General aims
The general aims of the map committee are stated in the IOF long Term Plan. The tasks of the committee are:

- To supervise and support the development of the orienteering map.

- To control that the drawing specifications for international orienteering maps are following by IOF's member countries.

- To developed and revise drawing specifications for international orienteering maps.

- To produce literature about how to make orienteering maps for developing countries.

- To assist the development promotion committee in producing instruction maps and simple maps suitable for promotion efforts at an early stage of developing orienteering in a new country.

- To direct experienced map makers to key map projects in promotion programs together with the DCP where there is a national program for the development of orienteering.

- To sponsor and arrange international map conferences.

- To assist the international Technical Committee in supervising the maps for the world Championships both in foot and ski orienteering.

Present status and report 1986-88

The map committee has at present 9 members. The following countries are represented: Australia, Denmark, Finland, Great Britain, Hungary, Norway, Switzerland, West-Germany and USA. For certain task the committee has been split into smaller work groups. The committee have had meetings two times a year. The travel expenses for the committee members have been paid by their federations and the expenses during the meeting of the visited countries federation.

One of the main tasks for the committee has been to arrange and assist international map clinics. These clinics have ranged from beginners level to advanced regional courses.
Another important activity for the map committee in the last years has been to prepare an instructors kit for use in international and national map courses.

The committee has also prepared other small booklets and information material on how to make simple O-maps, tools for map making, etc.

On several occasions the map committee has assisted in finding map makers for projects around the world. Many of these couplings have however gone through informal channels.

Instructors Conference, which are held every second year has been a great success. It helps the map committee to keep in close contact with mapping in all the member countries and has been a very valuable forum for discussion and help to ensure that mapping in the different member countries are done up to IOF standards.
24 of the most experienced map makers from 13 countries participated in the last conference held in Magglingen, Switzerland, autumn 1987.

Activities 1986 - 1988

Courses
Courses are promoted under three headings.
Instructors Conferences
Traditional Map Courses
Map Meetings
The Instructors Conference is held every second year and the next one will take place in Sweden in 1989 in connection with the WOC. The main purpose for this conference is computer aided mapping.
The cost of accommodation, food materials will be covered by IOF. Travel expenses will be paid by the national federations.

Traditional Mapping Courses are promoted by the Map Committee in response to interest shown by member countries. The IOF sends and pays for the travel expenses of instructors. The planning of the course is carried out in collaboration with the IOF instructors and invitations are sending out by the organizer. Participants or their federations pay for there travel and accommodation.

Map Meetings are offered to countries which are not able to handle or are interested in traditional Mapping Courses, or where there is a more definite purpose, e.g. a meeting with mappers working on a map for an international event. The aim is to provide the opportunity for a less formal meeting between an IOF instructor and 5-10 interested mappers from the country concerned. The IOF will pay the travel expenses of the instructor. These meetings will allow discussion to take place and questions to be answered in an informal atmosphere.
INSTRUCTORS KIT
To assist the work of instructors at IOF courses and helps national Map Committees working out there own materials a kit of materials and teaching aids are gang to be finished.

PRINTED MATERIALS
It is our plan in the period to give possibilities for minor chances or add new symbols.
The work will start early in 1989 asking the member countries for comments and will be ready to present for the council at the congress in 1990. There will be printed other informative materials on map making.
That is included in the budget.

PROMOTION
Available map is a necessary condition for introducing orienteering to new areas as well as developing orienteering where the sport has already been introduced and it must be expected that developing 0-nations will need considerable assistance, both financial and practical from external sources for mapmaking.
The MC feels an obligation to help in such cases but due to the financial situation of IOF and the limitation of the budget for the MC, no item is included in the budget for financial support to map project.
It is however very useful that the MC is contacted whenever there is an offer for assistance from other IOF sources or wealthy federations, as the MC has a staff of good map makers, which can ensure that projects in new areas, has a satisfactory professional standard.