The technological innovations that have taken place over recent decades have brought parallel developments for geodesy that have changed a discipline with a long tradition into a modern engineering science with a very broad spectrum of applications. Geodesy is the science of measuring and apportioning the Earth into 3D-models, areas and points, so that we know the exact location of our house, the distance to China, the size of Greenland, etc. Geodesy deals with the recording, updating, and processing of spatial data (basic geo-data) and the documentation of civil engineering structures. The use of state-of-the-art data recording systems, satellite-aided measurement processes, scanning procedures and digital image processing have brought about a shift towards electronically based applications.

The aim of the course is to prepare students for high level and senior management jobs in public administration, private companies, as well as independent surveying and engineering firms. Surveyors work, for example, in the following areas: basic and property surveying, processing of aerial images and other remote sensing data, production of sets of maps, engineering surveying, quality assurance of industrial products, or planning, land division, and property appraisal.