By Marc Prioleau is the executive director of Overture Maps Foundation,

Marc Prioleau

Charting the Path Forward: Open Map Data’s Role in Enriching Mapping Experiences

In the last 2 years, I have talked to over 250 companies and organizations that are involved in mapping, location services, and map data building. There is amazingly consistent consensus across the industry:  we, as a group, need to move to open map data, especially for the base layers that must support the ever-growing metadata that drives richer map experiences.

The demand for those richer experiences seems insatiable, which means that application developers need new, more accurate, more timely data. Trying to support all that data on multiple versions of basemaps is becoming  unsustainable.

My prediction is that, in 2024, developers will increasingly opt for open map data to build the foundation for their applications.

Today, map data underpins applications for everything from search, to routing, to logistics, to autonomous driving. As the metaverse builds, and the digital and physical worlds merge, map services will underpin augmented reality and its many expected applications from search to games to software for enterprises.

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Revolutionizing the World with LiDAR: 2024’s Industry Game-Changer

As we step into 2024, the LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) technology is poised to transcend its automotive roots, marking a paradigm shift in its application spectrum. This year is set to witness LiDAR’s widespread adoption in sectors beyond automotive, particularly in major transportation hubs like airports and in smart city applications such as parking management and smart highways. This article delves into the anticipated technological innovations, market trends, and the integration of artificial intelligence with LiDAR technology, outlining how these elements will collectively redefine industry standards.

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By Dr. Konrad Wenzel, Director Director of the Esri R&D Center, ESRI Stuttgart

Dr. Konrad Wenzel

1 – AI for Data Understanding and Co-piloting Workflows: AI will continue to play an increasingly important role in the geospatial industry. AI algorithms can analyze large volumes of geospatial data, extract valuable insights, and automate repetitive tasks. This will lead to more efficient and accurate decision-making processes.

2 – Digital Twins and Access to GIS: Digital twins, which are virtual replicas of real-world objects or processes, are becoming a commoditized access to GIS for a larger user community. Digital twins provide a powerful tool for visualizing and analyzing geospatial data in a user-friendly manner. This democratization of GIS technology will enable more people to leverage spatial data for various applications.

3 – Continuous Mapping Workflows with Autonomous Sensors and AI: Autonomous sensors and AI technologies are transforming mapping workflows. Drones, satellites, and other autonomous platforms equipped with sensors can collect data in real-time, while AI algorithms process and analyze this data to generate up-to-date and accurate maps. This continuous mapping workflow will enable organizations to monitor changes in the environment, infrastructure, and urban areas more effectively.

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By Joe Wolfel, Terradepth, CEO

Joe Wolfel

2023 Will be the Year We Gain Greater Understanding of Our Oceans

By necessity, 2023 will see a dramatic increase in the collection and analysis of geospatial data related to our oceans. Whether the goal is better understanding of climate change mechanisms or the responsible development of offshore renewable energy, improved knowledge of the complex marine ecosystem is critical.

Ocean studies have been traditionally stymied by lack of quality marine data – primarily due to the inherent difficulties in subsurface collection operations – and the inability to easily share and analyze the limited ocean data that does exist. Fortunately, 2022 provided a turning point to overcome both these obstacles – and this momentum will only accelerate in 2023.

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By, Chris Rose, Channel VP and James Eaton, VP solutions consulting, Wejo

Chris Rose

James Eaton

GIS with connected vehicle data will help organizations optimize operations in 2023

GIS will have a growing and more impactful effect across industries in 2023. However, the economic realities of the post-pandemic world and the likely pending recession will be driving forces behind use cases for business optimization in 2023. Connected cars, in particular, will play an important part in how businesses will work to better leverage GIS which feeds into it for better footfall analysis for marketing and pricing and digital twins.

In fact, connected vehicle data has already shown us with real-time visibility that traffic patterns aren’t what they used to be with the how, when, and where people work, having flipped the economy, particularly the retail sector, on its head. With tough economic times likely on the horizon, it is critically important that organizations look to data and solutions that leverage real-time information to understand where people live, work and travel daily. The currency of real-time big data available is driving dynamic decision-making. And organizations that successfully embrace it will be the ones that can optimize their businesses best in 2023.

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By Glenn Stowe, product manager for Geospatial at MariaDB

Glenn Stowe

Here we are in 2023, kicking off what’s sure to be an exciting year in the geospatial world and looking  to see if we can tell what’s coming down the technology pipes.

Predictions are tricky things. Often the most significant changes are the ones no one saw coming. But if we look at the current landscape and its big movers, there are a few major trends that can give us a pretty good idea of where things are going. We are seeing:

1. The increasing use of geospatial data and technologies for location-based services, such as ride-hailing and delivery services.
2. The integration of geodata with the Internet of Things (IoT), allowing for real-time tracking and monitoring of assets and individuals.
3. The use of geospatial intelligence for environmental monitoring and natural resource management, such as mapping land use and predicting the impact of climate change.
4. The growth of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) or drones for mapping and data collection, which can be used to gather data quickly and cost-effectively in a variety of settings.
5. The development of new data platforms and tools, such as cloud-based platforms and open-source software, which make it easier for organizations to access and use geospatial data.
6. The increased use of machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI) to analyze and interpret geodata, enabling new insights and applications.

Many of these trends are well underway. Individually, they won’t be driving major change in 2023. As our industry continues to grow and mature, the most sweeping innovations going forward will not be individual technologies or disruptive “game changers.”

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By Jakub Karas, Co-Founder and CTO, Upvision

Jakub KARAS

In 2023, we expect to see a continuation of the significant progress in civil drone operations development that has been accelerated in the past year around the world through various new deployments, certifications, demonstrations and other reports and decisions from authorities such as the FAA or EASA, supported by industry and other stakeholders.

This will be tied to the further development and implementation of UTM and associated technologies such as Detect and Avoid (DAA), UAS Remote ID and iConspicuity for visibility and other manned assets and secure operations for all airspace participants needed to increase the safety of drone operations with a view to supporting the development of advanced drone operations in BVLOS on a large scale. Similarly, new methods of investigating the risks of drone operations are being addressed to safely develop drone applications in urban environments. There are also first certifications in the world for BVLOS operations, drone delivery services etc.

This has a great impact on the development and efficiency of drone use also in the geospatial industry where BVLOS flying is needed in most usecases and applications. Especially in the field of mapping and monitoring of larger areas, simplification flight processes and reducing flying time also in terms of the need for certain climatic conditions for some usecases.

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By Pascal Strupler, Business Director of Autonomous Reality Capture at Leica Geosystems, part of Hexagon

Pascal Strupler

In 2023, companies will be moving more into digital workflows, especially as industry leaders digitize the process of monitoring construction projects. These digital workflows will rely on automated reality capture to compare the current state of a construction site with BIM plans. Then, to quickly close the loop, corresponding insights will be brought back into the field using augmented reality to point out inaccuracies or missing installations. However, automating this process requires frequent capturing of a construction site using reality capture technology. The most cost efficient way to do this is through the use of autonomous reality capture to minimize user involvement without compromising the integrity of the scans.

By Dr. Shawana P. Johnson, GISP

Dr. Shawana P. Johnson

In the geospatial world there are many places to focus on for industry predictions in 2023 from the ever-growing impact of 5G and the ownership of that market space by China effecting both commercial and national security sectors; to the continued commoditization of space with satellites, imaging sensors, ground stations, and launch vehicles opening the industry up to even greater market fragmentation as more and more data are accessible at lower prices. For the purposes of this prediction, however I will briefly address Digital Twins and if there were more time and space, I would include the Metaverse as well.

With the advent of global and continentally focused “Digital Twins” such as the Esri Digital Twin for the natural and built environments,  NASAs Earth System Digital Twin, Digital Earth Africa; Destination Earth (“DestinE”) moonshot project which will create multiple digital twins of Earth, including one digital twin for extreme natural disasters and another for climate change adaptation the already complex geospatial field becomes even more so for developing nations.  These massive digital twins however come at a price. For instance the DestinE will also provide a focus on developing a “configurable climate information system” enabling global climate simulations at multidecadal timescales. To accomplish this they will utilize a Finnish supercomputing center CSC and The European Center for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) to develop that digital twin, harnessing the capabilities of their  LUMI supercomputer (which is number three on the  Top500 list of fastest supercomputers in the world) list and is powered almost entirely by renewable energy).

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