Defense Geospatial Information Agency "Division General Constantin Barozzi"

Participation of Representatives of the Military Topographic Directorate "Division General Constantin Barozzi" in United Nations Activities

August 20 - 31, 2007 The 9th United Nations Conference Between August 20 and 31, 2007, the 9th United Nations Conference on the Standardization of Geographical Names and the 24th Session of the United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names were held in New York, USA, attended by the head of the Military Topographic Directorate as the head of the delegation.

The 9th United Nations Conference on the Standardization of Geographical Names and the 24th Session of the United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names were attended by 200 delegates from 92 member countries, who presented approximately 250 documents.

The Romanian delegation presented the national report on the activity carried out in this field during the period 2002-2007, accompanied by the model of the national gazetteer under preparation and the changes recorded in the administrative status of some localities in Romania during the period 2002-2007.

Following participation in the activity, the establishment of the National Commission for the Standardization of Geographical Names was proposed, with the preparation of the necessary normative acts to be undertaken by a working group consisting of representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs – UN Directorate, the Ministry of Defense – Military Topographic Directorate, the Romanian Academy – Institute of Geography and the Institute of Linguistics "Iorgu Iordan-Alexandru Rosetti", the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Administrative Reform – National Agency for Cadastre and Real Estate Publicity, the Ministry of Culture and Religious Affairs, and the National Institute of Statistics. The Ministry of Defense, through the Military Topographic Directorate, will provide the secretariat for the working group.

Until the establishment of the C.N.S.D.G., the Ministry of Defense, through the Military Topographic Directorate, will be Romania's contact point for the standardization of geographical names.

Additionally, to fulfill the resolutions of the 2nd Plenary Meeting of the United Nations Working Group on Geographic Information, Rome, 05-07.03.2001, it was proposed that Romania, through the Military Topographic Directorate and the National Agency for Cadastre and Real Estate Publicity, provide the United Nations with non-classified digital geographic information regarding the national territory.

September 9 - 13, 2008 Meeting of the Working Group on Exonyms Between September 9 and 13, in Timișoara, two activities were held under the auspices of the United Nations, organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of National Defense through the Military Topographic Directorate, and with the support of the West University of Timișoara: "Meeting of the Working Group on Exonyms," an activity of the United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names, and "Meeting of the Working Group on National and Regional Atlases," an activity of the International Cartographic Association. The head of the Military Topographic Directorate participated in these activities as the national contact in relation to the United Nations for issues related to the standardization of geographical names until a national body for unified management in this field is established.

These activities were preceded by a toponymy course for young Romanian and foreign students and doctoral candidates, held between September 6 and 8, 2008. During this course, the head of the Military Topographic Directorate gave a presentation on the standardization of geographical names.

During the 8th Meeting of the "Working Group on Exonyms," an activity held under the auspices of the United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names, the document on the use of standardized exonyms/endonyms was debated. This document, at the proposal of France and the United Kingdom, became the "Timișoara Document" and will be used in the future as a reference material under this name.

July 30 - August 10, 2012 The 10th United Nations Conference Between July 30 and August 10, 2012, the 10th United Nations Conference on the Standardization of Geographical Names and the 27th Session of the United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names were held in New York, USA, attended by the head of the Military Topographic Directorate as the head of the delegation.

The 10th United Nations Conference on the Standardization of Geographical Names and the 27th Session of the United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names were attended by 284 delegates representing 73 member states of the United Nations, as well as 18 international organizations in the field, presenting over 250 documents.

The Romanian delegation presented to the plenary of the 27th session the "Report on the Progress Made in Romania in the Field of Standardization of Geographical Names during the Period 2007-2012," providing participants with the "Database of Geographical Names of Romania," containing 88,598 entries (oronims, oikonyms, hydronyms, phytonyms, odonyms, etc.), a database that will be available in digital form on the Military Topographic Directorate's website/geoportal in 2013 and will be periodically completed/updated. The Romanian delegation also donated to the United Nations the two volumes of the "Geographical Dictionary of Romania," the "Historical-Geographical Atlas of Romania," and "Romania. Space-Society-Environment," published under special conditions by the Romanian Academy.

The plenary of the 10th United Nations Conference on the Standardization of Geographical Names highlighted that in 2008, Romania organized in Timișoara the meetings of the working group for endonyms and exonyms and the working group for national and regional atlases, as well as a toponymy training course, receiving special appreciation and thanks.

It was also highlighted that, in 2009, in accordance with United Nations Economic and Social Council Resolution no. 131 (VI) of February 19, 1948 (E/695) on the coordination of mapping services of specialized agencies and international organizations, and the United Nations Geographic Information Working Group, Romania, through the Military Topographic Directorate, provided the United Nations, free of charge, with the vector map of Romania VMap level 2 (1:50,000), containing the standardized geographical names and representing the first, second, and third-order administrative boundaries.

September 29 - October 3, 2008 Multinational Geospatial Co-production Program Between September 29 and October 3, 2008, the Military Topographic Directorate "Division General Constantin Barozzi" organized the 2/2008 meeting of the Technical Group of the "Multinational Geospatial Co-production Program" at the "Piatra Mare" Hotel in Poiana Brașov. The activity was attended by 70 representatives from 27 member states participating in the program.

The activity allowed for a significant exchange of experience and information regarding problems encountered during the production of geospatial data for the first cells, with a series of proposals discussed and accepted for inclusion in the future version of the technical documentation.

November 3 - 6, 2009 Multinational Geospatial Co-production Program Conference Between November 3 and 6, 2009, the Military Topographic Directorate "Division General Constantin Barozzi" organized the "Multinational Geospatial Co-production Program Conference" at the National Military Circle in Bucharest. The activity was attended by 42 representatives from 23 member states participating in the program.

The activity was a good opportunity for a significant exchange of experience and information regarding specific program issues. On this occasion, the increase in Romania's contribution to the program was approved, and version 3 of the technical documentation was adopted.

May 21 - 24, 2012 Technical Management Group Meeting Between May 21 and 24, 2012, the Military Topographic Directorate "Division General Constantin Barozzi" organized the Technical Management Group Meeting of the NATO Joint Geospatial Services Working Group at the National Military Circle in Bucharest. The meeting was attended by 33 delegates, representing 13 states, as well as various NATO commands and working groups.

An analysis of the standardization agreements was conducted, highlighting that this working group is undergoing major transformations, with the main concern being the updating of standards with new types of geospatial information needed by beneficiaries, predominantly digital and largely in new, dynamic formats.

During the activity, a series of bilateral meetings took place, addressing aspects related to cooperation in geospatial information production, exchange of experience, and personnel training in the field.

November 5 - 7, 2013 Multinational Geospatial Co-production Program Conference Between November 5 and 7, 2013, the Military Topographic Directorate "Division General Constantin Barozzi" organized the Multinational Geospatial Co-production Program Conference in Sinaia. The conference was attended by 39 delegates from 20 member states participating in the program.

During the conference, it was shown that the first phase of the program, completed in 2012, was considered a great success, guaranteeing its completion. The projects for the next phase were presented.

Additionally, participants were informed of the World Health Organization's request for the digital geospatial information produced within the program.

October 9 - 12, 2016 Meeting between the Delegations of the National Army Topogeodetic Service of the Republic of Moldova and the Military Topographic Directorate "Division General Constantin Barozzi" Between October 9 and 12, a meeting took place in Bucharest between the delegations of the National Army Topogeodetic Service (representatives of the Military Topographic Center) of the Republic of Moldova and the Military Topographic Directorate "Division General Constantin Barozzi" from the Ministry of National Defense.

During the discussions, ways to develop bilateral military cooperation in the field of military geography were addressed, in accordance with the provisions of the Protocol between the Ministry of National Defense of Romania and the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Moldova regarding cooperation in the field of military topogeodesy.

The Romanian delegation expressed thanks to the members of the Military Topographic Center delegation for presenting their activities and achievements, their openness, and their willingness to develop bilateral cooperation in the geospatial field.

October 16 - 20, 2017 NATO Military Geospatial Information Working Group Technical Session in Bucharest The Defense Staff, through the Military Topographic Directorate, organized a technical meeting of the NATO Military Geospatial Information Working Group (DGIWG) in Bucharest from October 16 to 20.

The meeting, held at the National Military Circle, was attended by 70 experts from over 20 NATO member countries. Discussions in the five working subgroups covered the main aspects of the geospatial field: vector databases, imagery, metadata, symbology, and web services.

The working group's objectives focused on finalizing reference standards such as the Defence Geospatial Information Framework, the military profile for metadata, and the military profile for web services. Specific formats for the digital terrain model and the symbolization for maps specific to urban areas and new data models were also discussed and agreed upon.

DGIWG's role is to develop geospatial standards for the military environment, at the request of NATO and member nations. The group consists of specialists from over 30 countries and has two planned technical meetings annually.