| THE EDUCATION AND PRACTICE OF THE GEODETIC SURVEYOR IN WESTERN EUROPE | |
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APPENDIX D14 - Finland (Population 5 million) ( Refs. A14, B14.1, B14.2 , C14) |
MIL, Maanmittausinsinöörien liitto (The Association of Finnish Surveyors). Membership is restricted to geodetic surveyors holding the MSc degree from the Helsinki University of Technology (HUT). Total membership is about 1000, 700 of whom are active.
About 75% of MSc graduates are members of the MIL. At least 5 are military personnel and another 5 are employed by the hydrographic survey service. The MIL celebrated its centenary in 1990, thus making it 27 years older than independent Finland. It has close co-operation with Nordic and Baltic countries as well as FIG. It publishes a quarterly technical journal Maankäyttö (Land Use) in co-operation with the survey technicians and cartographers.
14.1.2 Other related organisations
The Association of Valuers has about 200 members, 30 to 40 of whom are university geodetic surveyors. Some members of this association are also members of FIABCI.
There is an association of technicians called MAKLI (Maanmittausalan Ammattikorkeakoulu- ja Opistoteknisten Liitto MAKLI ry) with 1300 members and an association for cartographers called SKY (Suomen Kartoittajayhdistys) with 440 members.
There are several learned societies including the following:
Established Membership
The Finnish Society of Surveying Sciences 1926 810
The Finnish Association of Valuers 1978 270
The Finnish Society of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing 1931 230
The Cartographic Society of Finland 1957 150
The Finnish Association of Physical and Regional 1985 180
Planning Engineers
PROGIS 1993 140
The Association of Chartered Valuers 1995 28 (pers.)
The Club of Geodetic Surveyors 1937 200
The Club of Remote Sensing 1993 150 (pers.)
The Club of City Surveyors 1966 90
14.1.3 Relevant factors
Since 1633 some kind of examination has been required for the office of surveyor in Finland. Teaching began in 1908 at the Helsinki University of Technology (HUT). In the National Land Survey a project of joint use of geographic data has been active for several years.
Hydrographic and Nautical charting of the long coastlines, the dense archipelago and territorial waters is performed by the National Board of Navigation. By 1993 about 15% of charts and 90% of new work were in fully digital form. The hydrography service employs at least five University Surveyors.
The production of maps at scales of l: 5 000, 1: 20 000, and 1: 50 000 is now fully digital. About 40% (III/95) of the area has been finished: completion is planned for the year 2003.
Most municipal maps are produced digitally and their use and GIS as a base for such activities as town planning is growing.
Remote sensing methods are used for forest and land use inventories, planning, geology and hydrology.
Modern technological methods are being used in engineering applications, road
design, building renovations, infrastructure management and shipbuilding.
Automatic video methods are used in the car manufacturing industry to control
robots.
14.2 Education
(See appendices A14 and
B14.1 and B14.2)
14.2.1 General
(See ref. A14)
The Finnish formal education system comprises nine years of compulsory education at a comprehensive school, after which about 60% of each age group opts for the three year upper secondary school. Almost all others go to a vocational education which lasts from two to six years. About one third of matriculated students (25% of the age group) are admitted to universities. Figure A14 shows the new higher college education in surveying which began in 1992 and replaced the older three year technician training. The annual intake at technical institutes in the surveying sector is about 80 and at the Helsinki University of Technology about 55.
14.2.2 Higher Education
Formerly surveying education was divided into three levels. In 1992 a new education programme of four years at Higher Technical School was begun, and the earlier three year course at Technical School was closed down. Higher Technical School where surveying is taught are situated in Vantaa, Mikkeli and Rovaniemi and in Vaasa (Swedish education). In this report the education at EVITech in Vantaa is presented as an example. In 1992 academic education at the Helsinki University of Technology (HUT) was reorganised.
14.2.3 Helsinki University of Technology MSc course
The basic degree taken at HUT is a master's degree. This comprises 180 credit units including a thesis of 20 units. A credit unit corresponds to 40 hours of effective work (lectures, exercises and home study). It is possible for a student to graduate in 4.5 years. However, since no defined amount of studies is bound to any particular class, the average time required for graduation is 6.5 years.
In 1993 there were 420 students studying surveying of whom one third were women. The Department is organised into four institutes, which have been offering some element of specialisation in degree studies since 1972, before which all students took the same course. These institutes are
Two new MSc degree programmes were introduced in 1993 as follows:
Students for these courses are selected using different entrance examinations. The study programmes still have a 30% element in common. The annual number of MSc graduates is about 50-60.
Some rearrangement of former courses was made: LIS and GIS have become important topics in the curriculum. The two branches of study are depicted on diagrams C14. Each of these has within it an additional element of selectivity for two specialised options. Each student follows a programme as under.
Programme Credits
Common general studies; all students 15
Common subject studies; all students 40
Common option studies; two groups 41
Option studies; several groups c 24
Specialisation preparation I and II 2 x 1O= c 20
Specialisations I and II 2 x 10= c 20
Thesis 20
Total 180
The special subjects of the Mapping option are the more usual ones of Geodesy, Cartography and Geoinformatics, Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing, and Surveying and Mapping Technology.
Postgraduate studies may be undertaken by holder of the MSc degree: the Licentiate degree (PhD) comprises 80 credits and the Doctor's degree 160.
14.2.4 Tampere University of Technology MSc courses
At Tampere University of Technology, surveying is part of the Department of Building Engineering, which consists of three institutes: building economics, water and environmental technics, and construction technics. The Institute of Construction Technics has five laboratories
The curriculum structure is similar to that at HUT. The number of graduates specialising in geodesy and photogrammetry is only about one annually. The organisational division into institutes dates only from January 1995.
14.2.5 Espoo Vantaa Institute of Technology BSc course
The BSc course in geodetic surveying at the EVITech, now in its third year, has the following structure. It comprises 160 credit units including a project of 10 units. A credit unit corresponds to 40 hours of effective work (lectures, exercises and home study). It should be normal for a student to graduate in 3.5 years. Basic studies are the normal ones for engineering students: mathematics, physics, languages and information technology. Exceptionally surveying, students study law in their first year. Professional subjects fall into three groups; Surveying and Mapping: Cadastral Surveying: Land Use Planning. The curriculum structure is as follows.
Year Credit units Credit units
one Basic studies 44-54
Core professional 36
studies
two Industrial placement 10-20
Free choice options 10
three Professional studies 4 x 10 = 40
Elective modules 10
1 to IV
one from six
Individual project 10
Total credits units 160
124
56
14.3 Professional Practice
(See appendix C14)
Traditionally surveyors have been public servants making maps and carrying out real estate surveys. The MSc degree is a qualification for the post of surveyor in central and local government. The private sector has increased rapidly since the 1980's. The following table has been extracted from Viitanen 1993's figures for the number of Geodetic surveyors with some qualifications.
1990 2000
forecast
Private sector 130 320
Local government 370 300
Other government 100 100
National land survey 410 390
Total 1050 1100
About 80% of Finnish surveyors work in the public service and until recently have been funded entirely from taxes. The new trend is towards 50% state funding only.
The National Land Survey employs about 2100 persons with a technical staff profile as follows;
University Surveyors (4.5 years education) 15%
Technicians (3 years education) 17%
Cartographers (2 years training) 24%
Others 44%
Naturally these persons were educated under the old system. With the demise of
the two year training and the increased technician education a new staff
structure will emerge. There is some uncertainty about this matter.
Most surveyors are employed in the Cadastre and Rural management sectors as civil servants. The National Land Survey of Finland is responsible additionally to mapping, for the supervision of cadastres and legal fixed boundary surveys. It also co-ordinates the technically integrated and computerised land information systems including cadastres, juridical registers of land ownership and records for land use planning. There are two compatible registers: one, operated by surveyors, which deals with map and other geometrical data such as areas, and the other, operated by lawyers, treats land ownership and other legal data. Special land courts deal with disputes. Surveyors are also involved in land acquisition and other management activities.
Local authorities are responsible for spatial planning. The Ministry of the Environment has only a general advisory and supervisory role in physical planning. About 180 surveyors are involved in spatial planning full time, about 25% of whom are employed in private consulting companies. Surveyors are responsible for spatial planning in rural municipalities, regional planning, and master plans of cities, whilst architects are mostly working in city planning. Environmental impact assessment has an increasing part to play in the planning processes in Finland. The use of GIS and land management also create more tasks for surveyors.
Valuation for public tasks, like property expropriation and taxation, is carried out by public authorities employing surveyors. Valuation for business and private purposes is carried out by estate agents and property advisors. Leading valuation practices employ several surveyors, as well as others with different education. Duties include valuation, market research and research consultancy.
Property and facilities management are increasing in the private and public sectors. More expertise is needed. It is hoped that trained surveyors will provide this.
It is estimated that there are at least 50 private companies most of them quite small employing fewer than five persons. There are three large companies employing more than 20 persons. At least three University surveyors are employed by hard rock mining companies.
The Finnish Geodetic Institute is the government establishment employing about 40 persons at least 30 of whom are graduates at the MSc level or above. This institute works in close co-operation with the HUT being located on the same site. Its activities follow traditional calibration and testing lines, to which has now been added activities in image analysis, remote sensing and informatics.
At university level, the different institutes of both Helsinki and Tampere UT carry out fundamental research as part of their postgraduate programmes. These projects are funded primarily by the universities themselves or by state and municipal institutions. The number of researchers varies from 5 to 10 persons.
As an example the HUT Institute for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing typically
covers both fundamental and applied research in the following spheres: digital
image processing, photogrammetric mapping, digital photogrammetry,
interpretation and classification methods in remote sensing, and automated
control measurements and systems for industry. At the end of 1994 this research
group of 20 persons comprised 9 permanent staff. Its external funding is partly
from industry and partly from national research programmes like TEKES
(Technology Development Centre).
MAANKÄYTTÖ: A quarterly journal published by the Association of Finnish Surveyors and its sister organisations.
MILA: A members' bulletin of eight issues per annum published by the Association of Finnish Surveyors.
MAANMITTAUS: A refereed bi-annual publication of the Finnish Society of Surveying Sciences.
SURVEYING SCIENCE IN FINLAND: A refereed bi-annual English language publication of the Finnish Society of Surveying Sciences.
THE PHOTOGRAMMETRIC JOURNAL OF FINLAND: published once a year jointly by the Finnish Society of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing and HUT Institute for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing
POSITIO: published quarterly by the Geographic Information Centre of the National Land Survey of Finland.
The institutes of both universities HUT and TUT and EVITech publish occasional scientific research reports.
This report could not have been written without the assistance of several persons including the following: Jukka Artimo, Kirsi Artimo, Teuvo Parm, Kari Kuusiniemi, Lauri Pohjola, Seppo Härmälä, Pekka Raitanen, Pirkko Noukka, Aulis Tenkanen, Veli Pekka Valtonen, Matti Rantanen, Reino Ruotsalainen, Jukka Mäkelä, Juha Talvitie, and lastly Henrik Haggrén who was the final contact and correspondent to whom special thanks are due. Special thanks are due also to Jukka Artimo for making the arrangements for the visit of the author in January 1995 and to those who made the visit so cordial.
"New Education of Surveyors in Finland" K Viitanen. Proceedings of XX FIG Congress. Melbourne 1993. Commission Two papers p 133-144.
Official publications of the HUT and EVITech.
Maanmittausinsinöörien liitto MIL The Finnish Association of Surveyors Kellosilta 10 FIN- 00520 Helsinki National Land Survey of Finland Opastinsilta 12 C PO Box 84 FIN-00521 Helsinki Helsinki University of Technology (HUT) Department of Surveying Otakaari 1 FIN-02150 Espoo Tampere University of Technology (TUT) Laboratory of Geodesy and Photogrammetry PO Box 600 FIN-33101 TAMPERE Espoo-Vantaa Institute of Technology (EVITech) Department of Surveying Vanha maantie 6 FIN-02600 Espoo
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