Geomatics is the discipline of gathering, storing, processing, and delivering of geographic information. This broad term applies both to science and technology, and integrates the following more specific disciplines and technologies: Physical map of the Earth ( Medium) ( Large 2 MB) Geography is the scientific study of the locational and spatial variation in both physical and human phenomena on Earth. ...

• geodesy
• surveying
• mapping
• positioning
• navigation
• cartography
• remote sensing
• photogrammetry
• geographic information systems
• global positioning system

The term geomatics is fairly young, apparently being invented by B. Dubuisson in 1969. It is commonly defined to include the tools & techniques used in land surveying, remote sensing, Geographic Information Systems (GIS), Global Positioning System (GPS), and related forms of earth mapping. Originally coined in Canada, the term “geomatics” has been adopted by the International Standards Organization, the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, and many other international authorities, although users (especially in the United States) have shown a preference for the term “geospatial technology”. This article or section should include material from Geodetic datum. ... Surveying is concerned with the application of mathematics and physics in obtaining accurate measurements for the determination of the position of points on the Earths surface. ... The word mapping has several senses: In mathematics and related technical fields, it is some kind of function: see map (mathematics). ... The term positioning has more than one meaning: In marketing, see positioning (marketing) Positioning is also a term for the careful placement of objects in particular, by the use of precise navigation: for example, in the term Global Positioning System. This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists... There are several traditions of navigation. ... Cartography or mapmaking (in Greek chartis = map and graphein = write) is the study and practice of making maps or globes. ... In the broadest sense, remote sensing is the measurement or acquisition of information of an object or phenomenon, by a recording device that is not in physical or intimate contact with the object. ... Photogrammetry is a measurement technology in which the three-dimensional coordinates of points on an object are determined by measurements made in two or more photographic images taken from different positions. ... A geographic information system (GIS) is a system for managing data that has a spatial specialized form of an information system. ... Over fifty GPS satellites such as this NAVSTAR have been launched since 1978. ...

Its precise definition is still in flux. A good definition can be found on the University of Calgary's web page http://www.geomatics.ucalgary.ca/whatisit/index.html:

"Geomatics Engineering is a modern discipline, which integrates acquisition, modelling, analysis, and management of spatially referenced data, i.e. data identified according to their locations. Based on the scientific framework of geodesy, it uses terrestrial, marine, airborne, and satellite-based sensors to acquire spatial and other data. It includes the process of transforming spatially referenced data from different sources into common information systems with well-defined accuracy characteristics."

The rapid progress, and increased visibility, of geomatics since 1990s has been made possible by advances in computer technology, computer science, and software engineering, as well as airborne and space observation technologies. 1990 is a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The tower of a personal computer (specifically a Power Mac G5). ... Technology (Gr. ... Wikibooks Wikiversity has more about this subject: School of Computer Science Open Directory Project: Computer Science Collection of Computer Science Bibliographies Belief that title science in computer science is inappropriate Categories: Computer science | Academic disciplines ... Software engineering (SE) is the profession concerned with creating and maintaining software applications by applying technologies and practices from computer science, project management, engineering, application domains, and other fields. ...

International organizations in geomatics

• International Association of Geodesy (http://www.iag-aig.org/)
• International Federation of Surveyors (http://www.fig.net/indexmain.htm)

External links

• Geomatics.org.uk (http://www.geomatics.org.uk) - Geomatics.org.uk is the portal to the UK Land and Offshore Survey Industries. We have free geomatics resources and equipment for schools to borrow, links to various websites from the geomatics community and career profiles of people working in the industry. Based at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne (http://www.ncl.ac.uk), this project funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC (http://www.epsrc.co.uk)) and the UK geomatics community.

• www.AOLS.org (http://www.aols.org) - The Association of Ontario Land Surveyors issues licences to Cadastral (Legal Boundary) surveyors and Certificates of Registration (C of R) in other branches of professional land surveying, namely *Geodesy, Geographic Information Management, Hydrography and Photogrammetry. Applicants must comply with the academic requirements, the term of articles and pass the professional examinations set out by the Academic and Experience Requirements Committee for their particular branch. All members are entitled to use the designation OLS or OLIP (Ontario Land Information Professional). Although the C of R branches of surveying are not regulated by law, practitioners in these branches who are members of the AOLS are indicating that they belong to a professional organization and are governed by a code of ethics and standards of practice.