International Cartographic Association

The International Cartographic Association (ICA), French Association Cartographique Internationale (ACI), is an organization formed of national member organizations, to provide a forum for issues and techniques in cartography. The International Cartographic Association is the world authoritative body for cartography, the discipline dealing with the conception, production, dissemination and study of maps. The ICA was founded on June 9, 1959, in Bern, Switzerland. The first General Assembly was held in Paris in 1961. The mission of the International Cartographic Association is to promote the discipline and profession of Cartography and GIScience in an international context.

The International Cartographic Association exists: • to contribute to the understanding and solution of world-wide problems through the use of cartography in decision-making processes. • to foster the international dissemination of environmental, economic, social and spatial information through mapping. • to provide a global forum for discussion of the role and status of cartography. • to facilitate the transfer of new cartographic technology and knowledge between nations, especially to the developing nations. • to carry out or to promote multi-national cartographic research in order to solve scientific and applied problems. • to enhance cartographic education in the broadest sense through publications, seminars and conferences. • to promote the use of professional and technical standards in cartography. The Association works with national and international governmental and commercial bodies and with other international scientific societies to achieve these aims. (Adopted by the 10th General Assembly of the International Cartographic Association, Barcelona, Spain, 3 September 1995.)

Since its foundation in Bern in 1959 it has met biennially. English and French are the official languages.