The new ICA Commission on Topographic Mapping was approved at the 16th General Assembly, held in Rio de Janeiro on 28th August 2015. Our primary aim in establishing this new Commission is to provide a forum for those whose primary focus is the design, production and use of topographic mapping and related geospatial data products.
Terms of Reference 2015 – 2019
- Provide a forum for those whose primary focus is the design, production and use of topographic mapping and related geospatial data products, informing national mapping organisations on how they can better serve the interests of their users in an environment of changing methods of production and dissemination (e.g. from geoportals to print-on-demand)
- Establish best practice in assessing the national needs for topographic mapping (including topographic base data for deriving products such as geological and emergency planning maps) and how this impacts on their design and vice versa
- Work in partnership with other ICA Commissions (e.g. Atlases, Map Design, Use and Usability, Map Production) to organise and participate in joint events – particularly with a view to sharing research on the design and production of topographic mapping and its use
- Collaborate with the Commission on Education and Training to identify the cartographic educational and training requirements of national mapping organisations and seek ways to meet these effectively, drawing on existing expertise within this and other Commissions
- Engage with the national mapping organisations of countries who are not yet members of ICA by outreach and invitation to Commission activities (particularly those involving other ICA Commissions, as mentioned above), effective sharing of published research, training, and explaining the wider benefits of ICA membership
- Organise and host a conference focusing on the relevance of cartography to topographic mapping, focusing on how national mapping organisations can preserve, develop and assert their identity through the cartography of existing and new products, and to publish the associated papers in an international cartographic periodical
- Initiate and publish a special series of ‘Survey’ articles in an international cartographic periodical, each of which providing an expert assessment of the design and content of topographic mapping on a national (or regional) basis
- Create, develop and maintain a Commission website that incorporates an online listing of the websites and/or geoportals of national mapping organisations to facilitate access for research and networking
- Organise sessions at the 2017 and 2019 ICA conferences that focus on presenting the latest research with regard to topographic mapping and pursue its publication and wider dissemination