Latest News from EuroGeographics: New Chairman for EuroGeographics’ network of cadastre and land registry specialists

EuroGeographics has announced that  Julius Ernst from Austria’s Federal Office of Metrology and Surveying is the new Chair of its Cadastre & Land Registry Knowledge Exchange Network (C&LR KEN). Mr Ernst succeeds Professor Bengt Kjelsson who has become Director General of The Swedish Mapping, Cadastral and Land Registry Authority.

The C&LR KEN is one of five knowledge exchange networks within the Association for National Cadastral, Land Registry and Mapping Authorities. Its members are working to provide state-of-the-art services for the diverse range of users in property and land information markets. These include policy makers and those from the environmental, housing, transportation, agriculture and tourism sectors. The group, which also comprises members from the National Survey and Cadastre, Denmark; National Land Survey of Finland; Federal Office of Topography, Switzerland; and Cadastre and Land Registry Agency, The Netherlands, works closely with a wide range of related organisations such as the EU Permanent Committee on Cadastre (PCC), the European Land Registry Association (ELRA) and the European Land Information Service (EULIS).

“More than half of EuroGeographics’ members are responsible for developing and maintaining national cadastres and land registers ,” says Mr Ernst. “These are an integral part of both national and international spatial data infrastructures and a vital component of the European Location Framework, forming the backbone of land administration and the property market by providing the link between financial, legal, environmental, land use, valuation, agricultural and zoning information.”

“Accurate and authoritative information about the  cadastral parcel and the legal rights and restrictions on land and property are vital to the vitality of the European economy. Providing secure access to all relevant information and transactions in electronic form, in one place, online is increasingly important to financial institutions, the legal profession and investors. Our members recognise the crucial role they play in providing reliable land and property information, facilitating a vibrant property market for individuals and investors and upholding the rights of citizens across Europe to have their assets securely registered.”

EuroGeographics’ knowledge exchange networks, which also focus on business interoperability; European policy; quality; and implementation of the INSPIRE Directive, bring together experts from its member organisations to share best practice, exchange experiences and discuss the day-to-day issues facing all national cadastral, land registry and mapping  authorities. GI professionals can contribute to these debates by registering at www.eurogeoforum.eu, an online resource for facilitating the exchange of views and information.

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For further information please contact EuroGeographics’ Secretary General and Executive Director, Dave Lovell, on +32 2 888 71 93, +32 848 663 345 (mobile), email: dave.lovell@eurogeographics.org; Patricia Sokacova, EuroGeographics‘ Membership and Communication Manager on +421 903 056 418/+421 948 388 908, email: patricia.sokacova@eurogeographics.org; or Rhian French on +44 1264 338375, +447892 698 350 (mobile), email: press@eurogeographics.org.

Notes to Editors

EuroGeographics is an international not-for-profit organisation (AISBL/ IVZW under Belgian Law. BCE registration:  833 607 112) and the membership association for the European national mapping, land registry and cadastral agencies. It brings together 56 members from 45 countries, from Portugal to the Ukraine and Iceland to Turkey.

EuroGeographics’ members invest around €1.5 billion in the development of geographical information each year and use cutting-edge technology to create, manage, maintain and make available authoritative national databases.

EuroGeographics members are developing an infrastructure to integrate their national data – including topographic and land information – to deliver the definitive pan-European location framework for a wide range of uses. By sharing best practice and creating standard data specifications and policies, EuroGeographics aims to ensure that members’ individual geographical databases are compatible and can interact with one another. This will provide Europe with the high quality geographical information it needs to develop policies and legislation for the environment, business competitiveness, public services, legal systems, security and more.

To find out more about EuroGeographics, please visit www.eurogeographics.org To see our members’ geographical information in action, please visit our showcase at www.youtube.com/eurogeographics