XXII International Cartographic Conference

Mapping Approaches into a Changing World

A Coruña, Spain, July 9-16, 2005

The International Cartographic Conference 2005 (ICC2005) was organised in A Coruña, Spain 9-16 July 2005 under the honorary presidency of H.R.H. the Prince of Asturias. The International Cartographic Association (ICA), the Spanish Society for Cartography, Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing and the A Coruña Local Organizing Committee prepared an interesting and successful event in the newly established conference center PALEXCO in the harbor of A Coruña.

The conference attracted 1,625 participants from 60 countries. The attendees got an excellent opportunity to get familiar with the state of the art of the wide field of Cartography and the latest scientific approaches. The technical programme was almost overloaded - during the four and half day technical programme there were 150 technical and poster sessions about 26 different themes, several working group sessions and some special technical sessions about ISO Standards, Cartography and SDI, Aerospace Technologies and European Navigation Systems. When totally five pre-conference workshops are added there was professional programme for 10 days. In the technical programme more than 500 oral and 200 poster presentations were made.

Over a period of 6 days the technical exhibition took place parallel to the technical sessions and the General Assembly at the last day of the conference. 35 companies were presenting their products and services out of the GIS, mapping/cartography and remote sensing.

Additionally the famous map exhibition was shown during the whole conference with examples from all over the world. Awards were given to the best cartographic products.

At the opening ceremony welcome addresses were given by Ramón M. Lorenzo Martínez, the Conference Director, Vice-President of the ICA and President of the Spanish Society for Cartography, Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing, Milan Konecny, President of the ICA, the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Development, Francisco Vázquez Vázquez, the Major of A Coruña and finally by the President of the Xunta de Galicia, Manuel Fraga. With the excellent performance of a Galician traditional dance of the group Xacarandaina ended the opening ceremony.

During the conference and the General assembly several awards like Honorary Membership and the Carl Mannerfeld Gold Medal were distributed for outstanding services to ICA.

The social programme and the technical and congress tours made the event unforgettable.

On July 16th an extraordinary ICA General Assembly took place. The ICA represents members from 78 countries. Because of arrears some member associations were suspended from their voting rights. A problem all the international organizations are facing more and more. As new members Benin and Cyprus were accepted. Further on 2 new affiliate members from Poland. Some changes of the statutes were presented, discussed and voted.

The next International Cartographic Conference will take place in Moscow in the year 2007 together with the next ordinary General Assembly of ICA. Santiago de Chile will host the Conference in July 2009.

Ralf Schroth
Vice President

Traditional dance during opening ceremony

Gala dinner in an old palace