Paper presented at the FIG Seminar

The Mediterranean Surveyor in the New Millennium

Malta, 18 - 21 September 2000

CLGE, and its Initiative to Enhance Professional Competence

of Geodetic Surveyors in Europe

William Patrick Prendergast, BSc., MIEI, FIS

Vice President of the Irish Institution of Surveyors (IIS)
President of Comit de Liaison des Gomtres Europens (CLGE)
Lecturer in Terrain Visualisation and Cartographic Systems,
Department of Geomatics, Faculty of the Built Environment,
Dublin Institute of Technology, Bolton Street, Dublin 1, IRELAND
Tel: + 353.1.402 3838 Fax: + 353.1.402 3999 Email: paddy.prendergast@dit.ie

ABSTRACT

CLGE was established in 1972 to consider the implementation of the Treaty of Rome in
relation to the liberal profession of surveying in private practice. Today it represents 27 000
geodetic surveyors in 20 European countries, and it currently rapidly expanding into central
and Eastern Europe. CLGE identified education as the key issue for the future of the
profession during a re-evaluation of its aims and objectives conducted in 1999. CLGE
provided two eminent European academics with research grants in May 2000 to investigate
specific aspects related to the education of geodetic surveyors in Europe. They will present
their findings at a seminar being jointly hosted by CLGE and FIG at the Technical University
at Delft in the Netherlands on 3rd November 2000. Directors of academic courses for geodetic
surveyors have been invited to the seminar to widen the debate and to provide an opportunity
to include their opinions and ideas. A final report is scheduled for publication in spring 2001.

Introduction
CLGE is short for the Comit de Liaison des Gomtres Europens, which translates as the
Council of European Geodetic Surveyors, and is the umbrella organisation for national
associations of professional geodetic surveyors in Europe. CLGE now represents circa 27 000
surveyors in 20 European countries (See Table 1), and is currently expanding its membership
into Central and Eastern Europe. The annual budget of CLGE for 2000 is circa 30 000 Euros,
which is financed by contributions from each of its 20 member countries.

23/08/2000 Page 1
 Paper presented at the FIG Seminar
The Mediterranean Surveyor in the New Millennium
Malta, 18 - 21 September 2000

Austria 670 Greece 1000 Portugal 300

Belgium 500 Ireland 340 Slovakia 420

Czech Republic 100 Italy 7000 Spain 2000

Denmark 750 Luxembourg 35 Sweden 1300

Finland 700 The Netherlands 1000 Switzerland 900

France 2080 Norway 750 United Kingdom 3000

Germany 3500 Poland 400

Table 1 - CLGE Membership, September 2000

CLGE holds General Assemblies biannually in spring and autumn comprising 3 half-day
sessions, normally all day on Friday & a Saturday morning. Each country is represented by a
maximum of two delegates at the general assembly, and the working language is English.
The general assembly decides policy and delegates the operation of CLGE to the executive
board. The executive board comprising the President, Vice-President, Secretary-General and
the Treasurer are responsible for, and control the day-to-day business of CLGE. Most of the
business of CLGE is conducted by phone or via email.

A new format for the general assembly is being piloted this autumn in Prague. Sessions 1 and
2 on Friday will be closed sessions for CLGE delegates as previously, but session 3 on the
Saturday morning will now be open to participation by members of the national association in
the host country. This session will debate a theme of relevance to CLGE from the regional
perspective of Europe and also of special importance from the host association's perspective.
The working language will again be English, but simultaneous translation will be provided
into and from the host language to involve local members in the debate. CLGE feels that this
new format should provide a significant forum to discuss issues of importance to European
geodetic surveyors.

The aims of CLGE are as follows:

! To represent the interests of the geodetic surveying profession in Europe to the
Institutions of the European Union by:
Active participation in the pertinent legislation processes at European level.

23/08/2000 Page 2
 Paper presented at the FIG Seminar
The Mediterranean Surveyor in the New Millennium
Malta, 18 - 21 September 2000

Co-operation and provision of assistance to the commission in the recognition of

qualifications for academic and professional purposes.
! Promoting the activities of geodetic surveying and aiding the development of the
profession administratively and scientifically.
! Facilitating mutual recognition of qualifications.
! Stimulating and facilitating the normalisation of standards of academic and professional
qualifications.
! The provision of assistance in dealing with national problems arising from different
activities in various member countries.

CLGE's main policies and actions currently being employed to achieve these aims are as
follows. CLGE actively participates at EU level by:
a) Appointing an EU Liaison Officer to open dialogue with the European Commission;
b) Membership of CEPLIS (European Council of the Liberal Professionals), which has three
members on the Economic and Social Council of the European Union;
c) Membership of the European Services Forum (ESF) and participation in some of its
working parties, which co-ordinates information gathering for the EU negotiating team on
the GATS 2000 negotiations taking place in Geneva.

CLGE promotes geodetic surveying and assists the development of the profession by:
a) Providing a forum for debating issues important to European geodetic surveyors;
b) Liasing between the major surveying and mapping organisations in Europe i.e. CERCO,
EUROGI, and WPLA;
c) Developing a closer working relationship with the International Federation of Surveyors
(FIG);
d) Producing reports on aspects of the profession in Europe, for example:
! The Education and Practice of the Geodetic Surveyor in Western Europe, commonly
referred to as the Allan Report;
! The Establishment of the Profile and Definition of the Geodetic Surveying Profession
to meet the requirements of the general public and the Commission of the European
Union commonly referred to as the Profile Report.

Three further reports are currently in preparation:

! Geodetic Surveying and Property in the EU, due for publication in 2001;

23/08/2000 Page 3
 Paper presented at the FIG Seminar
The Mediterranean Surveyor in the New Millennium
Malta, 18 - 21 September 2000

! Analysis of the Geodetic Surveying Market in the EU, currently collecting and
compiling data
! Assurance of Quality in the Geodetic Surveying Profession in the EU, due for
publication in 2001.

CLGE provides assistance to the national associations by:

a) Contact with national governments in suggesting solutions for local difficulties;
b) Assisting the recognition of national associations by their governments;

CLGE facilitates the mutual recognition of qualifications and stimulates the normalisation of
standards of academic and professional qualifications by:
a) Providing current information on the education and practice of European geodetic
surveyors by re-publishing the Allan Report every 5 years.
b) Providing co-operation and assistance to the professional qualifications unit of DG
Internal Market in the European Commission;
c) Defining a core syllabus for a qualification of European geodetic surveyor.

CLGE carried out a re-evaluation of its' aims and objectives during the 1999 and education
was identified as the key issue for the future of the profession in many countries. The main
reason why education was singled out was that it provides geodetic surveyors with the skills
and abilities to allow them to adapt to changing commercial environments.

Traditionally, surveying predominantly operated in niche markets, which were either local or
national in character. Consequently, educational programmes in the different countries were
adapted specifically for these local and national requirements without any reference to the
regional needs within Europe. This has led to a divergence of the educational programmes
within the different countries, each focussing on their particular requirements. Tables 2 and 3
provide an overview of this divergence, in terms of years required to acquire an academic or
professional qualification.

23/08/2000 Page 4
 Paper presented at the FIG Seminar
The Mediterranean Surveyor in the New Millennium
Malta, 18 - 21 September 2000

Country Primary Secondary Third Level Total (Years) Qualification Achieved

Level (Years) Level (Years) (Years)
Netherlands 8 6 4 18 MSc. (ir)
Denmark 9 - 10 3 5 17 - 18 MSc.
Germany 4 9 4.5 17.5 MSc. (Dipl.-Ing)
Switzerland 6 7 4.5 17.5 MSc. (Dipl.-Ing)
France 9 3 5 17 MSc.
Greece 6 6 5 17 MSc.
Austria 8 4 5 17 MSc. (Dipl.-Ing)
Norway 9 3 5 17 MSc.
Luxembourg 6 7 4 17 MSc. (Dipl.-Ing)
Sweden 9 3 4.5 16.5 MSc.
Finland 9 3 4.5 16.5 MSc.
Belgium 6 6 4 16 MSc.
United Kingdom 6? 7 3-4 16 - 17? BSc.
Spain 6 6 4 16 BSc.
Portugal 6 6 3 15 BSc.
Ireland 7 5 3 15 Diploma
Italy 5 8 0 13 Diploma
Mean - - 4-5 17 MSc.

Table 2 - Years to acquire academic qualifications in geodetic surveying

(Source - Allan Report, Edition 3, 1995)

Country Primary Secondary Third Professional Total - Professional

Level -Years Level - Years Level - Years Practice - Years Years Association
Denmark 9 - 10 3 5 3 20 - 21 DDL
Greece 6 6 5 3/4 20 - 21 TCG
Austria 8 4 5 3 20 BAIK
Switzerland 6 7 4.5 2.5 20 SSMAF / SVVK
Germany 4 9 4.5 2 19.5 BDVI
Luxembourg 6 7 4 2 19 OLG
France 9 3 5 2 19 OGE
Sweden 9 3 4.5 2 18.5 SLF
United Kingdom 6? 7 3-4 2 18 - 19? RICS
Netherlands 8 6 4 0 18 NVG
Belgium 6 6 4 1 17 IPG
Norway 9 3 5 0 17 NKTF / NJKF
Ireland 7 5 3 2 17 IIS
Finland 9 3 4.5 0 16.5 MIL
Spain 6 6 4 0 16 COITT
Portugal 6 6 3 0 15 ANT
Italy 5 8 0 2 15 CNG

Mean - - 2 18.7 -

Table 3 - Years to achieve professional qualifications in geodetic surveying

(Source - Allan Report, Edition 3, 1995)

23/08/2000 Page 5
 Paper presented at the FIG Seminar
The Mediterranean Surveyor in the New Millennium
Malta, 18 - 21 September 2000

These tables highlight two interesting facts. Firstly, the countries in southern and North
Western Europe, namely Italy, Ireland, Portugal, Spain and the United Kingdom all devote
less time and receive qualifications which are less than the European norm of a masters
degree. Secondly, another group of countries, namely the Netherlands, Norway, Finland,
Spain and Portugal do not have any requirement to carry out a period of professional practice
before achieving a professional qualification. I fully accept that the number of years of study
only provides an indication of quality, and is no substitute for an assessment of the content or
the level of competence achieved from particular study programmes.

Another major reason why education was identified as key is that a new regional market is
developing in Europe with the progressive introduction of internal market policies by the EU,
and the implementation of market economies by central and with eastern European countries.
The GATS 2000 negotiations will also have the effect of opening up other national and
regional markets at the cost of increased liberalisation within the EU. Enhancing the
professional competence of surveyors is necessary to provide the skills necessary to exploit
these new opportunities, and to assess the effects of modifications to legislation at national
and European level.

Another major reason is the intensive application of technology within the surveying
profession during the last few decades. New skills are required to exploit new data sources
and make use new methods not only in an efficient manner, but such that consequences for
particular actions are fully appreciated. The nature of our business is changing and new areas
are developing, such as GIS, but other professionals are competing with us for these new
opportunities. Surveyors have to prove their merit to be involved in these new areas, and they
will need new skills to assist them. Many new projects are designed and managed by multi-
disciplinary teams of professionals for which surveyors need equality of qualifications and
management skills to allow them to participate effectively as equals.

For all these reasons education was identified as key for the future of the profession.
Equivalent standards of academic and professional qualifications are also necessary between
European countries in order to facilitate the mutual recognition of qualifications.
Consequently, CLGE identified one of its roles as providing assistance to some countries to
develop and enhance weaker curricula. A working party was established in 1998 to develop a
"Core Syllabus" for geodetic surveying in Europe to address this issue.

23/08/2000 Page 6
 Paper presented at the FIG Seminar
The Mediterranean Surveyor in the New Millennium
Malta, 18 - 21 September 2000

Different models were examined to identify a suitable methodology to determine equivalence

of qualifications in Europe. The accreditation model used by the International Hydrographic
Organisation (IHO) was initially examined, whereby the IHO specify a syllabus and then visit
and accredit over 30 courses world-wide on a 5 year cycle. CLGE did not adopt this model
because although the international hydrographic situation was conducive to the operation of
one homogeneous standard, the same could not be said of Europe where different standards
applied in many countries. Syllabi for courses are also set by statute in some European
countries, which might not readily accept the accreditation model, and CLGE did not have the
resources to operate such a model at this stage.

Another model, which was discussed at the FIG Congress in Brighton in July 1998, was the
Canadian proposal to have the International Standards Organisation adopt an ISO standard for
geomatics professionals. This model was considered as too rigid in that a definition of the
content of the qualification would be too difficult to modify once adopted. It also attempted to
ring fence a new area to professionals who only had some of the core skills of geodetic
surveyors, and was considered unworkable in practice. The model adopted by CLGE was to
produce a core syllabus as guidance for directors of academic courses producing geodetic
surveyors. There was to be no coercion in the implementation of this guidance, but it was to
be an opinion supported by the majority of the national associations, which would carry a
certain amount of weight.

One of the requirements in defining a core syllabus was to ensure that it did not represent a
lowest common denominator from the range of existing courses. The idea was not to define a
minimum standard, but to define a mean standard at a high level within Europe to which
countries could develop and enhance existing courses. Therefore, the whole idea to develop a
core syllabus was twofold. Firstly, it was necessary to provide information to help initiate
change of surveying curricula to assist the improvement of standards within countries with
less well-developed curricula. Secondly, it was to provide information to assist the
determination of equivalence of qualifications to facilitate the mobility of surveying
professionals between countries.

I should stress that the goal of this initiative was not harmonisation of curricula. The diversity
of cultures in Europe is one of our strengths, and it was not intended by CLGE for the core

23/08/2000 Page 7
 Paper presented at the FIG Seminar
The Mediterranean Surveyor in the New Millennium
Malta, 18 - 21 September 2000

syllabus to limit this diversity in any way. The concept is that the core syllabus would define
an acceptable high standard for the technical element of curricula, but that specific courses
would have leeway to specialise or develop new areas outside this common core. We also do
not wish to encroach upon the independence of universities, but hope to provide those
academic institutions, which are already well informed of national requirements, some
guidance as to what may be required at European level.

A question identified early on by the working party was whether courses should be assessed
on input (i.e. the specific subjects and time devoted to them within the syllabus) or on output
(i.e. the range of skills achieved by the graduate). There is a difference of opinion between the
working party members this issue. Some believe that courses should only be assessed on the
competence of the graduates produced. Others believe that this is very difficult to quantify
and the input system has the added benefit of supplying much needed guidance, which is
easily understood for initiating course development in order to raise standards.

Another difficulty is that the practice of the profession is continually changing over time, as
evidenced by statistics collected by the Danish Association of Chartered Surveyors over 30
years from 1967 to 1997. Academic courses targeted at the professions should provide
graduates with the skills necessary to practice their chosen profession. However, if that
practice is continually developing and changing, then academic syllabi also need to track
those movements to supply new skills as required. Consequently, it will not be an easy task to
define a "core syllabus" for a practice, which is dynamic in nature and adopting new ideas and
methods all the time. This is further exacerbated by the fact that the practice of the profession
is quite different in many countries in Europe.

In order to overcome these two difficulties CLGE decided in Copenhagen in April this year to
provide research grants to investigate these issues. Two eminent European academics were
chosen to conduct the research. Dr Frances Plimmer, University of Glamorgan in Wales is
developing threshold standards and a methodology to assess the competence of surveying
professionals. Prof. Hans Mattsson, Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm in Sweden is
investigating the different models used in Europe for surveying courses with respect to
curricula content and curricula delivery. Rob Ledger, Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors
in the United Kingdom is completing the original definition of the core syllabus for geodetic

23/08/2000 Page 8
 Paper presented at the FIG Seminar
The Mediterranean Surveyor in the New Millennium
Malta, 18 - 21 September 2000

surveyors. All three will present their findings at the seminar being jointly hosted by CLGE
and FIG at the Technical University at Delft in the Netherlands on 3rd November 2000.

The intention of this seminar is to widen the debate among the academic surveying
community in Europe and to provide an opportunity to include their opinions and ideas. The
seminar is by invitation only, since space is limited to 110 persons, so we decided not to
charge a registration fee in order to entice full participation. The professional associations
have already nominated their national representatives and the FIG office in Copenhagen is
handling the registrations at present. A final report of the results of the seminar will be
published early in 2001.

CLGE believes that this initiative is only the start of a range of educational developments for
geodetic surveyors expected in the short to medium term in Europe. Information gathered by
CLGE during the re-evaluation of its aims and objectives also indicated the need for:
a) Specialised post-graduate courses for CPD in most countries;
b) A range of under-graduate and post-graduate courses via distance learning was identified
as a significant and urgent need by the national associations. The use of e-learning
methods and the internet for course delivery should be fully exploited;
c) The possibility of post-graduate courses dealing specifically with international and
European issues should also be examined.
The next phase of the CLGE initiative will be to prioritise these extra issues and investigate
each in turn.

References:
Allan, A., 3rd edition, 1995, The Education and Practice of the Geodetic Surveyor in Western
Europe (commonly referred to as the Allan Report), CLGE, UK, pp 1 - 159.

Ledger, R., 1998, Core Syllabus for European Geodetic Surveyors, CLGE Discussion Paper
distributed at the 25th FIG Congress, Brighton, UK, pp 1 - 16.

Prendergast, W. P., 1995, Discussion Document on Strategy, CLGE, pp 1 - 13.

23/08/2000 Page 9