XXV FIG Congress – a celebration, celebrating the culmination of collective efforts and collaborative actions.

FIG in Kuala Lumpur

The FIG Congress was for the first time since its beginning in1878 held in Asia, and the silver jubilee Congress was a culmination of the four-year FIG Work Plan for the current FIG Council as well as the start of a new 4 year term with a new FIG President and two Vice Presidents elected at the General Assembly.

The FIG Foundation board of Directors and Trimble representative Keith Hofgartner, together with the 8 Young Surveyors who were selected to participate from all parts of the world, from Uruguay Ms. Melissa Robert.

The Programme

Since Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia was selected as destination for the 2014 Congress, the Local Association, PEJUTA, the Local Organising Committee and FIG have worked intensely on the preparations to make this Congress a special experience for all participants. This culminated from 16-21 June in a mix of sessions, events, tours and impressions. The Congress offered more than 170 technical sessions over the four Conference days with around 550 presentations, a welcome reception for all attendants, 3-day exhibition, technical tours, social tours, a Malaysian dinner and Gala dinner. Partners were the World Bank, FAO, UN-ESCAP, UN-GGIM, UN-Habitat/GLTN. The Congress attracted more than 2500 participants from almost 100 countries.

The Profession

The Congress was a celebration and culmination of the collective efforts and collaborative actions taking place during the last four years, as FIG President Teo expressed in his opening speech. Then the President said: ‘The Surveying profession is a real world, people centric, solution-oriented profession. It is a creative and constructive profession engaged in idea generation, conceptualization and constructive development, engaging the creative and innovative processes that generate new approaches and opportunities, including that which has never before existed’.

Prime Minister of Malaysia, the Honourable Dato’ Sri Mohd Najib bin Tun Haji Abdul Razak giving his inspiring welcome address

The theme of the XXV FIG Congress ‘Engaging the Challenges, Enhancing the Relevance’ could not have been chosen better. Not only a series of impressive developments as the Global Geodetic Reference Frame, Global Geospatial Information Management and GNSS World are under co-ordination for implementation. Also a series of approaches and tools as for example “Fit-for-Purpose” Land Administration and the Social Tenure Domain Model demonstrate that FIG, together with its partners and the profession, are ready to engage challenges as undernourishment, shelter, climate change and economic progress with its sciences, technologies, knowledge and practices.