FrontierSI at the International Federation of Surveyors Working Week 2023
July 27, 2023
The International Federation of Surveyors (FIG) was established in 1878 and holds annual Working Weeks to allow their global community to contribute to collaborations, research and professional practice on surveying, cadastre, valuation, mapping, geodesy, hydrography, geospatial, and quantity surveying.
This year, the Working Week was held in Orlando, Florida from May 28 – June 1 with the theme ‘Protecting Our World, Conquering New Frontiers’. Four FrontierSI staff– Eldar Rubinov, Luis Elneser, Roshni Sharma and Joshua Critchley-Marrows – attended, taking part in numerous events and initiatives across the week.
The Reference Frames in Practice workshop – which has been a regular pre-conference feature at FIG Working Weeks since 2012 – was once again a key highlight of the week for geodesists, bringing together some of the best in the world to explore and discuss country-wide challenges from different parts of the world.
Eldar and Joshua delivered two presentations on Ginan and the Lunar Reference Frame here, both of which were very well received. Eldar, Luis and Joshua continue to be active in FIG Commission 5 (Positioning and Measurement), with Eldar chairing Working Group 5.4 on GNSS with Safoora Zaminpardaz from our partner RMIT.
The team presented various papers on positioning over the week, with Luis presenting on Co-Location and Community CORS adding value to GNSS data, Eldar presenting on the Arab States Geodetic Reference Frame, and Joshua delivering a presentation on the Exploration of the Lunar Reference Frame (with support from the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs Intergovernmental Committee on GNSS).
Roshni is leading the Climate Compass Task Force, a new initiative put together by FIG President Diane Dumashie alongside co-chair Clarissa Augustinus from UNCCD. The Task Force focuses on the unique role the space, spatial and surveying industries can play in supporting climate resilience.
From 2023-2026, the task force will facilitate connections, collaborations and innovation for climate preparedness, resilience, and recovery to create a holistically sustainable future for people and planet at local-to-global scales.
Roshni ran a series of workshops during the Working Week on climate, as well as a session on outcomes from the recent initiative ‘Creating a Land Tenure Reform System for Mars’ through the Volunteer Community Surveyor Program, and the FIG Mentoring Program. Roshni is also Vice-Chair of Commission 8 (Spatial Planning and Development).
FrontierSI appreciated the opportunity to network with and learn from others in the space and spatial industry, and we look forward to future FIG events.