• News
  • The Royal Observatory of Belgium and the National Geographic Institute become Partners of the United Nations Global Centre of Expertise in Geodesy

The Royal Observatory of Belgium and the National Geographic Institute become Partners of the United Nations Global Centre of Expertise in Geodesy

30 Jul 24

The Royal Observatory of Belgium and the National Geographic Institute become Partners of the United Nations Global Centre of Expertise in Geodesy


Following a joint application, the Royal Observatory of Belgium (ROB) and the National Geographical Institute (NGI) were awarded the prestigious status of ‘Partner of the United Nations Global Geodetic Centre of Excellence’ (UN-GGCE). This recognition highlights the many contributions that both institutes make in geodesy, the science of Earth measurement and representation.

A logo of a globe with colorful stripes with laurels around it. The expertise within the ROB and the NGI is used on a daily basis to contribute to services such as disaster management, urban planning, time synchronization and sustainable development. In recognition of this contribution, the prestigious status of ‘Partner of the United Nations Global Geodetic Centre of Excellence’ (UN-GGCE) was awarded to the two organizations.

The ROB and the NGI complement each other, which is why the partner status is awarded to both institutions together. It recognizes Belgium’s significant contribution to the development of spatial information management in general and to the global geodetic community in particular.

Some of these contributions include:

  • Taking an active role as chair, co-chair or participant within UN-GGIM (United Nations Global Geospatial Information Management) and UN-GGIM: Europe, contributing to initiatives that improve the accuracy and accessibility of spatial data.
  • Sharing knowledge and information as a member of international working groups and organizations such as EUREF, EPOS, EUPOS, EuroGeographics and the UN-GGIM Subcommittee on Geodesy.
  • Acting as Host Country for the Central Office of the European Permanent Network (EPN) and as coordinator of the EPN reference frame. The ETRS89 coordinate system, used by all countries in the European region, is defined in Belgium.

With the recognition that both organizations enjoy through partner status, they will help even better shape the future of global geodesy. The recognition is also a first step in the awareness campaign around the importance of geodesy and of the global geodetic supply chain for all.