The Geospatial Sector; Huge and Growing Fast
11 August 2014 – According to a report published last year by Oxera a leading UK economic research firm which was commissioned by Google, at $150-270 billion annually the geospatial sector globally was one third the size of the global airline industry.
The report states “Geo services are making an important contribution to the global economy and to future productivity. The efficiency gains they create are helping to facilitate future economic activity and generate additional consumer welfare.”
Everyone would be aware of the airline industry but very few would be aware of the geospatial industry, an industry which to a very large extent operates out of direct public view, but which produces products and services which impact on billions of people world-wide on a daily basis. The insurance, automotive, telecommunications, navigation, marine, agriculture, energy, utilities, tourism and recreation and media industries are just some to the diverse range of sectors which rely heavily on geospatial products and services.
Apart from the enormous size of the sector, another key point highlighted in the Google sponsored research report was that the sector is growing globally at about 30% annually. With overall global economic growth taking place in the lower single digit range, growth of this nature can truly be described as explosive.
The European focussed imaGIne conference will provide an excellent opportunity to get a flavour of what is going on in the sector and also, most importantly, to establish or consolidate networks with important role players in this fast expanding sector.
Showcasing what Europe has to Offer
A key aim of the conference is to showcase the best which Europe has to offer in the geospatial field, thus the conference sub-title “Geographic Information Expertise: Made in Europe”. The aim has guided EUROGI and its member associations in the selection of themes and speakers.
Keynote Speakers
During the plenary sessions presentations will be given by top European and global experts. Mr Roberto Viola, Deputy Director, Directorate General CONNECT, European Commission, will provide an outline of the European Union’s Digital Agenda Europe, with particular emphasis on geospatial aspects. Mr Detlef Dauke, Director General, German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy will speak on behalf of the German Vice-Chancellor, who is the patron for the conference.
Two speakers will provide a view of the state of the European geospatial industry from a global perspective, highlighting its strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats.
Other issues which will be covered in the plenaries include the Internet of Things (billions of interlinked sensors across Europe), Linked Data (joining up data which was otherwise unconnected) and Big Data (massive amounts of data from diverse sources and across many fields).
Great Themes
In addition to the plenary sessions there will be 15 parallel sessions of 90 minutes each, each of which has a specific thematic focus. The themes include Job Creation and Economic Growth, Energy, Environment, Demography, Smart Cities, Copernicus (Europe’s Earth Observation initiative), Open Data, Big Data, and Insurance. The sessions will not only provide interesting insights but will also feature panel sessions where top persons will discuss pertinent issues. There will also be opportunities for audience engagement with the prominent experts in the various fields.
The European Commission’s Joint Research Centre will provide an opportunity to discuss the European Union Location Framework, a set of policies and measures which aim to facilitate the integration of geospatial information into e-government services and to increase alignment in and between existing and future EU policies.
INTERGEO Fair
The imaGIne conference will take place at the same venue and at the same time as the INTERGEO trade fair.
INTERGEO is the world’s leading trade fair for geodesy, geoinformation and land management. With over half a million event website users, over 16 000 direct visitors each year from 92 countries and more than 500 exhibitors, it is one of the key platforms for business dialogue in the geospatial information sphere.
Registration for EUROGI’s imaGIne conference will automatically entitle delegates to visit the fair.
Berlin: a Great City to Visit
Berlin is Germany’s top tourist city destination. It is a great city to visit, mixing venues of historical interest with exciting recreation and entertainment opportunities.
Alongside its major historical sites, Berlin offers a diverse range of top attractions – world famous buildings, museums, city parks, cabaret theatres, festivals and of course plenty of shopping opportunities.
More Information and Registration
More information about the conference can be found at www.imagine2014.eu. The web site also provides the opportunity to register. An early bird discount rate will be available until 31 August 2014.
Even More Information
Geospatial information, also often referred to as Geographic Information, is any information which has a location/position ‘tag’. The tags can take many forms, including for example, post codes, street addresses, words which have a location/place reference (eg Barcelona, the Rhine, Slovenia, etc), north/south coordinates, etc. Organising and managing the tags enables vast amounts of otherwise disparate information to be integrated and new and innovative insights and services to be provided.
The Google commissioned report by Oxera “What is the Impact of Geospatial Services” can be found at http://www.bing.com/search?q=google+oxera&qs=n&form=QBLH&pq=google+oxera&sc=1-12&sp=-1&sk=&cvid=961f5f3dbcfe45a9bdf3ba93eb0e3669.
Information about EUROGI can be found at www.eurogi.org.
More in-depth information about the imaGIne conference can be obtained by contacting Wolfgang Steinborn (programme organiser) at steinbornw@gmx.de or Bruce McCormack (EUROGI President) at bruce.mccormack@eurogi.org.