Surveying & Spatial Sciences Institute

While some SSSI colleges of practice are very much a product of the late twentieth century, other SSSI professions have a long and proud history. In the case of surveying this goes back to the first Surveyor General who arrived with the first fleet in 1788. The history of (non-indigenous) cartography and hydrography in Australia goes back much further than that and predates British settlement by nearly 200years. Indigenous cartography may date back thousands of years.

Many SSSI members have an abiding interest in this history and are looking for an outlet for that interest. The Institution of Surveyors NSW is active in heritage issues mostly though its Seniors Group and surveyors in all other regions have been proactive in recording and publishing the history of surveying. Hydrography and Cartography heritage is supported by a variety of groups such as:

Mapping Sciences Institute Australia (MSIA)
Australasian Hydrographic Society (AHS)
Australian Map Circle; and
Australia On the Map (AOM) (a sub-committee of AHS)

Now the SSSI Heritage SIG will provide a focal point within the Institute for SSSI members interested in history and heritage and will also liaise with the above groups and others whose interests intersect with the heritage of the spatial professions.

About the SSSI Heritage SIG

All interested members of SSSI are automatically members of the Heritage SIG. If you are interested in history and heritage please login and update your preferences.

It is most appropriate for the SSSI to take a lead role in researching and commemorating the role of cartographers, surveyors and hydrographers in the history of Australasia and the region. There are many other organisations and groups, however, which share an interest in the same historical events. It is anticipated that a major role for the Heritage SIG will be to liaise with such groups to maximize the recognition of our professional predecessors but also to minimize duplication of effort, conflicts of event timings and competition for limited funding.

Heritage and history events organised by the SSSI or by a kindred society will be advertised on the SSSI Calendar of Events and where appropriate will earn CPD points.