GISCafe Industry Predictions for 2023 – The Mindshare Manager

By Brad Burgess, Founder, The Mindshare Manager

Brad Burgess

With the year 2022 in the books, attention of course now turns to what we might expect in 2023. While 2022 certainly presented all industries with a number of challenges, the geospatial industry saw continued advancements in a number of areas that set it up well, in my view, for the new year ahead.

With that in mind, keep an eye on these important trends this year:

Technology

Interest in remote (field) access to visual infrastructure asset information remains high and will only continue to grow. Having the ability to virtually “see” buried utilities under the pavement, or MEP installations behind the wall, is not only highly productive but serves to reduce errors. Use- cases are emerging that impact business results across the full asset life-cycle, including Concept & Planning, Design/ Engineering, Construction, and Operations & Maintenance.

• Digital Twins –Generally described as a digital representation of a real-world physical asset, product, system, or process, a Digital Twin is intended for purposes such as simulations, testing, monitoring, and maintenance. To date, however, many implementations seem to only feature the data sets resulting from Reality Capture efforts, ignoring the other inputs that make Digital Twins most valued. In 2023, look for increased emphasis on data input from IoT sensors and/ or integrations with business management systems.
• Enterprise AR/ VR – integrates multiple spatial datasets (e.g., BIM, GIS, and 3D laser scans) into coordinated AR visuals displayed (most often) on mobile productivity tools such as phones and tablets. While wearable devices (i.e., glasses and goggles) have struggled to find their place over the past few years, look for advances in new and next generation devices to re-emerge in the marketplace in 2023.

Economics

Global economic headwinds that persisted throughout much of 2022, are expected to continue well into 2023. Inflation, down slightly at the end of 2022, is projected by most analysts to remain at elevated levels for the foreseeable future.

• Mergers & Acquisitions – With the rise in interest rates that started in 2022 to combat inflation, access to capital in the new year for the industry’s vital start-up community can expect to be constrained. In 2023, look for M & A activity to be mixed as businesses without a long history or strong cash cushion struggle to secure sources of funding, while bootstrapping by entrepreneurs continues strong.

Workplace

The pandemic has resulted in a new normal being defined for businesses looking to satisfy worker’s desire for an improved work/ life balance.

• Remote/ Hybrid Work – Remote and hybrid working models are now becoming the standard for attracting and retaining top talent who look for jobs with more flexible working options. Whether in the office, field, or at home, reliable access to enterprise data becomes an essential work requirement. Look for new innovations to come from enabling technologies such as 5G networks and in SaaS platforms.

About the Presenter:
Brad has been involved in the Construction and Geospatial industries since 1980. In that time, Brad has worked as a concrete laborer, a draftsman for a photogrammetric mapping firm, and held several land surveying positions, including a tour in the U.S. Army as an Airborne Construction Surveyor.

Category: Industry Predictions

This entry was posted on Wednesday, January 18th, 2023 at 1:45 pm. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.