Szabolcs Mihály

He began his professional career at the Cartographic Company and the Budapest Geodesy and Cartography Company.
He worked at the Institute of Geodesy and Remote Sensing (FÖMI) from 1970. Between 1970 and 1989, he was a scientific associate, department head, and then head of the Cosmic Geodesic Observatory (KGO) of FÖMI. As scientific head (1989-97) and then director general (1997-2010) of FÖMI, he manages the GIS systematization of geodetic and cartographic basic data and the application of digital remote sensing technology.

Between 2010-12, he was the Hungarian contact person for the EU in the field of INSPIRE spatial information data infrastructure at the Ministry of Rural Development.

He taught and headed departments of cosmic geodesy, digital photogrammetry and geoinformatics at the Budapest University of Technology (BME) and the Faculty of Geoinformatics (GEO) of the University of West Hungary (NyME).

He has implemented national and international projects in the field of satellite observations for geodetic purposes (the self-developed so-called SADOSA software; Hungarian geodetic network measurements; the so-called WEDOC satellite campaigns for connecting Western and Eastern European geodetic networks, 1980-87). He is a participant in the domestic introduction of GPS. As a professional project manager of the FÖMI in the National Geoinformatics Program of the OMFB (National Technical Development Committee), he created and introduced the Hungarian digital base map standard and regulation system (DAT, 1993-97). He was the project manager of the EU project “Database of Administrative Boundaries” (ABDS, 11 countries, 1998-2001).

Member of the Hungarian Society of Surveying, Cartography and Remote Sensing (MFTTT), president and vice-president between 2007-15, chairman of its sustainable development working group (2017-). Member of the Central Astronautical Department of the Federation of Technical and Natural Science Associations (MTESZ) (later Hungarian Astronautical Society (MANT)) and chairman of its sub-unit (1987-91). Member of HUNAGI (Hungarian Geoinformatics Society). The driving force behind the MFTTT-EMT (Transylvanian Hungarian Technical Scientific Society) cooperation. Member of the Geodesy Scientific Committee of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences since 1986, vice-president between 2001-08. Member of the X. Department of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences with deliberative rights (2003-2011). Chairman of the Geoinformatics Committee of the Hungarian Standards Body (MSZT) (1995-2012). He has been a member of the International Advisory Team (IAC) of the Beijing-based CBAS (International Research Center of Big Data for Sustainable Development Goals) international institute for sustainable development since 2022.

His awards: József Jáky Memorial Medal (Road Construction Technical School, 1962); Lázár Deák Memorial Medal (MFTTT, 1982); Academic Award (MTA, 1993); Antal Fasching Award (Ministry of Agriculture, 1996); GEO Memorial Medal (2007); Knight's Cross of the Hungarian Order of Merit (Hungarian State, 2012); Márton Gyárfás Memorial Plaque (MFTTT, 2020).