Editorial

May the best candidate win!

From 11-15 September, the surveying world will gather in Warsaw, Poland, where FIG and the Polish Surveyors are organizing the 27th FIG Congress. Surveyors from all over the globe will finally be able to meet one another again in person after having only seen each other ‘on screen’ for the past couple of years. Therefore, it will undoubtedly be a festive celebration of the surveying profession! And FIG has always stood up for this profession, looking out for its interests to the best of the association’s ability.

These are hectic times, with uncertainty whether the pandemic is really over, a war on European soil, climate change accelerating faster than ever and economic challenges looming over us once again. The geospatial sector has a key role to play in tackling many of these challenges, and the FIG Congress will shed light on all kinds of circumstances affecting the surveying world and the professionals at its core: the surveyors.

This issue of GIM International includes interviews (see page 25) with the three candidates in the running for the FIG presidency for the next four years: Diane Dumashie from the United Kingdom, Orhan Ercan from Turkey, and Abbas Rajabifard from Australia. Read what they have to say about the changing nature of the profession, the role of the surveyor and the surveying industry, and how FIG should support that role in the near future. They also share their views on the cooperation that FIG seeks with many other organizations worldwide to secure the implementation of the SDGs, and how surveyors could play a vital part in this process. It is a privilege for us at GIM International to carry these interviews with the candidates for the FIG presidency. All three candidates have proven themselves over the years and have established a long track record of ambassadorship for both the surveying profession and the organization that represents it. As a sector, we can be thankful that these renowned ambassadors are willing to dedicate themselves to the hard work that lies ahead of them. It is a sign of the heartfelt commitment and involvement that is part of our community, both within and across borders.

I am sure that they would all make a terrific FIG president, and whether they are ultimately chosen or not, Diane, Orhan and Abbas will undoubtedly continue to devote themselves to FIG and the surveying profession as a whole. I would like to take this opportunity to wish them a fair battle and all the best in the campaign that lies ahead. Good luck to all three candidates and may the best one win!

Durk Haarsma, director strategy & business development

durk.haarsma@geomares.nl

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