The Federal Office of Topography swisstopo conducts civil and military tasks within the DDPS and ensures that the armed forces have access to fundamental geoinformation and geoinformatics services. These tasks include providing expert support with ICT and defence systems in which geoinformation is used and supplying the armed forces with geodata from Switzerland and abroad. As part of this, swisstopo’s Institute for Military Geography works closely with the armed forces (Joint Operations Command – MilGeo Defence Information Service) to coordinate and manage military geography activities in Switzerland and abroad.

The legal basis for this is Art. 28 of the National Land Survey Ordinance of 21 May 2008.

The Institute for Military Geography also supports COGIS, the federal coordination service, with the coordination of geoinformation within the DDPS.

The Institute for Military Geography is authorised to conduct bilateral negotiations with equivalent partner organisations abroad and to sign the resulting agreements. These bilateral agreements – which are generally concluded in the form of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) – grant swisstopo access to foreign military geoinformation for the armed forces. Where required, other official, commercial or open (i.e. freely accessible) geodata from abroad is also provided to the armed forces.