The history of Cambridge Conference

The roaring twenties gave birth to this community, with the first gathering together as the Conference of Empire Surveyors alongside the International Geographical Congress.

This first meeting included a radical paper, delivered by the legendary Brigadier Hotine, on surveying using air photography.

Cambridge Conference showed that the industry was up to speed with the latest technologies, demonstrated in a paper titled The Helicopter and Topographical Surveys. 

A new word, ‘computers’ appears in a conference paper’s title for the first time. 

A conference paper discusses the creation of the world-wide triangulation network, using satellite photography.

The conference’s first mention of the effect of the Global Positioning System (GPS) on mapping, charting and geodesy.

OS begins organising the event, when OS merged with the Directorate of Overseas Surveys.

The event was renamed ‘Cambridge Conference’, the invitation list reaching beyond the Commonwealth – now spanning the entire globe – with delegates representing countries from Australia to Zambia.

“National Mapping – shaping the future” was the theme of the 2003 event. It encouraged delegates to create a bold vision for mapping information in the 21st century.

CC: The Exchange. At the request of delegates during the 2003 Conference a series of smaller conferences was planned. The first one was held in 2005 had the theme “Mapping: our role in a turbulent world” and was held at Ordnance Survey’s headquarters in Southampton.

In 2007 the Cambridge Conference was attended by around 200 participants from 70 countries. Its focus was on “Expanding Horizons in a shrinking world”. The conference debated a number of issues, from the use of new technologies to closer partnerships across the globe, and how geospatial underpins national economic activity.

In continuation of the practice of hosting smaller conferences the second CC: The Exchange was held in 2009. Among the topics for discussion was a focus on the actions that the GI community can take to alleviate the impact of the economic downturn, as well as the role that geography can play in connecting people in the fight against climate change.

The Cambridge Conference was hosted at Ordnance Survey’s new Headquarters, in Southampton. Over 120 delegates from 53 countries took part in the event, which had the theme “Mapping for a fairer and safer world”.

In 2013 the Cambridge Conference theme was “Bringing Geographic Authority to Information. It was a unique event as it was held alongside the Third Session of the United Nations Committee of Experts on Global Geospatial Information Management.

The theme for Cambridge Conference 2017 was “Mapping Nations - The Next Decades”. With speakers from all continents, the Conference examined the drivers that face the world in the coming decades, and enabled delegates to consider how national spatial data infrastructures and National Mapping and Geospatial Agencies will adapt to our changing societies. The opening keynote set the scene with Professor Sir Mark Walport, the UK Government Chief Scientific Adviser, considering “The Inexorable Rise of the Machines”.

The 2022 Cambridge Conference explored the actions that geospatial agencies and organisations can take to support their government’s strategic policies in response to climate change.

The conference paper demonstrated the need for consistent core datasets worldwide, enabling a view of opportunities for environmental protection, financial investments, and sustainable development.