HISTORIQUE-HISTORIEK
Belgium was among the 9 countries who established the International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics (IUGG) on July 28,1919 in Brussels.
The Belgian National Committee for Geodesy and Geophysics (BNCGG) was created shortly after in 1921. The running expenses were covered until 1950 by the National Cartographic Institute and later on by Royal Academy of Belgium, now split into "Koninklijke Vlaamse Academie van Belgïe voor Wetenschappen en Kunsten" and "Académie Royale des Sciences, des Lettres et des Beaux-Arts de Belgique".
The BNCGG played a key role in the organisation of the IXth General Assembly of the IUGG which was held in Brussels in 1951 and was participating actively to the International Geophysical Year in 1957.
The BNCGG serves as a link between IUGG and the Belgian scientists working in the fields of Geodesy and Geophysics. This activity reaches a climax every four years at the IUGG general assemblies. The BNCGG is then charged to propose to the Academy the national delegates to IUGG and to its seven Associations:
International Association of Geodesy (IAG );
International Association of Geomagnetism and Aeronomy (IAGA); International Association of Meteorology and Atmospheric Sciences (IAMAS);
International Association of Hydrological Sciences (IAHS);
International Association of the Physical Sciences of the Ocean (IAPSO);
International Association of Seismology and Physics of the Earth Interior (IASPEI ;
International Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of the Earth Interior (IAVCEI).
In the mean time the BNCGG organises 4 times a year conferences by known Belgian or foreign scientists.
The BNCGG tries also to encourage the participation of young scientists to the IUGG General Assemblies by attributing grants.
In parallel with the BNCGG there exists since 1955 an "Association sans buts lucratifs de droit belge" called "Comité National Belge de Géodésie et de Géophysique, Bruxelles". It is charged to administrate the finances of the Committee.