(Interview from 2006 with a 2022 update)

Mareike Huisinga

Math and geography were among her favorite subjects at school. "I was fascinated by the logical. I found identifying and then solving problems particularly engrossing," says Klara Töpfer, looking back with a smile. Logically enough, she decided to study geodesy. "It's a good mix of math and geoscience: It's not just about pure math; the subject is also about practical application."

She enrolled at TU Dresden (TUD) in 1985. It was not difficult to choose a university – Dresden was at that time the only place you could study the subject – and so Töpfer moved from Sömmerda in Thuringia to Saxony. She received a solid foundation in her field at TUD. However, certain areas were only touched upon or not taught at all, for example real estate registers and land law; this was because of the approach to property and ownership in the GDR.

To make up for this shortcoming and qualify for a professional-grade public service role, Töpfer followed her degree with a two-year traineeship with the district administration of Hanover. "My general level of education was absolutely comparable to that of graduates who studied in the West," she determines looking back.

In 1993, she finished her traineeship for professional-grade public service work in surveying and returned to Dresden, and took up a job with the public surveying office. The 41-year-old now works as a geospatial information and surveying expert at the Saxon State Ministry of the Interior. She is responsible for calculating the costs of land surveys and geospatial data – in other words, the costs of delivering maps and digital geodata. In some cases, she works with colleagues from other federal states. However, she tells us that "it's a purely administrative role and has very little to do with the subject I studied." But things needn't stay that way, as Saxony's administration operates on a system of rotation. Klara Töpfer would like "to move back into surveying more, in other words the technical side." Her stated goal is to assume more responsibility in the land registry and surveying department. She does not have many professional ties to her former alma mater. "Sometimes we get together for a meeting, and sometimes specific projects are carried out with Technische Universität Dresden, but that is rare."

Comparing her situation after university to the current environment, Töpfer thinks that the challenges for geodesy graduates have increased. Why? "The current labor market situation for geodesists is not good." On the one hand, she says, this is due to stagnation in the construction industry, and on the other, graduates are also finding it difficult to find jobs in the public sector, where there is a hiring freeze. That is why expertise alone is, in her view, not enough on a job application. "A good command of English and excellence in your native language are basic requirements." She explains that it is not uncommon for geodesists to have to look for new career options, for example image recognition in medical research.
 

The demands Klara Töpfer has to meet are not only work-related. At home, she has Una and Lea, her two young daughters, waiting on her. How does she reconcile her job and family life? "It is only possible with the support of my husband and with good organization," is her immediate response. When she does have free time, she uses every minute to be with her family. "I used to enjoy Dresden's cultural scene, but that's taken a bit of a back seat now." At the moment, collecting chestnuts and trips to the swimming pool and adventure playground are more common items on her schedule. On weekends, there are family excursions to the nearby countryside, with Saxon Switzerland, the Dresden Heath, and the Elbe Valley firm favorites. Family has also slightly altered Klara Töpfer's holiday destinations. Where she once traveled the world, the family now prefers to stay in Germany, for example vacationing in the Spreewald forest or Mecklenburg. And as Klara Töpfer says, it's pretty nice there too!

Update 2022:
Much time has passed since the last interview, and a lot has changed. Professional opportunities for alumni of Geodesy in particular have significantly improved over the last years. There is great demand for well-trained experts in this field. This is something I have come to learn and manage in my current job as the director of the City of Dresden’s Office for Geodata and Land Registry. After a period working for the Administrative District Sächsische Schweiz (Saxon Switzerland), I took on my current position heading this office with a staff of around 130 employees in 2012. Each year, this number grows by about five people who have completed a bachelor’s or master’s degree in geodesy.

Our primary tasks comprise the collection, updating, processing and publication of geospatial information. We are responsible for the real estate land registry, geodata collection and geo-information. We also manage land and appraise property for the City of Dresden.
 
We use our own laser scanners, drones and total stations to collect geodata, or we process existing data and images. Our 2D and 3D data provides the basis for creating models for urban flood protection and smart city matters such as mobility and transportation, energy and environment, economy and commerce, administration, education, health and safety.

One of our services that helps people most directly is the Interactive City Map of Dresden – an online resource that allows users to search for information about the city by applying filters for nearly 400 criteria, including tourist attractions, early childcare centers and schools, cadastral plots, environmental information and more.

Our office is also participating in the “Modern workplace” pilot project. 17 employees currently work in a modern, open-plan office, which allows them to get familiar with the new collaborative world of open workspaces with various ways to hold meetings but also to work independently. This is what we all have to look forward to when Dresden’s New Administrative Center opens in 2025.

Looking back, I can confidently say that I have achieved my goal from 2006 to assume more responsibility in the area of surveying.

Contact details:
Landeshauptstadt Dresden
Geschäftsbereich Stadtentwicklung, Bau, Verkehr und Liegenschaften
Amt für Geodaten und Kataster
Leiterin Klara Töpfer
Tel.: +49 351 4883900

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