Three Lecturers of the Department of Geography, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, University of Indonesia (FMIPA UI), namely, Dr. Supriatna, MT., Dr. Iqbal Putut Ash Shidiq, M.Sc., and Prof. Dr. Muhammad Dimyati, M.Sc., were officially inaugurated as the First Geographers of Indonesia. The inauguration as the First Geographer was carried out by the Chairman of the Advisory Board of the Indonesian Geographers Association (IGI) Suratman Worosuprojo, at the Geography Department Building, FMIPA UI, Depok Campus, on Saturday, January 27, 2024. This inauguration also marks a new milestone in the flow of professional personnel in the field of Geospatial Information (IG) in Indonesia.
The three were inaugurated along with nine other First Indonesian Geographers, namely, Dr. Bowo Susilo, M.T (UGM), Prof. Dr.rer.nat. Muh Aris Marfai, M.Sc (BIG), Prof. Muhammad Kamal, Ph.D., M.GIS. (UGM), Prof. Projo Danoedoro, Ph.D., M.Sc. (UGM), Dr. Sigit Heru Murti Budi Santosa, M.Sc. (UGM), Dr. Sri Hartini, M.GIS. (BIG), Dr. Sukendra Martha, M.Sc., M.App.Sc. (IGI), Dr. Suprajaka, M.T. (BIG), and Wirastuti Widyatmanti, Ph.D. (UGM).
Vice Dean for Resources, Ventures, and General Administration and lecturer at the Department of Geography, FMIPA UI, Dr. Tito Latif Indra, M.Sc., in his remarks said that the inauguration of the geographer profession is in line with UI’s performance achievement targets in the Higher Education Main Performance Indicators, namely lecturers with competency/professional certification recognized by industry and the world of work, or coming from professional practitioners, the world of industry, or the world of work.
“The University of Indonesia aims to produce lecturers with competency qualifications and professional certification,” said Dr. Tito.
Dr. Tito hopes that the newly inaugurated First Indonesian Geographers, especially those from the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, UI, can develop the Geographer profession in Indonesia, prioritizing professionalism as experts in the field of GI by adhering to the rules and code of ethics of the Geographer Profession, in order to maintain the dignity of the Indonesian Geographer profession.
“Every profession, including geographers, has its own rules and code of ethics that serve as guidelines for ensuring that work can be accounted for in accordance with the professional guidelines,” he said.
Government Regulation (PP) Number 45 of 2021 concerning the Provision of Geospatial Information explicitly defines the profession in the GIS sector. This PP addresses the practical and professional needs of the GIS industry.
The regulation states that the IG professions referred to in paragraph 21 consist of: (a) geographers; and (b) surveyors. With the implementation of this regulation, the human resources (HR) system and governance in the IG sector have a strong foundation and have been implemented continuously and sustainably.
The background to the appointment of these First Geographers is the need to develop a professional geographer education program that requires teaching staff with geographer qualifications, as an implementation of Government Regulation 45/2021. The 12 newly appointed First Geographers have gone through a series of selection processes and mechanisms by the ad hoc National Selection Committee (Panselnas) for First Professional Geographers.
The National Selection Committee (Panselnas) consists of stakeholders in the Geospatial Information Agency (GIA), academics (universities), and professional associations (IGI). The Panselnas is chaired by Sumaryono (BIG), with members Lalitya Narieswari (BIG); Retno Wulan (BIG); Widyawati (IGI); Prima Widayani (IGI); Agung Satriyo Nugroho (academic); Danang Sri Hadmoko (academic); Iswari Nur Hidayati (academic); Triarko Nurlambang (academic); and supported by a secretariat led by Guridno Bintar Saputro (BIG).
The presence of the Geographer profession is also expected to prevent professional malpractice, ensuring competence and work quality. They are also required to focus on safety and security aspects in their professional practice, in an effort to produce quality work that helps society achieve prosperity in the dynamics of life.
