have already been given, each with 30 selec 
ted students from all over the world. The 
decision is now taken that this course will be 
a part of the School for Cadastral Studies 
with a MSc course. In this school there are 
already even some students making their 
studies to obtain a PhD degree. 
1.3 Study contract with IBM 
In 1985 IBM started the ACademic Information 
Systems (ACIS) activities in London. Study 
contracts were given to 130 West-European 
universities. A very big contract, in fact a 
complete computer centre was given to our 
group. On the basis of the possibilities of this 
contract we started the Centre for Computer 
Graphics and Mapping (CCGM) which was 
officially opened by the Minister of Education 
in April 1986. Students are trained in this 
centre. The research programme of the 
CCGM is the backbone of the education in 
GIS/LIS of the Faculty of Geodesy in Delft. 
The research programme is financially sup 
ported by the Ministry of Economic Affairs 
and by different private companies. 
2. THE EDUCATION PROGRAMME 
The study for geodetic engineer in Deift is 
divided in the basic study (2.5 years) and the 
final study. The total study time may not 
exceed a period of six years. Our section 
"Land Information & Cartography" is respon 
sible for the following courses: 
1. general introduction to land information: 
- definition, applications and systems; 
- land registry; 
- municipal information; 
2. cartography: 
- cartographic theory/grammar; 
- topographic maps; 
- thematic maps; 
- map production; 
- remote sensing; 
3. computer cartography: 
- data input; 
- GIS software and standards; 
- presentation techniques; 
- generalisation; 
- 3-D cartography; 
* dynamic mapping; 
4. data theory: 
- land information systems; 
- classification of data; 
- data quality; 
- data structuring; 
' - exchange of data; 
- database management systems; 
5. information analysis and planning: 
- information versus (?) data; 
- data interpretation; 
- types of information systems; 
- data processing systems; 
- developing methods for information 
systems; 
6. geographic information systems: 
- terminology, data, spatial operations, 
data quality; 
- GIS software; 
- Lord Chorley report; 
- interpolation and overlay techniques; 
- networks and geocoding; 
- remote sensing and GIS. 
Within these units a lot of time is spend on 
practicáis. 
In a final study students work 200 hours on a 
case study where they are developing soft 
ware for special applications. About 25 to 
30% of the students produce a final thesis in 
the field of LIS/GIS. Such a thesis takes about 
six to eight months. Depending of the interest 
of the students they can follow special cour 
ses in LIS/GIS. One of the favourites is ’¡and 
information in developing countries'. Here they 
learn, among other things, how to deal with 
international standards and proposals for 
large projects. 
3. THE RESEARCH PROGRAMME 
The main topics of the research programme 
(and of the education programme) are: 
- information analysis and planning; 
- data; 
- data acquisition; 
- data processing; 
- information supply. 
3.1 Information policy, analysis and planning 
A lot of geodetic engineers who are specia 
lized in land information and cartography are 
involved in planning and implementation of 
automation in land information supply and in 
the development and introduction of LIS/GIS 
in organizations. 
For the planning and introduction of automa 
ted information supply, know-how is needed 
to formulate an information policy and to 
translate such a policy into an information 
plan. 
With the development and introduction of LIS 
we are using techniques of information analy 
sis. The existing situation in organizations is