

Surveying Curriculum from the Point of
View of Multidisciplinarity

Václav Slaboch
CLGE, Vice President for Professional Education

vaclavs.vaclavs seznam.cz

Keywords: Multidisciplinarity, Modern curriculum for Surveying Education, role of CLGE,
multilateral Agreement of Mutual recognition of qualification. Necessity of a CPD system for
Surveying Profession.

Summary

The multidisciplinarity and globalization makes fade the differences among professions and
surveying is no exception. CLGE – CLGE has a name in two of the many European languages
English and French, namely “The Council of European Geodetic Surveyors” and “Comité de
Liaison des Géomètres Européens”. A “Multilateral Agreement” on mutual recognition of
qualification in surveying was signed in 2005 in Brussels by representatives of Germany,
France, Belgium, Switzerland and Luxembourg. In 2006 also Slovakia joint this Agreement.
The signature by the Czech Republic is recently under discussion.

Multidisciplinarity and globalization and their influence on surveying

The multidisciplinarity in our profession is nothing new. A good example might be the
Famous Italian Surveyor an architect Domenico Martinelli (1650-1718) to whom an European
Research Project financed from ERDF (European Regional Development Fund) has been
dedicated. Martinelli was not a mere surveyor, but also a diplomat, judge, valuer, professor
and architect. By the way his multidisciplinarity is typical even for present Italian surveyors.
Martinelli´s relations to Czechia are represented namely through his diplomatic services for
count Kounic, during his diplomatic mission in as emperor’s ambassador in the Dutch Hague
in 1698. One of the most famous architectonical project of Martineli is the château Slavkov by
Brno (Austerlitz). Partners of this Project are, Universität Wien, Faculty of Philosophy of the
Masaryk University in Brno, Senate of the Czech Republic, Liechtenstein Museum Vienna,
U.S. Embassy in Prague and the Town of Rouśınov. It might be worth while considering to
launch a similar interregional project dedicated to real estate cadastre covering the countries
of the former Austro-Hungarian Cadastre (Czechia, Slovakia, Hungary, Austria, Croatia,
Slovenia, Italy). In fact this co-operation already exists, but it might be enlarged by France,
Belgium and maybe even Denmark. Why this enlargement e.g. by France? Because the

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Czech Society of Surveyors and Cartographers is one of the founding members of the FGF
(Federation de Géometrs Francophone) and also because the so called Napoleonian Cadastre
is based on the same principles as the former Austro-Hungarian Cadastre. The new definition
of the functions of the surveyor as adopted by the FIG General Assembly in Athens in May
2004 is a typical example of a multidisciplinary approach to our profession.

Main Points of the New Definition of Surveying Profession as Adopted by FIG
and CLGE:

A surveyor is a professional person with the academic qualifications and technical expertise
to conduct one, or more, of the following activities:

� to determine, measure and represent land, three-dimensional objects, point-fields and
trajectories;

� to assemble and interpret land and geographically related information;

� to use that information for the planning and efficient administration of the land, the
sea and any structures thereon; and,

� to conduct research into the above practices and to develop them.

CLGE and their mission

CLGE has a name in two of the many European languages English and French, namely “The
Council of European Geodetic Surveyors” and “Comité de Liaison des Géomètres Européens”.
This has arisen because the business of the council is conducted in English, and the language
of the European Courts of Justice is French. The accepted abbreviation in all languages is
“CLGE”. CLGE was established at the Féderation Internationale des Géomètres (F.I.G.).
Congress in Wiesbaden in 1972 by the then 9 member States of the EEC to consider the
implementation of the Treaty of Rome in relation to the profession of geodetic surveying.
CLGE represents in Europe the geodetic surveyors in 23 States, which includes 22 member
states and Norway, Switzerland too.

The purpose and objectives of the CLGE

The purpose of CLGE is to represent and to promote the interest of the geodetic survey-
ing profession in the private and public sector in Europe, especially to the Institutions of
the European Union. The aim is to enhance the development of the profession both ad-
ministratively, educationally and scientifically, to facilitate training, continuous professional
development and mutual recognition and to promote the activities of geodetic surveyors as a
highly qualified profession.

Liaison with the European Commissions

CLGE has nominated a liaison Officer to open and maintain contact with the European
Commission. Links have already been established with DG 12, 15 and 22.

The Executive Board consisting of

� President

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� The President is chairman of the General Assembly and the Executive Board

� Vice President for professional Education

� Vice President for professional Practice

� Vice President for European Relations

As permanent members:

� Secretary-General

� Treasurer

Multilateral Agreement on mutual recognition of professional qualifications of
public appointed surveyors

On 24th October 2004 representatives of Surveying Profession from Switzerland, Germany,
France, Belgium, Austria, Luxembourg and Denmark signed the following Multilateral Agree-
ment. In 2006 this Agreement was also signed by Slovakia.

Preamble

The basis of all commercial and financial activity is confidence in the security of the legal
system relating to land and property. National constitutions protect ownership of land
and property and subject commercial and financial activity to strict procedures of a formal
nature. In central European countries, comprehensive and legally binding documentation
relating to ownership of land and property is assured traditionally by the technical-legal
system of “the land register – real estate cadaster”. The keeping of ownership and mortgage
registers as well as real estate cadasters is a matter for the State. Codified procedures for
registration and changes to entries therein must be compatible in all three areas in order
to assure the necessary security. The presumed correctness of registers is reflected in the
Real Estate Cadastre in the presumption of correctness of the cadastre entries in terms of
location of the property boundaries and the designation of properties. Furthermore, real
estate cadastre contains much more information which is essential for the functioning of the
State, for the commercial and scientific utilisation of the surface of the earth, for avoidance
of hazards and for nature protection and for safety in planning and civil engineering.

As changes in the registries of State and commercial interests arise in terms of place and
time in a random fashion by their very nature, central European States have made use of
the instrument of delegation of State functions for the past three hundred years. Specially
trained reliable persons such as notary-publics or publicly commissioned geometers have been
selected for this function. The multiplicity of public and private laws and legal effects relating
to land and property calls for impartiality, reliability and comprehensive technical and legal
knowledge on the part of members of the profession.

Protection of ownership as a basis of an economy starts out very simply with confidence in
the publicly commissioned geometer as an individual who, without regard to person, sets out
the boundaries of the property and the rights accruing from the property and thus lays the
foundation for the implementation of constitutional dictates for protection of ownership of
land and property. The complexity of land rights in modern economies calls for thorough

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command of technical and legal knowledge relating to land and property on the part of the
geometer commissioned with these duties in order to be able to carry out this function. In
central Europe, public registers covering ownership are quite diverse. The complexity of
regulations is increasing in modern economies because land as a resource is coming to play
an ever more important role and is being circumscribed in diverse legal manners. The legal
framework within which the commissioned geometer operates differs from one country to the
next and continues to develop.

A profession for public functions

Geometers commissioned to perform public functions are known in a number of countries:

in France as Géomètre-Expert,
in Germany as Öffentlich bestellter Vermessungsingenieur,
in Belgium as Géomètre-Expert / Landmeter-Expert,
in Denmark as Praktiserende Landinspektører,
in Austria as Ingenieurkonsulent für Vermessungswesen,
in Switzerland as patentierter Ingenieurgeometer,/ ingénieur géomètre breveté,
in Luxembourg as Géomètre-Officiell.

With this delegation of functions, States pursue the aim of opening up public functions to
competition and reducing costs as well as improving the effectiveness of public registers in
the economy. In this context, the appointment of a highly qualified member of the liberal
professions is an advantage for citizens in their function as consumers as they can select their
service provider from the pool of competing, commissioned individuals all of whom are on
an equal footing. It has been proven historically that the organizational form of the liberal
professions, under State supervision in terms of personnel and specialist knowledge, or in self-
administration in conjunction with efficiency-based competition is the form which discharges
public functions for State and for commercial interests most efficiently in the long term. In
the above-mentioned countries, there are roughly 4,500 offices with one or several members
of the profession.

Professional rules govern public appointment

In the respective countries, the professions are based on legislation governing the particular
profession which regulates duties assumed, entry requirements to and ethics of the
profession. In addition, there are procedural laws which set out the professional scope of
work. These relate to areas of real estate, planning and civil engineering. The core of the
profession is to be found in being commissioned to perform surveying work in the respective
property securing system. Moreover, the profession rests on the following pillars:

� cadastral survey and safeguarding property boundaries, privately commissioned

� documentation of property surveying (i.e. keeping registers, measures, computations
and maps, publicly commissioned)

� national geodetic survey

� geomatics / geoinformation / topography / hydrography

� certification of facts relating to land and property

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� work as technical expert reflecting the whole range of the professional formation

� application of laws relating to land and property

� real estate valuation

These are public functions, referred to as “sovereign” in some countries; as a rule, a member
of the profession is permitted to take on assignments in the context of private law, if such do
not give rise to a conflict of interest with the legal independence of the said member. Com-
missioning a member of the profession to carry out public work (delegation) is by government
bodies or professional boards. In France, Belgium and Luxembourg, the géomètre-expert is
the link from the property tax cadastre to ownership. In the German Federal states, members
of the profession also issue administrative acts in their own right, in Austria, they issue offi-
cial documents, in Switzerland, they carry out surveying and administer the comprehensive
official Swiss surveying activities. In all countries the consultation of the consumer concern-
ing the limitations of the real estate property due to the legal contents and geometry of the
boundaries is the first duty of the profession. In no country are the numbers of members of
the profession restricted by Government or self-administration; on the contrary, once mem-
bers of the profession have provided proof of the necessary qualification, they have a right to
admission. In that way, newcomers can always enter the profession. In all signatory states,
there is a general trend towards an increase in delegating State functions to commissioned
free-lance geometers.

Entry to the profession and its European dimensions

Regulations relating to entry to the profession vary from one country to another, however
they are very similar and are in terms of their nature essentially of the same kind.

Demonstration of attainment of the necessary qualification involves, apart from an academic
course of study for surveyors (Bac + 5U) the following general fields of study

� Administrative law,

� Land law,

� Building and planning law.

University education provides a widely available and comparatively equivalent, defined knowl-
edge base. Thus, it has not been problematic to-date to perform straight-forward surveying
techniques in a cross-border context (for a non-commissioned geometer or surveying techni-
cian). This happens very often. The education set out below thus relates to practice and
legal issues arising in the particular national legal system. There is, however, no possibility
of exercising the public functions of a commissioned geometer on a cross-border basis. The
regulatory situation on the one hand and the de facto impossibility of mastering two legal
systems in sufficient professional depth have precluded this to-date, not to speak of other
formal obstacles. Otherwise the right of public certification of facts is used in cross border
service already now.

Nonetheless, the situation in the sector is in a constant state of flux, the legal systems are
being investigated mutually and knowledge is disseminated transnationally over borders, not
least by international associations such as GEOMETER EUROPAS. In addition, the EU is

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moving slowly in the direction of a harmonization of laws which also presupposes mutual
understanding as a prerequisite.

As this is of major importance economically, this initiative of the signatory states also has
the objective of making knowledge of practice of the profession more transparent in a legal
and technical context and of drawing up common European positions in this sector. The
larger this block of common European knowledge is, the sooner universities and training
institutions can take account of it. This makes it easier for those entering the profession to
avail of the possibility of working in the European country of choice, with all well-known
associated economic advantages. This likewise serves to achieve a stepwise harmonization of
systems and their use to the benefit of the European population.

Illustration of the hitherto existing prerequisites for admission

Differences between countries having publicly commissioned geometers are, when seen in
isolation, multifold and, in addition, vary between French and German speaking areas but, in
summary, they produce geometers who can function well within the respective legal system.

For the individual countries, the following regulations apply:

Country Master Professional
practice (after
BAC+5)

Exam Other Right
to being
admit-
ted

France: BAC1 + 5U2 2 P Appraisal of
work certifi-
cates: D.P.L.G.
(in case of basic
education at a
State school)

yes

Germany: BAC + 5U 1 P after State
examination

State examina-
tion

2 R yes

Belgium: BAC + 4U
(in future:
BAC+5U)

0 P (2P) without
”
Con-

vention“

Denmark: BAC + 5U 3 P Selection based
on work certifi-
cates

yes

Austria: BAC + 5U 3 P External exami-
nation

yes

Switzerland: BAC + 5U min. 18 months External exami-
nation

yes

Luxembourg: BAC + 5U 2 P (min 6
months in
cadaster admin-
istration)

Examination

Legend:

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BAC + 5U: Baccalaureat + 5-year study at a university / technical university

P: On-the-job training in law and work practice in the respective country after university
study

R: compulsory monitored experience prior to the Great state examination (two years)

In various countries, legal professional regulations also allow holders of a degree from a techni-
cal university to enter, if they can provide evidence of relevant technical and legal knowledge
(and a longer practical training). This is regulated by national law.

Current admission and examination institutions

The current examination and admission institutions are state institutions or legally established
boards

Country Examination authority Admission authority
France: Ministry of Education (for DPLG) Ordre des Géomètres Experts
Germany: principally the Oberprüfungsamt

(Higher Examination Office)
Frankfurt

Ministries of the Federal laender

Belgium: Communautés (VL+ W) Asser-
mente Tribunal de 1ere Instance

Conseils Federaux des Geometres-
Experts

Denmark: Supreme Land Surveying Author-
ity

Supreme Land Surveying Author-
ity

Austria: Federal Ministry of Economics and
Labour

Federal Ministry of Economics and
Labour

Switzerland: Swiss examination commission
EPIG

Executive Federal Council

Luxembourg: Examination commission ap-
pointed by the Minister

Ministry of Finance

Mutual recognition of qualifications for admission to the profession

The signatory states mutually recognize the qualifications for admission to the profession of
a European Geometer and agree on a procedural modus for ensuring unimpeded migration
of members of the profession – irrespective of the directive 89/48 – on the following basis:

Training as a graduate engineer (Bac + 5) in surveying or Master (if compatible) is recog-
nized automatically as an educational foundation. In additional, each candidate must acquire
necessary country-specific extra qualifications in the area of

� administrative law,

� land law,

� building and planning law.

Qualifications for admission to the profession shall then be based on a common, general
platform

Diploma-engineer / European Master (BAC + 5U) + 2R/P + E

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Treatment of migrants after obtaining qualification in a signatory state

The signatory associations support such migrants to provide them with the opportunity of
evidencing the required knowledge in

� administrative law,

� land law,

� building and planning law.

of the respective country and of fulfilling the European platform requirements in terms of
legal admission regulations. The admitting member states might value the elements of the
formation and experience of the migrant and give him the choice between training seminar
and an examination to prove his acceptability.

References webliography and bibliography

1. Internet homesite of the CLGE – www.clge.eu

2. Internet homesite of the FIG – the International Federation of Surveyors – www.fig.net

3. FIG Definition of Functions of the Surveyor1 as adopted by the FIG General Assembly
on 24 May 2004

4. EU Interreg Project Domenico Martinelli2 (1650-1718) Italian surveyor and architect

5. ZEMĚMĚŘIČ a Czech Monthly for surveying, Cadastre and Cartography3. The new
definition of Surveying profession – illustrated

6. Internet home site of the VUGTK – www.vugtk.cz – the Research Institute of Geodesy,
Topography and Cartography at Zdiby, with the Land Surveying Library where the
originals and the Czech translations of majority of the cited documents are now avail-
able.

7. Otmar SCHUSTER: Multilateral Agreement. Proceedings from the International CLGE
Conference at the RM in Brussels, 1-2 December 2005. VÚGTK, Volume 52, Publication
No. 39, ISBN 80-85881-14-4

8. Stig ENEMARK, tom KENNIE: CPD – Continuig Professional Development and its
future promotion within FIG- in Surveying. FIG Publication No. 15.

9. Vaclav SLABOCH, Frantisek KRPATA, Josef WEIGEL: Surveying education in the
Czech Republic

10. Otmar SCHUSTER: Surveying Market in Europe. CLGE publication, 2004

11. Vaclav SLABOCH, Jean-Yves PIRLOT(edts): European Professional Qualifications In
Geodetic Surveying, Proceedings of the CLGE International Conference 2005, Brus-

1
http://www.fig.net/general/definition.htm

2
http://www.domenico-martinelli.com/index en.html

3
http://www.geos.cz/resort/definice.htm

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http://www.clge.eu
http://www.fig.net
http://www.fig.net/general/definition.htm
http://www.domenico-martinelli.com/index_en.html
http://www.geos.cz/resort/definice.htm
http://www.vugtk.cz


Surveying Curriculum from the Point of View of Multidisciplinarity

sels/Belgium, 1-2 December 2005, VÚGTK, Volume 52, Publication No. 39, ISBN
80-85881-14-4

12. Vaclav SLABOCH: Impacts and Challenges of the EU Membership on Surveying Profes-
sion in the Czech Republic. In: 1st International Trade Fair of Geodesy, Cartography,
Navigation and Geoinformatics, GEOS 2006, Conference Proceedings, Milan Talich
(Ed), VÚGTK, Volume 52, Publication No. 40, ISBN 80-85881-25-X.

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