The National Geographic Institute (Spanish: Instituto Geográfico Nacional, IGN) is the national mapping agency of Peru. It is a decentralized public organization attached to the Ministry of Defence, responsible for the production of the official maps of the country and for supporting activities related to national development and defense. Its headquarters are located in Surquillo, Lima.
History
The origins of the institute date back to February 13, 1901, when the General Staff of the Army (EMGE) was reorganized and a fourth entity dedicated to topography and cartography was included. On March 6, 1906, President José Pardo y Barreda approved the topographic service under the EMGE.
On April 14, 1913, the Army Geographic Service (Servicio Geográfico del Ejército, SGE) was created as a dependency of the EMGE. A supreme decree of May 14, 1913, assigned it the task of preparing the geographical map of Peru, a mission previously fulfilled by the Geographic Society of Lima.
By supreme decree of May 10, 1921, President Augusto B. Leguía entrusted the direction of the SGE to French Colonel Georges Thomas, who established the foundations for a "National Charter." In 1938, a Map of Peru was published jointly with the Geographical Society of Lima at a scale of 1:1,500,000, approved by President Oscar R. Benavides.
In 1944, the SGE was renamed the Military Geographic Institute (Instituto Geográfico Militar, IGM). By Supreme Decree of October 10, 1957, the IGM was authorized to carry out aerial photogrammetry work for the survey of the National Chart.
Through Legislative Decree No. 30 of 1980, the IGM was renamed the National Geographic Institute (IGN), directly dependent on the Ministry of War. By Law No. 24654 of March 31, 1987, and Legislative Decree No. 434 of September 27, 1987, the IGN was established as a Decentralized Public Organization of the defense sector.
On June 13, 2000, Law 27292 was promulgated, defining the organization and functions of the IGN, including its technical directorates (Geography, GIS, Geodesy, Photogrammetry, Cartography, Reproduction; Cartographic School; and Regional Directorates). The law also established the obligation of public and private entities to provide geographic cartographic information to keep the Cartographic Database updated.
Functions
The IGN serves as the governing body for national cartography in Peru. Its mission is to prepare and update the Official Basic Cartography of Peru, providing public and private entities with the cartographic materials required for national defense and development purposes.
Chiefs
The institute has been led by a series of military officers, including:
- Lieutenant Colonel Carlos Méndez Prieto (1915–1919)
- Colonel George Thomas (1921–1925)
- Brigadier General Robert Heli Valles Angulo (2024–present)
See also
- National Aerophotographic Service
- INGEMMET (Geological, Mining and Metallurgical Institute of Peru)
References
- Legislative Decree No. 1134 (2012-12-09), Ministry of Defence of Peru.
- Law No. 27292, Congress of the Republic of Peru (23 June 2000).
- "Presentaciones institucionales - IGN", PerúEduca (archived).
- "Historia", Instituto Geográfico Nacional (archived).
