The Department of Surveys and Mapping in Gaborone, Botswana has been running an integrated GIS project for some years with the assistance of Swedesurvey. The systems developed within the IGIS project were launched at a ceremony in Gaborone in November 2007.

The systems require maintenance and Swedesurvey has been awarded a short-term contract to secure the IT environment to ensure that the systems will continue to run problem free. The contract was signed in Botswana on 15th October 2008 and will run until 31st December 2008.

"During September 2-26, Lantmäteriet (The Swedish Cadastral, Mapping and Land Registration Authority) implemented an additional course in the range of the Urban Land Administration programme. The first phase took place in Gävle and a second phase will follow in Lusaka, Zambia in March 2009. Swedesurvey assisted the programme with expertise and administrative support. The group photo shows 27 participants and staff from Lantmäteriet and Swedesurvey"

Swedesurvey´s Annual Report 2007 is now available in pdf-format.

A delegation from Angola was invited by Swedesurvey to attend the FIG working week in Stockholm from 14th to 19th June. The delegation also made a trip to Gävle to visit Swedesurvey and Lantmäteriet. IGCA under the auspices of the Ministry of Urbanism and Environment is undertaking some major reform projects in the country and was interested to visit a sister organisation to exchange ideas.

On 12 June Dr Iván Darío Gómez, the Director General of Colombia’s Geographic Institute, Instituto Geográfico Agustin Codazzi, visited Lantmäteriet and Swedesurvey and expressed his satisfaction with the achievements of the ongoing project “Development of a Concept and Methodology for a Sustainable National Geographical Information System for Planning and Land Administration”. During a meeting with the Director General of Lantmäteriet, Stig Jönsson and Tommy Österberg, Swedesurvey’s Technical Director, not only a second phase of the project but also other possibilities of future long-term cooperation were examined and it was agreed to continue discussions in order to realize these.

A total of 27 participants from 15 countries attended the four-week ULA-I course, phase I which is organised by Lantmäteriet, Gävle, Sweden, 1 - 25 April, 2008. The programme gave a general overview of land administration and geographic technology, with the emphasis on urban land administration, upgrading of informal settlements aiming at poverty reduction and gender balance. Phase II will take place in Nairobi, Kenya, 10 - 20 November, 2008.

Lusaka City Council has initiated the project ‘Building Capacity for Urban Development and Effective Land Tenure Management’.

The overall aim is to contribute to the reduction of urban poverty through improved service delivery by the Council.

The primary objective of the project is to develop the capacities of both the communities and the Council so that they are able to work together as equal partners in the development of the livelihood, especially the Peri-Urban settlements.

LCC is receiving financial support for the Project from the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency(Sida).

Technical Assistance is provided by a consortium comprising two Swedish consulting companies Swedesurvey and SIPU International.

The Project started 1 February 2007 and its implementation 1 June 2007. The completion date is set to 30 September 2009.