Last Updated : September 10, 2013

Fifty Years of Accepting Participants from Developing Countries

Outline

    Geospatial Information Authority of Japan (Director-General: Kazuo Inaba) cooperates with JICA Group Training Courses organized by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), and this is the 50th year since the program started accepting participants from developing countries in 1963. To date, 552 participants have been accepted from a total of 80 different countries.

Details

    After the completion of Training Courses, GSI uses its connections with participants to obtain local information, etc., which is put to use in the promotion of Japanese policies and overseas expansion.
    JICA Group Training Courses held at GSI aim to provide general knowledge of surveying skills, and were first held in 1963 as “Survey technical course”. Thereafter, the aim was to train core personnel so that they would have the necessary disposition and ability to carry out planning and management of general mapping and surveying work in national projects, with management-related subjects enhanced and appropriate improvements made to course content, time periods, and names of courses in line with the needs and demands of developing countries, and this year, participants have again been accepted on a four-month “Planning and Management of National Mapping and Surveying” course.
Follow-ups are made after the completion of Training Courses in order to maintain friendly relations between GSI and the participants, who provide information relating to local contacts and policy trends, etc., which is then used in promotion of Japanese policies and support for overseas expansion of private businesses.

Remarks

The course in 2013

    This year’s “Planning and Management of National Mapping and Surveying” course will be held at GSI Headquarters, and participants will acquire general planning and management skills for mapping and surveying work suited to circumstances in their respective countries through many lectures and practical training exercises conducted by GSI members and outside lecturers, field trips to relevant organizations, and so on. Participants will also deepen their exchanges with many engineers and experts, and will learn about Japanese nature and culture.

The past participants

  • Number of participants accepted into JICA Group Training Courses from 1963 to 2013: 552 participants from 80 different countries
  • Highlights of positions attained in recent years by former participants
  •  Nepal: Head of Cartography Division, who took the Course in 1996, was promoted to Director General of the Ministry of Land Reform and Management.
     Kenya: Deputy Principal of Kenya Institute of Surveying and Mapping, who took the Course in 2000, was promoted to Principal.
     Other: Many participants have been promoted to Head of Department-level positions from the positions they held when taking the Course.

    Photo of JICA Group Training

    JICA Group Training