1 Introduction  
2 Some Technical Issues  
2.1 Automated Classification  
2.2 Photometric Calibration  
2.3 Parallaxes  
3 Galactic Structure  
3.1 Nuclear Stellar Disc  
3.2 The Galactic Bulge  
3.3 Cepheids and the Extreme Inner Disc  
3.4 Halo and Outer Disc  
4 Variable Stars and Mass Loss  
4.1 AGB Variables  
4.2 R Coronae Borealis Type Variables  
5 Summary