History of MSD

The military survey was established in January 1974, as a technical support unit that strives to provide the requirements of UAE armed forces as for maps and topographic information. Since then, the military survey commenced to draw the executive steps of the tasks imposed on starting with qualifying the national cadre and conclusing with various product processes.

The eighties decade was considered to be the most important stage in the progress of the military survey. Where the national maps project was considered to be one of the most fundamental projects, it was implemented that project comprises the national geodesic network establishment and total coverage to the country land with base maps according to the global specifications.

At the beginning of the nineties, the military survey started shifting to maps digital product technique, where the whole lands of the country were covered with digital maps. This was followed by setting new product lines for digital spatial data for various applications using the most modern systems and softwares. This advanced step created the infrastructures to produce spatial database necessary to various using of geographic information systems.

These achievements increased the contributions of the military survey in the process of construction and development in the country by providing the governmental institutions with geographic information and up to date maps needed to perform their roles and achieve the mutual projects. The role of the military survey is not only limited to the provision of these institution with its products, but also included the contribution to the development process as a whole. For instance, drawing up the academic programs relative to a real work in cooperation with the educational institutions or offering solution and technical consultation requested by various parties. The military survey, also endeavors to work with prompt efforts to lay the bases and necessary arrangements to establish infrastructures for spatial data for the country, through specifications standardization and draft the legal and administrative frameworks to organize product processes and sharing of various spatial data between the country institutions.

The level reached by UAE military survey unit during the last thirty years is considered to be per se achievements compared with similar surveying units in the Arab world. This is undoubtedly fulfilled with the merit of honest efforts of this homeland’s citizens under the wise leadership of his highness shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the supreme commander of the armed forces, may God protect him