The Institut Géographique National (English: National Geographic Institute) or IGN is a French public state administrative establishment founded in 1940^[1] to produce and maintain geographical information for France and its overseas departments and territories.

[edit] Administrative organisation

The IGN depends on the French Ministry of Equipment, Transport, Town and Country Planning, Tourism and Sea. Its missions are fixed by decrees.

State subsidies represent 55% of the budget, and sales 45%.

The IGN runs four laboratories to research geographical information acquisition, production, distribution and applications. It also runs its own school to teach techniques to its staff and other students: École nationale des sciences géographiques (English: National School of Geographical Sciences) or ENSG.

[edit] Missions

Specimen IGN bench mark at Saint Goussaud, Limousin, France, by Institut Geographique National

The IGN is responsible for the management and updating of:

• geodesic and levelling networks,
• aerial photographies,
• geographical data bases and maps.

It has to lead research, and to take part in the standardization process in the field of geographical information. It has to manage ENSG, and the documentation service about its products, techniques and services.

A group of French public administrations, in partnership with the IGN, establish the Large Scale Reference (Référentiel à grande échelle, RGE): orthophoto, topography, cadastral survey and address databases which can be superimposed on all the French territory, with a 1-meter resolution.

[edit] Products

Covering the whole French territory:

• topographic maps on the 1:25,000, 1:50,000 and 1:100,000 scales
• road maps on the 1:250,000 and 1:1,000,000 scales (this last one covers metropolitan France on one sheet).
• maps of foreign countries
• ICAO aeronautical maps on the 1:500,000 scale for visual flying (VFR).

The IGN is also in charge of the Géoportail.

[edit] External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Institut géographique national

• (French) Official site

[edit] References

1. ^ Dictionnaire général pour la maîtrise de la langue française, la culture classique et contemporaine. Larousse. 1993. p. 779. ISBN 2-03-320300-X. 

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