Land surveying and topographical and geodetic industries of Ukraine in wartime conditions: transformations and challenges

This article is devoted to the current state of land management and topography-geodesic industries in Ukraine, particularly in the context of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and Russian armed aggression. The authors emphasize the critical role of these industries in securing land and real estate rights, spatial planning, land resource management, and ensuring technogenic and environmental safety. The article considers the main transformations, challenges and opportunities for the professional activity of land surveying engineers and surveyors during the war, as well as their role in the post-war reconstruction of the country. In particular, a detailed analysis of the dynamics of the certification of land surveying engineers and surveyors for the period 2013–2024 was carried out, which makes it possible to assess the state of the industry, taking into account both economic and social challenges. An increase or decrease in the number of new certified specialists allows you to determine the activity of the labor market, as well as the impact of crisis factors on the work of the industry. The study also considered the regional peculiarities of the employment of specialists, analyzing the dynamics in the frontline, de-occupied, rear and support regions. The article emphasizes the significant role of gender balance in engineering professions, in particular, it is found that women's access to technical specialties, which were previously considered predominantly male, is increasing. Analysis of the gender ratio shows progress in ensuring equal opportunities for representatives of both sexes in the land management and topographic-geodetic spheres. The main conclusions of the study indicate that the land management and topography-geodetic fields need the integration of the latest technologies, such as geographic information systems (GIS) and remote sensing of the Earth to improve the effectiveness of their work in war and post-war reconstruction. The use of unmanned aerial vehicles for the collection of geodata in dangerous regions and the adaptation of educational programs for the training of new specialists taking into account the new realities are the key directions of the development of the industry. The article is an important contribution to the understanding of modern challenges and opportunities for the land management and topographic-geodetic industries in the conditions of war, providing scientific and practical recommendations for strategic development.