A virtual forum on the value of geodesy will be held from 10.30 am to 12 pm (UTC) on the 22nd of April 2021. Organised by the United Nations’ Subcommitee on Geodesy, the Earth Day event, “The Power of Where - The Value of Geodesy to Society”, will host a panel of global experts who will highlight the importance of geodesy in providing safer and resilient communities, in particular, to measure the cause and effect of rising sea levels, storm surges and tsunamis.

Geodesy, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Ocean Service, is “the science of accurately measuring and understanding the Earth’s geometric shape, orientation in space, and gravity field”.

During the forum, the audience can expect to learn about the economic benefits enabled by an accurate and reliable Global Geodetic Reference Frame (GGRF), and the role geodesy plays in assisting developing countries with efficient and effective land management.

In addition to demonstrating the benefits of geodesy, the forum will also highlight the risks associated with the GGRF, including the degradation of geodetic infrastructure and lack of access to accurate coordinate reference frames and precise positioning in developing countries.

Speakers at the forum include representatives from the Geospatial Information Institute in Ethiopia, Geoscience Australia, the Federal Agency for Cartography and Geodesy in Germany and the National Institute of Statistics and Geography in Mexico. The forum will be moderated by Mr Nicholas Brown, the Co-Chair of the UN-GGIM Subcommittee on Geodesy. His Excellency Ambassador Peter Thomson, the UN Secretary-General's Special Envoy for the Ocean, will give the opening address.

For more information on the event, visit: http://ggim.un.org/meetings/2021/Global_Geodesy_Forum/