Historical background

CERCO (Comité Européen des Responsables de la Cartographie Officielle) was founded more than 20 years ago to represent the Heads of Europe’s National Mapping Agencies (NMAs). By 2000 membership had increased to 37 countries and the organisation provided a useful forum at which experiences were shared and common problems resolved.

In 1993 CERCO established its 'daughter' organisation MEGRIN (Multi-purpose European Ground Related Information Network) to manage pan-European projects. These have included the creation of harmonised geographic databases and the development of web based metadata services. More than half the CERCO membership became founder members of MEGRIN.

In an effort to avoid confusion in the minds of those we seek to assist, and to achieve economies, EuroGeographics was formed by a merger of CERCO and MEGRIN in September 2000 during a General Assembly of Members in Malmö. At the same meeting a Management Board consisting of 7 elected Members was set-up. President for the first year was Dick Kirwan, Director of Ireland’s Ordnance Survey. Vice-Presidents were Jean Poulit (Director General of IGN France) and Joakim Ollén (Head of Sweden’s Lantmäteriet). EuroGeographics is an Association loi 1901 created under French law. The Association is under the day-to-day management of an Executive Director and a small team of staff based in the survey school of IGN (France) to the east of Paris.

The current mission of EuroGeographics encompasses all the aims and objectives of CERCO and MEGRIN and to fulfil them more effectively than in the past. To achieve our aims of facilitating better and more accessible Geographic Information for Europe we need to collaborate with other producers, and with all those who need such information. We encourage you to make contact with us if you feel that we can help in any way.