News in 2020

Dr Arthur L Allan: My FIG Journey

September 2020

Dr Arthur L Allan is FIG Honorary Member. He has written this FIG story in 2020 at the age of 90 on his experiences and involvement in FIG - meeting with people from around the world, exchanging knowledge, learning and investigating and making a difference.

Dr. Arthur L Allan, FIG Honorary Member

 Allan piping with the Swiss Surveyors' Choir and Dutchler (also former Honorary Member of FIG) playing his Alpenhorn 1981

“Dr Allan, I want you to meet Pietro Alaria’. There before me stood a short middle-aged man clutching a large book. I was in Italy to make my study. It was explained to me that here was the surveyor who had observed every triangulation station of the Italian network used to drive the Mont Blanc tunnel. Because he had a serious accident, he was unable to complete the task, leaving one triangulation station for another to observe. His and the French surveys were so accurate that the tunnel holed out by 13 cm over a distance of 11.611 km (7.215 miles). Drilling began in 1959 and was completed in 1962. Alaria was typical of the calibre of many surveyors whom I was privileged to meet during my long 20-year FIG journey. Such fellowship was a major, if not the reason for my involvement.

Do you have a story to tell?

On the FIG web site we have collected a page with some of the historic material on FIG.

If you have stories to add, or you have material that we can bring, please contact Louise.

 

 

Louise Friis-Hansen
28 September 2020