Panel: European Geospatial Market and Economy: Growth Trend and Directions

Europe offers a trillion Euro geospatial market. It is a region where geospatial tools and technologies are indispensable in governance, businesses, and socio-economic-environmental development. Between 2021-2025, the commercial value-added services or the downstream market in Earth Observations is forecasted to grow at CAGR 14.53%. This growth is driven by the evolving role of national geospatial agencies, enhanced workflow integration in the economic sectors, changing business models, and evolving legislative environment.

This panel will discuss:

• Upcoming business trends and opportunities as per the demands of the market
• Evolving collaborative business models
• Key growth drivers and differentiators shaping Europe’s Geospatial Industry
• Success stories: what works best for who
• Current and future priorities influencing geospatial businesses
• The evolving landscape of geospatial technology adoption and implementation

Panel: Hydrospatial-Advancing Blue Economy

As per the EU Blue Economy Report 2024, established sectors of the EU Blue Economy directly employed close to 3.59 million people and generated around €623.6 billion in turnover. Hydrospatial information is crucial in determining the baselines and supporting decision-making across all blue economy sectors. It is also a key component of the European Digital Twin of the Ocean, which enables modelling and development of science-driven decision-making tools, thereby ensuring a healthy and sustainable ocean. The development of the hydrospatial domain necessitates collaboration among diverse stakeholders of the blue economy, including hydrographic and oceanographic offices, blue economy sectoral users, technology providers, and policymakers.

This Panel will discuss:

Evolving demand for ocean knowledge, and opportunities for growth and innovation in the blue economy

• Evolution of hydrospatial domain
• Technology innovation enabling hydrospatial knowledge creation
• Enhancing interoperability and data integration for hydrospatial knowledge
• Hydrospatial knowledge impact in blue economy sectors

Panel: Advancements & Obstacles of Geospatial Technologies

• Sectors deeply benefitted from the geospatial technology, GeoAI,
• Technology disruptors in the geospatial sector
• Challenges like data security and privacy and measures to overcome the same
• Sectors deeply benefitted from the technology
• Spatial and non-spatial data that can benefit from employing GeoAI
• Understanding other technology disruptions or advancements at par with GeoAI
• Relevant policies

Panel: Digital Twins: Above-Surface and Below-Surface Innovations

This session will delve into the transformative potential of digital twin technology across various domains, focusing on smart infrastructure and ocean exploration. Digital twins, virtual replicas of physical entities, provide real-time data and predictive insights, enabling enhanced decision-making and operational efficiency.

The Panel will bring upon the following discussion points:

• The current trends of Digital Twin technology and opportunities for technology convergence
• Need for resilience and transparency
• Cross-Domain Innovations-Synergies between land and marine digital twin applications.

Panel: Geospatial Technologies Transforming Telecommunication, Utilities and Energy

Digital technologies and innovations that can optimise and increase efficiency within the telecommunications, utilities and the energy sectors. Technological innovations facilitate precise monitoring, efficient resource management, and strategic planning, crucial for reducing carbon footprints. For utilities aiming for the EU's carbon-neutral goals, geospatial solutions optimize operations, enhance renewable energy integration, and minimize environmental impact. Leveraging modern ICT, these systems enable effective green management by providing real-time data, predictive analytics, and seamless connectivity, ensuring sustainable and resilient utility infrastructures.

The panel will discuss:

• Use of geospatial technologies, AI, IoT, Big Data for telecom sector
• Green transition of the energy sector through Geospatial
• Impact of geospatial solutions and AI on utilities planning, energy usage, network optimization
• Geospatial systems leveraging modern ICT for effective creation and
• management of infrastructures for different utilities
• Strategies for energy-efficient network design and operation

Panel: Strengthening ESG Objectives through Earth Observation

Achieving ESG objectives through earth observations is crucial for precise environmental monitoring, resource management, and sustainability reporting. It enables real-time tracking of ecological impacts, helps optimize resource use, and ensures transparency, aiding in compliance with regulations and fostering trust among stakeholders, ultimately driving sustainable development and corporate responsibility. Thus, transitioning into a greener space of business operations becomes more valuable to an organisation to deliver ESG goals, building resiliency as well as healthier sectors across Europe.

The panel will discuss:

• Implementable green transitions within business operation in the European market- its challenges and solutions
• Long-term business decisions on balancing commercial and environmental demands
• What insights can Earth Observation give towards ESG goals
• Success stories and Use Cases
• Improving ESG Strategy through Earth Observation

Panel: Startups and Market Gaps

European GIS-based start-ups are developing the growth of application innovation into critical segments of various industries. And further are entering niche fields for providing data and services to solve critical issues. This session will explore the dynamics of these niche markets where demand is driven by the need for sophisticated, adaptable geospatial technologies. Panelists will also discuss what opportunities lie for start-ups, the challenges and strategies essential for navigating complex markets yet how they can present their enormous potential for market capture.

The panel will discuss:

• Spotting Emerging Needs in High-Growth Markets
• Strategies for Market Entry and Differentiation
• Making start-ups resilient
• Navigating through the geospatial ecosystem through collaborations
• Understanding the current market demand and emerging trends in GIS
• Identifying profitable sectors and investments rich sectors.