Geographic Institute Agustín Codazzi
Encyclopedia
The Geographic Institute Agustín Codazzi , is the entity of the Government of Colombia
responsible for producing the official maps and basic cartography
of Colombia, and managing the national cadastral infrastructure
and the national soil survey
. It is also charged with advancing geographic investigations for the development of the country, and educating and training professionals in the geographic information technologies
.
. On January 31, 1940, Decreto 153 de 1940 restructured the institute giving cadastral duties by fusing it with the National Section of Cadastre (Sección Nacional de Catastro), and transferred to the Ministry of Finance and Public Credit
, renaming it the Military and Cadastral Geographical Institute (Instituto Geográfico Militar y Catastral). On November 8, 1957, by means of the Decreto Ley 0290 de 1957, the institute was renamed the Geographic Institute Agustín Codazzi in memory of the cartographer Agostino Codazzi
and in commemoration of the centenary of his Chorographic
Commission, a monumental endeavour that sought to create a geographic land survey of the Neogranadine territory
, similar in its goals to the Louis and Clark Expedition in the United States. The IGAC then became a decentralized agency under the executive branch until 1999 when it was ascribed to the National Administrative Department of Statistics
(DANE) by Decreto 1174 de 1999.
Government of Colombia
The government of Colombiais a republic with separation of powers into executive, judicial and legislative branches.Its legislature has a congress,its judiciary has a supreme court, andits executive branch has a president....
responsible for producing the official maps and basic cartography
Cartography
Cartography is the study and practice of making maps. Combining science, aesthetics, and technique, cartography builds on the premise that reality can be modeled in ways that communicate spatial information effectively.The fundamental problems of traditional cartography are to:*Set the map's...
of Colombia, and managing the national cadastral infrastructure
Cadastre
A cadastre , using a cadastral survey or cadastral map, is a comprehensive register of the metes-and-bounds real property of a country...
and the national soil survey
Soil survey
Soil survey, or soil mapping, is the process of classifying soil types and other soil properties in a given area and geo-encoding such information. It applies the principles of soil science, and draws heavily from geomorphology, theories of soil formation, physical geography, and analysis of...
. It is also charged with advancing geographic investigations for the development of the country, and educating and training professionals in the geographic information technologies
Geographic Information System
A geographic information system, geographical information science, or geospatial information studies is a system designed to capture, store, manipulate, analyze, manage, and present all types of geographically referenced data...
.
History
The institute was created following the Colombia–Peru War with the creation of the Military Institute of Geography (Instituto Geográfico Militar) on August 13, 1935 by means of the Decreto 1440 de 1935, and ascribed to the Ministry of WarMinistry of National Defense (Colombia)
The Ministry of National Defence , is the national executive ministry of the Government of Colombia charged with coordinating and supervising all agencies and functions of the government relating directly to national security and the armed forces of Colombia, similar to the defense ministries in...
. On January 31, 1940, Decreto 153 de 1940 restructured the institute giving cadastral duties by fusing it with the National Section of Cadastre (Sección Nacional de Catastro), and transferred to the Ministry of Finance and Public Credit
Ministry of Finance and Public Credit
The Ministry of Finance and Public Credit , is the national executive ministry of the Government of Colombia responsible for the financial and budgetary matters of the country as well as implementing the financial policies passed by Congress, equivalent to the finance ministries of other...
, renaming it the Military and Cadastral Geographical Institute (Instituto Geográfico Militar y Catastral). On November 8, 1957, by means of the Decreto Ley 0290 de 1957, the institute was renamed the Geographic Institute Agustín Codazzi in memory of the cartographer Agostino Codazzi
Agostino Codazzi
Giovanni Battista Agostino Codazzi was an Italian soldier, scientist, geographer and cartographer...
and in commemoration of the centenary of his Chorographic
Chorography
Chorography is a term deriving from the writings of the ancient geographer Ptolemy, meaning the geographical description of regions...
Commission, a monumental endeavour that sought to create a geographic land survey of the Neogranadine territory
Republic of New Granada
The Republic of New Granada was a centralist republic consisting primarily of present-day Colombia and Panama with smaller portions of today's Ecuador, and Venezuela. It was created after the dissolution in 1830 of Gran Colombia. It was later abolished in 1858 when the Granadine Confederation was...
, similar in its goals to the Louis and Clark Expedition in the United States. The IGAC then became a decentralized agency under the executive branch until 1999 when it was ascribed to the National Administrative Department of Statistics
National Administrative Department of Statistics
The National Administrative Department of Statistics , commonly referred to as DANE, is the Colombian Administrative Department responsible for the planning, implementation, analysis and diffusion of the official statistics of Colombia. DANE is also in charge of carrying out the National census...
(DANE) by Decreto 1174 de 1999.