industry.
21-25 October 2025: Timisoara,
Romania 6th edition of Romanian Surveying Week (RSW) with the theme
"Geospatial technologies for sustainable development of agriculture and
built environment " organized by Romanian Surveyors Union, in partnership
with the Faculty of Civil Engineering from Polytechnical University
Timișoara (FCPUT) and the Faculty of Agriculture from University of Life
Science ”King Mihai I” from Timișoara (ULST), and in collaboration with FIG
Commissions 2 and 8.
During the RSW the FIG Commission 8 Annual Meeting ”Responsible Knowledge
Transfer and Innovation in Land and Spatial Governance” will be held.
FIG Commission 2 will host a Roundtable on education topic.
More information
27-28 October 2025: Mombasa, Kenya
Join young geospatial leaders from across Africa at the 4th FIG Young
Surveyors African Regional Meeting (4YSAM)
happening 27–28 October 2025 in Mombasa, Kenya
Theme: LEAD. INNOVATE. TRANSFORM.
Registration Fee: $150
Bonus: Get access to the 10th ISK ARC/CASTLE Conference for just $100 more!
More Information
27-31 October 2025: Mombasa, Kenya 10th ISK Africa Regional
Conference
The Conference will bring together young surveyors as well as professionals
from Government, Private Sector, development partners, academia, and
policymakers from Kenya and across the globe to a common stage to network,
exchange ideas, and share best practices as part of enhancing contribution
to local and international development in the land and built sector.
More Information
3-5 November 2025: Florianapolis, Brazil
FIG Commission 7 Annual Meeting and FIG Joint Land Administration Conference
held together with the ONU-Habitat Brasil Social Tenure Domain Model (STDM)
and the 13th International FIG Workshop on LADM and 3D-LA including
Commission 8 annual meeting, all hosted by the Universidade Federal de Santa
Catarina (UFSC).
Submit your abstract and
more information
Flyer in English
| Spanish
| Portugise
More events: Check the events page
Save the dates
FIG Congress 2026, Cape Town, South Africa: 24-29 May 2026 -
www.fig.net/fig2026
FIG Working Week 2027, Stavanger, Norway: 23-27 May 2027 -
www.fig.net/fig2027
FIG Working Week 2028, Paris, France - Celebrating FIG 150th Anniversary
24-28 June 2028
Kind regards,
Ms. Louise Friis-Hansen
Director
 |
International Federation of Surveyors |
 |
FIG Congress 2026 Cape Town, South Africa Web site: www.fig.net/fig2026 |
FIG Working Week 2027, 23-27 May 2027, Stavanger, Norway
FIG Working Week 2028, 24-28 June 2028, Paris, France - Celebrating FIG 150th Anniversary
FIG Working Week 2029, Halifax, Canada
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FIG Newsletter brings you latest information about FIG and its activities. The information referred here is in full length available on the FIG web site. Thus the Newsletter is produced to inform you about activities in FIG. The FIG Newsletter is circulated monthly or bi-monthly by e-mail. The referred articles are in English and written in a way that you are able to extract them to your national newsletters or circulate to your members and networks.
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