Österreichische Gesellschaft für Vermessung und Geoinformation. ÖVG:
Austrian Society for Surveying and Geoinformation.

Membership is usually restricted to academic surveyors with a surveying engineer degree from one of Austrian Technical Universities at Graz or Wien and students. At present (1995) the membership stands at 670 of whom 280 are private consulting engineers, 170 civil servants, 110 persons working in universities and 110 students. The ÖVG is organised in three sections: (i) civil servants of the BEV, (ii) private consulting engineers, and (iii) students.

13.1.1  Other related organisations

Bundesamt für Eich-und Vermessungswesen BEV

This national surveying organisation, the Federal Office of Surveying and Metrology, has a wide brief, including the traditional topographical mapping services, but also the establishment and maintenance of the real estate cadastral system. It has also a metrology role, untypical of most European countries, and is responsible for the national standards of length and associated calibration services. The surveying department operates 68 offices throughout the country, and is staffed by 150 TU graduates and other supporting employees.

Bundes-Architekten und Ingenieurkonsulentenkammer BAIK (Ingenieurkammer)

This is the professional body, established by civil law, which regulates the activities of all types of freelance university educated engineers. The four Chambers of Architects and Consulting Engineers, located in Vienna, Graz, Linz and Innsbruck are members of the Federal Chamber of Architects and Consulting Engineers. Each surveyor in private practice, called Ingenieurkonsulent für Vermessungswesen , must belong to one of these four chambers.

Wirtshaftskammer Österreich WKÖ

Owners of private engineering firms are usually members of this employer group or trade association (TA) which has market oriented purposes.

13.1.2  Relevant factors

Austria is Federal Republic with nine autonomous states or Länder. Most of them and large cities also have their own surveying departments. Austria has international frontiers with eight different countries with corresponding demands for boundary demarcation and maintenance of markers.

The national basic topographical map coverage is 1: 50 000 of which the 1: 25 000 is an enlargement. There are also topographical maps at 1:100 000 and 1: 500 000 scales. Cadastral maps without much height information are usually printed at 1: 1000 scale, some at 1: 2 000 and 1: 5 000. There is also an orthophoto-map covering almost the whole country at 1: 10 000 with some at 1: 5 000. A digital terrain model at 1: 10 000 scale accuracy covers the whole country.

The Cadastral system and Real Estate Databases.

The Austrian cadastre came about as the result of a unified boundary survey based on a geodetic control network carried out in the first half of the nineteenth century. In the second half of that century, the land register came into being as a legal guarantee for real estate where all parcels of land and land-related rights were recorded. This cadastre, later on was converted into a modern legal cadastre, and the land registers made public. They are kept up to date and in constant accordance, and their contents can be relied upon completely.

According to law, cadastral borders have to be kept with the help of automation-supported data processing (real estate database) thus forming the parcel-related part of the nationwide information system covering the whole of Austria. Cadastral borders give binding proof of real estate and indicate use, area and other information. The BEV has now stored over 300 000 control points and more than 21 million border points for cadastral and related purposes, including the production of maps digitally.

Throughout the country, in official offices and private cadastral surveyor's offices, the BEV and surveyors in private practice have established over 3800 computer terminals (1995) which can access any of these "open" data on request and payment of a modest handling charge. It is possible to obtain information on real estates for planning and other purposes. Information available includes extracts from the real estate index concerning land use, such as areas, agricultural use, gardens, vineyards, alpine regions, forests, waters, and the digital cadastral map.

In many parts of the country, the geometrical and other attributes of underground infrastructure services (pipelines etc.) are currently being recorded by surveyors on immediate demand. These data are directly linked to the cadastral coordinated system, so that over time, a complete inventory of the infrastructure data will be acquired. This activity provides much work for private surveyors authorised to operate the real estate data banks.

13.2 Education structure
(See appendices A13 and B13)

There are in Austria only two different education levels in geodetic surveying:

1. Technical University education;
2. Technician training

13.2.1 Technical University

Both Technical Universities in Graz and Vienna offer a curriculum in surveying engineering at an academic level (graduation in 5 years). In 1993 forty eight new students commenced studies (24 in each university), bringing the total for both to 565.

Mine surveying can be studied at Montanuniversität Leoben in the province of Styria. But some surveying is taught at several courses e.g. at Universität für Bodenkultur in Vienna and some other universities e.g. for students of architecture.

In the 1990's a major overhaul of the university curricula at Graz and Wien took place as a response to modern technological developments and the emergence of LIS and GIS as major areas of interest for the surveyor. The elements of specialisation became more clearly defined, with scientific studies such as mathematical geodesy on the one hand and geoinformatics on the other having prominence. Both specialisations are still founded on a broad base of traditional professional subjects such as law, cadastre, engineering surveying and instrumentation etc. For a nutshell profile of these studies see diagram B13.

The study period is divided into ten semesters equivalent to five years. However, the average study period is 16.4 semesters or about eight years. Such a long study period is due to financial and other difficulties and the manner of assessment employed in the final years of the courses. A student is not permitted to present himself for oral examination until he has reached a minimum standard indicated by course work and written tests. These orals are arranged from time to time to suit the professors and candidates. The fact that no tuition fees have to be paid is another contributory factor. Only 9 per cent of students obtain some form of scholarship.

In Austria the compulsory military service is eight months which can be fulfilled in two ways:

six months plus 60 days training within a ten year period, or eight months full time.

The curriculum is divided into two parts (4 and 6 semesters): each part ending with an examination (Diplomprüfung).

1. The curriculum for the first part includes the following: Natural and engineering sciences (Mathematics, geometry, physics, mechanics, principles of electrical and civil engineering, data processing and surveying), and first lectures in law and economics.

2. The curriculum for the second part includes the following: compulsory 55 percent of the fundamentals of surveying and geodesy ( physical and mathematical geodesy, photogrammetry, remote sensing, cartography, GIS/LIS, satellite geodesy, geophysics, project surveying), law and economics. There is a choice of additional advanced options.

Students complete their studies by writing a diploma thesis for the award of the title Dipl.-Ing. (Diplomingenieur) which is equivalent to a MSc degree.

Both universities also offer doctorate programmes.

Control of the quality of studies is through practical and theoretical examinations. These are under control of professors and professionals. At the end of secondary school for Matura and the end of university education for Second diploma, student assessment is made before a board of teachers.

13.2.2 Cadastral license

(Ingenieurkonsulent für Vermessungswesen)

Following upon graduation as a Dipl.-Ing. from the TU, a minimum period of three years (formerly five) practice has to be served, one of these years in cadastral work and a state examination in Law, Economics, Management and Technical topic has to be passed before gaining a license to practice cadastral work. The examining board usually consists of two civil servants, one of whom is chairman, and two freelance consulting engineers.

13.2.3 Technician training

Although there are no Fachhochschulen in Austria for specialist surveying studies, courses in civil engineering contain elements of surveying which enable graduates to be employed as technicians in private and public offices. Special courses and examinations are organised by the Bundes-Architekten und Ingenieurkonsulentenkammer BAIK for the private sector, and by the BEV (Bundesamt für Eich-und Vermessungswesen) for the public sector.

13.3 Professional Practice
(Ref. C13)

Surveyors may practise as any one of four groups

1. A civil servant in the federal or state or municipal service.
2. A licensed surveyor in private practice.
3. Head of a commercial engineering office.
4. An employee.

On receiving the licence the Ingenieurkonsulent für Vermessungswesen is fully operational in the fields of surveying and mapping, especially in the field of cadastral surveying and data acquisition for land registration throughout the whole country. His professional body is the board of engineers (Ingenieurkammer): a legally established institution which regulates the profession.

In the cadastral context, the main tasks of the federal survey offices is the maintenance and extension of control points and the drawing and keeping up to date of the cadastre and its data bases. Licensed private surveyors carry out nearly all the cadastral surveying at the request of the public (landowners) and provide the data for the continued updating of the cadastre.

Surveyors forming the academic staff of the Federal Office of Surveying and Metrology -BEV (Bundesamt für Eich-und Vermessungswesen) or of the surveying departments of the states (Bundesländer) or of a few large municipalities are subject to the same education and state examination.

Heads of engineering offices are supposed to have the same education followed by three years approved practice and a state examination (Bewilligungspflichtiges gebundenes Gewerbe und Konzessions prüfung). There are some exceptions. They are members of a self regulating trade association (Wirtschaftskammer). These offices are concerned mainly with communications and infrastructure development projects and are not allowed to work in the cadastre.

Employees may be graduates of the TU (Dipl.-Ing.), or of technical high schools (Ingenieur), or of technician courses offered from time to time by the boards of engineers and the BEV.

13.4 Publications

Östereichische Zeitschrift für Vermessung und Geoinformation (VGI ). Published quarterly and jointly by the Östereichische Gesellschaft für Vermessung und Geoinformation and Östereichische Kommission für die Internationale Erdmessung.

Konstruktiv published by Bundeskammer der Architekten und Ingenieurkonsulenten

Eich-und Vermessungsmagazin (EVM) published quarterly by the BEV.

13.5 Acknowledgements

In the preparation of this report, the author has been greatly and cordially assisted by the following persons listed in the order of meeting during his visit to Austria in January 1995. Friedrich Hrbek president of the BEV, August Hochwartner president of the ÖVG, Gert Steinkellner education officer of the BEV, Bernhard Futter student officer at the TU Graz, Professors Brandstätter and Brunner of the TU Graz, and last but not least, Ernst Höflinger of Innsbruck. Professor Waldhäusl of the TU Wien also assisted with written input.

13.6 References

"Database of Real Estates". Booklet (28 pages) published in English in 1991 by the BEV (Budesamt für Eich-und Vermessungswesen).

"Current Status of Cadastral Reform in Austria." Ernst Höflinger. Proceedings of the International Conference on Cadastral Reform '92. Melbourne, Australia 1992. Pages 7 to 23.

13.7 Useful addresses

FIG contact for Austria
Dipl.-Ing Ernst Höflinger
PO Box 441  Maria-Theresien Strasse 21-23
A-6021 Innsbruck

ÖVG
Österreichische Gesellschaft für Vermessung und Geoinformation
President Dipl.-Ing August Hochwartner
Schiffamtsgasse 1-3.
A- 1025 Wien

BEV
Bundesamt für Eich-und Vermessungswesen
President Dipl.-Ing August Hochwartner
Schiffamtsgasse 1-3.
A- 1025 Wien

BAIK
Bundes-Architekten und Ingenieurkonsulentenkammer
Karlsgasse 19/2
A-1040 Wien

Technische Universität Graz
Fakultät für Bauingenieurwesen
Studienrichtung Vermessungswesen
Rechbauerstrasse 12
A-8010 Graz

Technische Universität Wien
Technisch-Naturwissenschaftliche Fakultät
Studienrichtung Vermessungswesen
Karlsplatz
A-1040 Wien