2003 Cambridge Conference Report

Sunday 20th July | Monday 21st July | Tuesday 22nd July
Wednesday 23rd July | Thursday 24th July | Friday 25th July

Sunday 20th July

The start of the Cambridge Conference 2003 was marked by a welcome reception held at The Great Arc of India Exhibition, which traces the measurement of the Great Arc through the Indian Subcontinent 200 years ago. The reception was hosted by conference chair Vanessa Lawrence, (Director General and Chief Executive of Ordnance Survey Great Britain).

For those gathering at Cambridge for the conference, the exhibition was a reminder that the Conference is a truly international event dealing with matters of geographic information which are important for the development of nations and continents.

Sunday diary

Monday 21st July

The main business of the conference commenced with a welcome by the Conference Director, Dave Lovell, followed by the formal opening of the conference by Conference chair Vanessa Lawrence and by progress reports on resolutions passed at the last Cambridge Conference four years previously.

Following the opening the keynote address was delivered by Prof. Martien Molenaar, the Rector of the International Institute for Geo-information Science and Earth Observation (ITC), on "The future of framework data". The ITC has a world-wide reputation, not only for training in geoinformatics but also for research. The afternoon plenary session on "The importance of national mapping in a changing world" featured speakers from no less than four different continents.

The final events of the day were the formal opening of the Conference Exhibition prior to the evening meal.

Monday diary | Session 1 Rapporteur | Session 2 Rapporteur

Tuesday 22nd July

The morning plenary session was devoted to the topic 'Who pays the Mapper?' and featured six papers with perspectives from four continents.

The afternoon provided the opportunity to visit the conference exhibition which featured 20 exhibitors covering data collection, manipulation and dissemination along with stands from the professions and universities; in fact, almost a complete mapping package in one marquee.

Delegates also had a chance to attend one of four workshops held throughout the afternoon leaving them plenty of time to visit the exhibition. The workshops were on 'Gaining political support and funding for national mapping', 'Training for the future', 'Technology' and 'Legal Issues'.

Completing a very full day, the Hotine Lecture followed the evening meal. The lecture was given by Professor Gordon Conway of the Rockefeller Foundation.

Gordon Conway was previously Vice Chancellor of Sussex University and is the first non-American to lead the Foundation. The lecture was extremely interesting and highly informative, illustrating many ways how GIS can, and does, support development.

Wednesday 23rd July

The morning offered four more workshops for delegates to chose from and a further opportunity to visit the exhibition. The workshops were on 'Transforming NMOs - how to get from here to where?', 'National Spatial Data Infrastructures', 'Understanding the customer and the business' and 'Technology2 - applications'.

During the afternoon the delegates met again in a plenary session for presentations and discussion on the subject of 'The Global Context'.

The final event of the day was a social event: jazz and punting before the evening meal.

Thursday 24th July

The morning plenary session was about 'Engaging with the private sector' during which six presenters, including two private sector companies, talked of their experiences and pointers to the future.

The first afternoon plenary session was devoted to 'Seeing round the corner' and an opportunity for another six presenters to outline the future as they see it. The closing session then considered what inter-conference actions were needed and who would be responsible for them. 1999 was the first time that resolutions were formed at the Cambridge Conference.

The final events of the day were an opportunity to tour the 'Unfolding Landscapes' exhibition at Cambridge University Library Followed by the conference gala dinner.

Thursday diary | Session 7 Rapporteur | Session 8 Rapporteur | Session 9 Rapporteur

Friday 25th July

The final day of the conference offered delegates the chance to visit other organisations. The choices available included visits to either the Royal Geographical Society or HM Land Registry or the Defence Geographic and Imagery Intelligence Agency, all in London, each followed by the opportunity to visit the Fine Rooms and Map Library at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office before a reception and evening meal at the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors in Parliament Square. Alternatively there was an opportunity to tour the national head office of Ordnance Survey in Southampton to see and hear about latest developments, followed by an evening meal at the National Motor Museum in the nearby New Forest.

Friday diary