International Associations and the Provision of Outreach Programmes for Education and Training - Maps for the Future Children Education and Internet - page 2

1.1 Introduction

The International Cartographic Association is the world authoritative body for
cartography, the discipline dealing with the conception, production, dissemination
and study of maps. The ICA was founded on June 9, 1959, in Bern, Switzerland.
The first General Assembly was held in Paris in 1961. The mission of the Interna-
tional Cartographic Association is to promote the discipline and profession of
Cartography and GIScience in an international context.
The activities of the ICA are important for promoting and advancing the theory
and praxis of cartography. Throughout its 50-year history, ICA has brought together
researchers, government mapping agencies, commercial cartographic publishers,
software developers, educators, earth and environmental scientists, and those with a
passion for maps.
The International Cartographic Association exists:

￿ To contribute to the understanding and solution of world-wide problems through
the use of cartography in decision-making processes.
￿ To foster the international dissemination of environmental, economic, social and
spatial information through mapping.
￿ To provide a global forum for discussion of the role and status of cartography.
￿ To facilitate the transfer of new cartographic technology and knowledge
between nations, especially to the developing nations.
￿ To carry out or to promote multi-national cartographic research in order to solve
scientific and applied problems.
￿ To enhance cartographic education in the broadest sense through publications,
seminars and conferences.
￿ To promote the use of professional and technical standards in cartography.

The Association works with national and international governmental and com-
mercial bodies and with other international scientific societies to achieve these
aims.
(Adopted by the 10th General Assembly of the International Cartographic
Association, Barcelona, Spain, 3 September 1995.)
An important contribution that ICA makes through its international community
is outreach and technology transfer. This is supported through direct ICA
initiatives, the activities of Commissions and Working Groups and programmes
conducted with ICA Affiliates.

1.2 The ICA Strategic Plan

The initial ICA Strategic Plan 2003-2011 (ICA 2003 ) provided a number of
guidelines for implementing plans for both Education and Professional Practice.
In July 2011, at the ICA General Assembly in Paris, a new Strategic Plan for