By Eduardo Coloma, CEO, Maptek

Eduardo Coloma

Macroeconomic trends

• Critical minerals: Miners have been quick to take advantage of the worldwide shift to clean energy, a trend that is certain to continue in the foreseeable future. Two main drivers are the importance of advancing technologies for battery storage, electric vehicles, and solar and wind power generation. Critical minerals are also key for telecommunications and security.
• Decarbonisation: Despite an ongoing commitment to lower carbon emissions, the industry has seen increased demand for coal due to political instability globally. Coal will still be required for global energy needs for some time, with usage expected to decrease gradually and influence business decisions over many years. It is wise for companies to set and share clear goals for lowering their direct emissions and work with others to reduce emissions across the value chain. Developments include adding renewable energy technology and starting projects to test new ore processing methods that produce less carbon.
• Incentivise research and development: New products, services and business processes that improve productivity and competitiveness rely on a strong foundation of research and development (R&D). Australia’s economy will continue to succeed by focusing on high-tech, transferable skills across global markets. When mining investment increases during boom times, so does industry spending on R&D, as evidenced by the 2011-12 peak in Australia, when mining contributed $4.1 billion to R&D, a quarter of the country’s total. Ten years later, mining’s contribution to R&D was $0.9 billion, with the share of added value falling from 4.1% to 0.3%. Incentivising R&D is crucial to restoring mining as a major contributor to Australia’s economy.

Read the rest of GISCafe Industry Predictions for 2024 – Maptek

By Jodie Gosselin, GISP, is the GIS director at Dawood Engineering (Dawood),

Jodie Gosselin

As I look forward to 2024, my industry predictions revolve around the immediate changes I see occurring in AEC firms like Dawood Engineering. Changes that are right in front of me and that I’m working with my team to solve.

In a recent LinkedIn post, I touted how pleasantly surprised I was with ArcGIS Pro’s functionality and capabilities after needing to get into the weeds and use it for data analysis, map production, web sharing, and data management. Having been a die-hard ArcMap user my entire career, I was stubborn in my resistance to change. What I learned from publicly announcing my new-found admiration for ArcGIS Pro is that there are a lot of “closed-door” ArcGIS Pro fans out there.

Although the migration to ArcGIS Pro has been steadily occurring in our community, I predict 2024 to be the year a culture shift occurs and ArcGIS Pro becomes the primary software of all AEC Esri users, and the beginning of ArcMap being phased out by GIS users. A lot of advancements have been made to Pro since it was originally released years ago and the need to toggle between ArcMap and ArcPro is now unnecessary. With the prevalence of ArcGIS web applications and data sharing workflows, ArcGIS Pro has hooked many users with its level of integration into these tasks. More users will start to see and appreciate the other advances that have been made to Pro in other areas like linear referencing, map layouts, and data editing.

Read the rest of GIS Industry Predictions 2024 – Dawood Engineering

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.

Read the rest of GIS Industry Predictions 2024 – Overture Maps Foundation

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.

Read the rest of Industry Predictions 2024 – Outsight

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.

Read the rest of Industry Predictions 2024 – ESRI