The Value of Geodesy to Society

Every day, humanity benefits from geodesy. Geodesy is the science of measuring the size, shape and orientation of our planet and it is a foundation for evidence-based policies, decisions and program delivery. Geodesy is used every day, in the fields of civil engineering, industrial automation, agriculture, construction, mining, financial transactions, intelligent transport systems, disaster response and emergency management, environmental studies and scientific research. Furthermore, geodesy enables accurate collection, management and alignment of nationally integrated geospatial information – a key requirement for societal, environmental and economic activities.

An amazing panel of speakers presented the benefits of geodesy to society in a virtual open forum on Earth Day, the 22 April 2021. The Global Geodesy Forum “Power of where: The value of Geodesy to Society” was organized by the UN-GGIM Subcommittee on Geodesy and focused on the significance of geodesy for the wellbeing and betterment of society, environment and economy.

UN-GGIM

Global Geodesy Ambassador

The United Nations Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for the Ocean, the Honorable Ambassador Peter Thomson, who is also the Global Geodesy Ambassador, provided the opening address. Ambassador Peter Thomson from Fiji introduced the resolution ‘A Global Geodetic Reference Frame for Sustainable Development’ (A/RES/69/266) to the United Nations General Assembly in 2015. 

Crucial role of geodesy

The forum also highlighted the benefits enabled by an accurate and reliable Global Geodetic Reference Frame (GGRF), and the crucial role of geodesy in providing safer and more resilient communities. Target groups are policy- and decision makers, chief executives, director-generals and senior executives from Member States and relevant stakeholders in the global geospatial community. If decision makers and donors do not understand the value of an investment in the GGRF, they are unlikely to prioritize GGRF investments above other initiatives You can find more information and connection details: https://ggim.un.org/meetings/2021/Global_Geodesy_Forum/ [copyright by UN-GGIM & Anne Jørgensen, IAG Newsletter – March 2021]