Our February update includes an opportunity to nominate for a prestigious award and updates from your Standards & Ethics, Professional Engagement and Careers Sub-Committees, including an opportunity to contribute.
Award Opportunity
Professional Geography Award: for recognition of excellence in the use of geography in professional practice.
As professional geographers, we play a significant role on the projects we deliver by connecting people, places and environments. Our very roots are based on innovating our area of practice, increasing professionalism and professional recognition, particularly through organisations such as the Royal Geographical Society, RICS, SoLR and others. Why not prepare a nomination!
The RGS Professional Geography Award is open for nominations now!
Deadline: 19 Feb 2024
Standards & Ethics Sub-Committee progress and request for contributions
The Standards & Ethics Sub-Committee has now been established, drawing expertise from a number of very experienced land referencers. Between them, the six volunteer members of the Sub-Committee have 125 years of experience to draw upon. They are tasked with identifying what standards are applicable to professional land referencing practice, to draft these standards, and to gain the necessary industry agreement before publishing them. They will then be available for guidance and instruction to provide the industry with SoLR’s view on the standards of professional land referencing practice.
This Committee has also been asked to establish an appropriate Code of Conduct to help ensure the highest professional standards are applied to SoLR events and activities. The Code of Conduct has been finalized and provided to the SoLR Committee for approval. When formally adopted it will be published on the SoLR website and will apply to all SoLR members and other participants in SoLR activities to help ensure fairness, inclusion and equality in all that SoLR does.
The Standards are a much larger undertaking. The Standards Sub-Committee is first focussing on the core conceptual standards, including geospatial data standards, that are applicable across our work, regardless of where it is delivered or for what purpose or under what process. It will then consider the appropriate additional layers of detail and the variations applicable to particular jurisdictions and the individual statutory processes applicable in them. In developing these standards we are inviting experienced land referencing practitioners to volunteer to contribute. The development of the national and regional standards will necessarily follow the development of the core conceptual standards so this work will not begin in earnest for at least a few months. Nevertheless, if you would be interested in helping develop the geospatial standards or any of the standards specifically applicable in England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland or Republic of Ireland, including for the procedures associated with these jurisdictions, please contact the Standards & Ethics Committee chair, Ashley Parry Jones.
Professional Engagement
Our Professional Engagement Sub-Committee hosted a lunchtime webinar with the Royal Geographical Society (RGS) on 23 Jan. This webinar introduced the background and purpose of the RGS, advantages of different membership routes leading up to Chartership, as well as the range of events, resources and support that members benefit from.
You can watch a recording of the webinar by clicking below (and don't forget to record it in your CPD log):
Changes to our Careers Sub-Committee
Victoria Sherwin and Aidan Wilkes are stepping down as chair and deputy chair of our Careers Sub-Committee. We are very grateful to Victoria and Aidan for establishing one of SoLR’s first committees, which has coordinated attendance at careers events which have promoted our practice to future land referencers as well as those who they will work alongside in adjacent disciplines. They have also played a key role in promoting apprenticeship vacancies and engaging with schools, universities and colleges.
Victoria proposed Sophie Quitmann as her replacement, and we’re pleased to say Sophie has accepted and look forward to seeing what this group will achieve this year.
SoLR SharePoint Site
We have set up a new SharePoint site (societyoflandreferencers.sharepoint.com/) to enable collaboration and sharing of information for our committees in a familiar and environment. This site is available to all SoLR Committee members.
Find out about all the SoLR Committees who are acting on your behalf here:
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