THE ROLE OF INTERNATIONAL GEOMATICS ORGANISATIONS IN THE PROMOTION OF CONTINUING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT (CPD)

number of diverse issues including changing labour markets, a perception among employers that employee competence in a job must be maintained, rapid development and obsolescence of technologies, globalisation and embracing of international standards, and developing views on the role of education, have directly led to an expansion of the supply of and demand for Continuing Professional Development (CPD) resources in recent decades. There is scope for international organisations in the discipline of geomatics to pro-actively create and provide CPD material. This paper addresses the various methods by which such organisations can and do address such tasks. The nature of CPD is considered: the process is modelled and each component is examined in the context of geomatics. Firstly, the type of person and institution interested in CPD (the consumer) is addressed. Secondly, there is a range of suppliers of CPD resources including commercial companies, educational establishments or international learned societies. Thirdly, the material delivered also forms part of the model: there a wide range of content, available material, and dissemination method. Members of the Joint Board of Geospatial Information Societies (JBGIS) include the leading international learned and scientific organisations devoted to the discipline of geomatics. The approach of one JBGIS member, the International Cartographic Association (ICA), is examined in more detail. The embryonic CPD programme of ICA's Commission on Education and Training is described, and the scope of the current programme is presented.