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Here are a few to give you an idea: FIG Sustainable Development Goals
• Providing a Reference Frame for Geospatial Products Another session worth mentioning is one that focused on FIG
Sustainability Goals. According to FIG, Sustainable Development
• Laser Scanning, Photogrammetry, and UAV in Engineering Goals (SDGs) will re-shape and influence our profession
Surveying
profoundly in the decade to come. For that reason, it encourages
• Providing Vertical Control for Hydrographers and Coastal member organizations and surveyors to be aware of the goals and
Managers contribute to their achievement. The SDG’s are as follows:
• Multidisciplinary Applications of Hydrography 1. No Poverty
2. Zero Hunger
• Mapping Plastic Waste in the Oceans
3. Quality Education
• Efficient GNSS Integration with Other Sensors
4. Gender Equality
• Climate Smart Planning with GIS for Energy Efficient Cities
5. Reduced Inequalities
• GIS for 3D Urban Planning, Construction and Valuation
6. Sustainable Cities and Communities
• Blended Learning for Surveying Education
7. Climate Action
• Professional Standards, Practice Development and Lifelong
Learning 8. Life Below Water
• Volunteering for the Future: Smart Surveyors for Social Good 9. Life on Land

People ask if I had trouble with the language barrier but for me 10. Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions
there wasn’t one. English is the global language of business. It’s
also the global language of surveying and geospatial technology. 11. Partnerships for the Goals
It was interesting to hear English spoken with so many different
accents. Two of the keynote speakers had interpreters, but After we heard from several speakers, the chairperson split
everybody else managed just fine on their own. Here is an the room into two groups for roundtable discussions on how
example of the lengths some people will go to learn English surveyors can make the world a better place with our skills. My
so they can participate: During one of the technical sessions, I group contained people from Sweden, Colombia, Switzerland,
listened to a young Korean surveyor make his case for applying Nigeria, and of course, the U.S.A. We had a good discussion,
virtual reality gaming engines to project planning. He started by and it was a nice way to meet each other. But there was a cynic
apologizing for his poor English. He said he just started learning in my group (me) who said change comes from policy makers,
the language five months prior to the conference for the express not surveyors, and policy makers are driven by their own self-
purpose of delivering his presentation. He wasn’t exactly fluent, interests, rather than concern for a future they won’t be around
but he spoke well enough to get his point across. Me, on the other for. The chairperson gently admonished the cynic by saying
hand, I’ve been trying to learn Polish for five years. positive change happens from the ground up and the cumulative
effect of individual actions make a big difference on a global scale.
The FIG Mentoring Program for Africa Furthermore, geospatial professionals are in a unique position to
I attended a session on the FIG Mentoring Program for Africa inform decision-makers on key issues like sustainability, climate
and it made me wonder if something like that would work in the action, equity, and responsible management of resources. In the
U.S.A. Professor Jennifer Whittal from South Africa explained how end, the cynic got the point and now looks for ways to contribute
mentors meet on-line once a month with mentees to discuss to the SDG’s however he can.
their educational and professional goals and point them toward
resources for further development. Mentors are guided by a set
format to help mentees understand their strengths and identify
where they need to grow. As you would expect, the mentoring
program is personally rewarding for all involved. Whittal said some
mentees live in rural areas that do not have internet access, and
so they walk to the nearest village that does. That’s commitment!
In her talk she asked the same questions that U.S. surveyors ask
themselves:
• How can we help young surveyors transition into the industry?

• How can we build soft skills to help young surveyors in their
career paths and build resilience in our profession?

• How can we volunteer as practicing seasoned surveyors to
make a real difference?

• How can corporate sponsors become involved?

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