Ferdinand Jan Ormeling

Ferdinand Jan Ormeling Sr. (Amsterdam, 12 April 1912 – Lonneker, 1 May 2002) was a Dutch geographer and cartographer. He achieved national and international recognition for his scientific, didactic and organizational skills.

Biography After studying human geography under the supervision of Professor Louis van Vuuren at the Utrecht University, Ormeling was a secondary school teacher in Hilversum and The Hague for several years. Back in the Netherlands, he joined the atlas and school book publisher J.B. Wolters in Groningen.

Delft He was appointed a professor of Cartography at the International Institute for Geo-Information Science and Earth Observation (ITC) in Delft in 1971. Ormeling significantly contributed to the ITC which made it one of the first institutions in the Netherlands to enjoy Chinese interest. The Cartography department also joined a partnership that the Cartography department of the University of Utrecht had entered into with the Geodesy department of the Delft University of Technology. At the same time, Ormeling promoted the practical practice of cartography worldwide during his long board membership (23 years) of the International Cartographic Association (ICA). He was first secretary general (1968–1976) vice-president (1964–1976) and then president of the ICA (1976–1984); in these functions, he significantly increased the number of participating countries: from 24 to 59. Some notable ICA workshops on automated cartography that Ormeling organized were in Nairobi (1978), Jakarta (1980) and Wuhan (1981). He was an honorary member of many national cartographic associations. The ICA showed its appreciation for his activities by awarding him in 1987, its highest award, the Mannerfelt Medal. From 1967 to 1971 he was chairman of the Royal Dutch Geographical Society. Previously, for 10 years he was chairman of the Cartographic Section of the society, which he co-founded in 1957.

Cartographic collections Ormeling was a collector of textbooks, monographs, conference proceedings, etc., in the field of cartography. His collection included many important cartographic publications from all parts of the world. After his death, his family donated the collection to the ITC. The Ormeling collection is managed by the library of the ITC and is supplemented with newer editions. His large atlas collection, together with that of his son Ferjan Ormeling Jr., is housed in the map room of the University Library of Utrecht University.

Honors

Honorary Membership of the Dutch Cartographic Society Membre d’Honneur de la Societé de Géographie de France Honorary fellowships of the Australian Institute of Cartographers The British Cartographic Society Medal Carl Mannerfelt Medal (1987) Knight of the Order of the Netherlands Lion by the Queen of the Netherlands