About Us

 

The New South Wales Surveying & Mapping Industry Council had its origin in ASMI (Australian Surveying and Mapping Industries) Conferences and in a Task Force formed at a meeting of fifty seven surveying & mapping industry leaders that was chaired by the CMA (Central Mapping Authority) Director, Frank Urban, on 8 August 1986. The Task Force was known as "SMARTNUP": Survey Mapping And Related Activities Task Force New South Wales United Industry Plan. It met sixteen times, issued four newsletters and achieved the following:

• undertook an inventory of the Australian surveying & mapping industry

• fostered AUSTCON ("Australian Consultants") to promote Export Initiatives

• facilitated three joint meetings of the NSW Divisional Committees of the threeInstitutions

• initiated two joint R&D projects between the Educational/Private/Government sectors

• assisted the CMA in contracting out survey work

 

The Task Force met on 14 September 1987 to consider the formation of an industry council. Invited to the meeting were representatives from the NSW Divisions of the following organisations:

• Institution of Surveyors Australia

• Australian Institute of Cartographers

• Institution of Engineering and Mining Surveyors

• Association of Consulting Surveyors

• Survey & Mapping Lecturers Association of Australia

• Australian Photogrammetric & Remote Sensing Society

• Central Mapping Authority, Department of Lands

• Surveyor-General of NSW

 

The inaugural meeting of the New South Wales Surveying & Mapping Industry Council was held on Thursday 5 November 1987. The Council originally comprised of six representatives of Institutions/Associations together with four Government representatives elected by the State Mapping Advisory Committee (SMAC).

 

The NSW Surveyor-General, Don Grant, was the Council's representative on the federal body, the Australian Surveying & Mapping Industries Council (ASMIC). This Council first met on 8-9 December 1987 in Canberra, and NSW members included Frank Urban (CMA), Bernie Moriarty (ACSA), Fritz Brunner (ASMLA), Norm Mann (IEMSA) and Dick Lovegrove (AURISA). ASMIC folded in mid 1991 following the withdrawal of AURISA, ACSA and the support of the Tasmanian & Queensland governments.

 

The Surveying & Mapping Industry Council of NSW (SMIC) held its first AGM on 22 July 1988. Bernie Moriarty (Association of Consulting Surveyors) was elected Chairman for 1988-89; the NSW Surveyor-General, Don Grant, became Deputy Chairman and Norm Mann (Institution of Engineering and Mining Surveyors) was elected the Secretary-Treasurer. Jeff Larsen (Department of Lands) was the Council's first Executive Officer as well as being Executive Secretary of ASMIC.

 

Over the years, the Council has been led by six Chairs: Charles Champion (for 3 months from 5 November 1987), Bernie Moriarty (1988-1990), Norm Mann (1990-1999), Mark Gordon (1999-2013), Narelle Underwood (2013-2020) and Thomas Grinter (2020 to present).

 

Today, SMIC is recognised as an independent peak body comprised of delegates from a diverse range of NSW surveying and geospatial information industry organisations, representing professional, business, government and educational interests. Currently, these organisations are; the Institution of Surveyors NSW (ISNSW), the Surveying & Spatial Sciences Institute (SSSI), the Australian Institute of Mine Surveyors (AIMS), the Association of Consulting Surveyors NSW (ACS NSW), the Government Survey & Mapping Managers' Forum (SMMF), the Associsation of Public Authority Surveyors (APAS), TAFE NSW, the University of NSW (UNSW), the University of Newcastle (UoN) and the University of Southern Queensland (USQ). The Surveyor-General of NSW is also an individual member of the Council. The Council plays an active role in fulfilling all of its objectives and is particularly focussed on the standards of education for people wishing to participate in the surveying & geospatial information industry.