International Associations and the Provision of Outreach Programmes for Education and Training - Maps for the Future Children Education and Internet - page 5

￿ To increase efforts directed to capacity-building, especially in developing
countries, especially with reference to human resource development

￿ In co-operation with commercial suppliers, to develop virtual academy courses

on Cartography and GIScience to support and complement what is on offer.

The ICA addresses these and other issues through direct ICA initiatives through
its Executive and member organisations and with partners from ICA affiliates, sister
societies and industry. The activities of Commissions and Working Groups and
programmes provide the 'powerhouse' that supports these endeavors.

1.4 Commissions and Working Groups Outreach Activities

To achieve its aims the ICA operates through a number of Commissions and
Working Groups. Commissions and Working Groups carry out the general
operations of the ICA. They address the full range of scientific, technical and social
research that is the mark of ICA activity. They achieve the transfer of knowledge
about Cartography and GIScience and GI Science by publishing topics and special
editions of journals and running workshops and educational courses. Colleagues
from the ICA community conduct these workshops on a volunteer basis, generally
with the support of the national member organisation of ICA or the national
mapping body.

1.4.1 Courses and Workshops by ICA Commissions
and Working Groups

ICA Commissions and Working Groups have conducted many outreach courses.
Here, examples of some of the courses are provided.
The ICA Commission on Education and Training has been at the forefront in the
provision of training and education courses in Cartography. The first Commission
Chair was Stephane de Brommer , from IGN, France. He chaired the Commission
from 1964 to 1972 (ICA CET 2011 ). His successors have continued the tradition of
providing quality courses, face-to-face and via publications and contemporary
communications systems like the Internet.
Recent initiatives of the ICA Commission on Education and Training have
included in a workshop on Cartography in Tehran, Iran in May 2009. This was
undertaken in collaboration with the National Cartographic Center of Iran, ran.
Figure 1.1 shows some of the 30 participants at the workshop.
This course followed a successful course run in 2008—hands-on web-mapping
technologies—conducted by the ICA Commission on Maps and the Internet and
organised by the National Cartographic Center of Iran. The workshop focused on
the technological and methodological basics of delivering maps on the web,