The Belgian Institut géographique national (IGN) has sent in samples of topographic maps at various scales for the International Map Exhibition that was organised earlier this summer in Beijing (China), on the occasion of the 20th International Cartographic Conference of the ICA (International Cartographic Association). This was done on the initiative of the Sub-Committee for Cartography and GIS, chaired by Prof. J.P. Donnay (Liege University).

The official committee in charge of making the Award for Excellence in Cartography has selected the Belgian 1:50  000 map of Antwerp (among some 150 topographic maps from 30 countries).

Prof. P. De Maeyer (Gent University), who attended the Conference, has received the prestigious award in order to hand it to the IGN management.

We are proud and happy to share this international award with all those who know and appreciate the conceptual and technological dedication and the know-how of our geographers and cartographers.

The prize-winning map is the result of the structuring and interactive generalisation of a 1:10 000 vector database with the " ArcInfo™ " software of ESRI®. These complex operations are performed by the 1:50 000 Unit of the Cartography Department at IGN.
The automatic symbolisation of the thus obtained 1:50 000 vector data has been performed with the "Mercator" software produced by the Belgian firm Barco Graphics NV and further developed by the Symbolisation Unit of the Cartography Department at IGN. The lettering and the marginal information have been processed with the " Dry® " software of the French firm Lorienne (LORIK™).

This 1:50 000 map belongs to the NATO military map series. We are very proud of this ICA award, all the more because IGN comes under the Ministry of Defence and is presently involved in a digital mapping project on behalf of the Armed Forces (production of a 1:100 000 digital map of Belgium, based on the 1:50 000 data).

By the end of this year, the whole country will be covered with 1:50 000 digital vector and raster data and maps (of the same quality as the prize-winning map). This historical event will be celebrated at IGN some time during next year (2002):

If you want some additional information on the IGN map products, especially on the structuring, generalisation and symbolisation of the 1:50 000 digital data, please browse through the chapters 'Het GIS en de kaart op schaal 1:50 000' and 'De symbolisatie van topografische kaarten' in the section 'know-how' of this web site.