The INTERGEO EXPO and CONFERENCE 2024 successfully concluded today in Stuttgart. The event, centered around geodesy, geoinformation, and land management, presented innovative geodata-based solutions to an international audience over three days, addressing current challenges such as climate change, urbanization, and sustainable land use.
This year’s INTERGEO EXPO and CONFERENCE reaffirmed its role as the leading trade fair in the geospatial industry, thanks to strong international participation and the presentation of innovative solutions. Additionally, it served as the central meeting point for in-depth exchange within the industry, where experts and professionals discussed future-oriented developments and forged valuable contacts.
With 579 EXHIBITORS and over 17.000 VISITORS FROM 121 COUNTRIES, the EXPO demonstrated its international reach and the industry’s resilience despite global economic challenges. The CONFERENCE brought around 800 ATTENDEES FROM 47 COUNTRIES to Stuttgart with its broad program.
“The numbers show that we are presenting important tools for addressing central societal challenges. Digital twins, based on artificial intelligence (AI), are becoming increasingly important for tackling climate change. They are indispensable planning tools for cities, buildings, transportation, security, and environmental applications,” said Prof. Dr. Rudolf Staiger, President of DVW e.V., German Association for Geodesy, Geoinformation, and Land Management. Administrations and organizations worldwide rely on geoinformation as a foundation for forecasts and decisions. Decision-makers use real-time data, GeoAnalytics, Big Data, and AI to help address climate and social crises, Staiger added.
Particular emphasis was placed on earth observation at INTERGEO. “The data from earth observation satellites are essential to understand and manage climate change. There is great demand for predictive models and early warning systems. We are developing tools to help users implement climate protection and adaptation measures. Such tools are crucial not only for fact-based political decisions but also for monitoring their effectiveness,” said Godela Roßner, Head of the Earth Observation Department at the German Aerospace Center (DLR), in her keynote speech.
This year’s INTERGEO CONFERENCE once again impressed. Christiane Salbach, Managing Director of DVW e.V., said: “In over one hundred lectures, we have shed light on the central challenges of the current transformation phase.” The speakers at the CONFERENCE offered high-quality and wide-ranging insights into their fields. The program covered topics such as earth observation, satellite data for climate protection, Building Information Modeling (BIM), the development of cities and rural areas, future-oriented geoinformation management, the use of digital urban twins, and innovative developments in engineering geodesy.
The German Cartographic Society e.V. also held its 72nd German Cartography Congress as part of INTERGEO, seamlessly integrating topics related to AI and smart mapping into the CONFERENCE.
The EXPO stages provided practical insights with a diverse program of lectures and discussions. Topics such as Big Data, GNSS technology, Earth Observation, BIM, AI, talent recruitment, and the civil reconstruction of Ukraine filled the rows to capacity. The Unmanned Systems Stage remains a permanent feature of INTERGEO. Once again, the presentations on drone technologies attracted numerous interested parties. From laser scanning solutions and workflows to German and European legislation, the Unmanned Systems Stage offered a wide range of topics and once again became a crowd favorite.
“INTERGEO manages to bring together global challenges and solutions for politics, administration, and society at the highest scientific level while remaining practical,” summed up DVW President Staiger. Exhibitors at INTERGEO were also positive in their assessments: “INTERGEO is very important for us,” emphasized Ralf Mosler, Leader of BIM Transformation at Autodesk. “For over 20 years, it has been a central meeting point for exchanging ideas on geodesy and geoinformation with experts from around the world. With our presence at this year’s trade fair, we demonstrated how the interaction between BIM, GIS, and AI can be crucial to the development of sustainable and resilient infrastructures.”
Jürgen Schomakers, CEO of Esri Germany, added: “Esri and INTERGEO 2024, that’s both a duty and a pleasure. We mainly presented our focus topic Digital Twins. INTERGEO is the opportunity for us to explain the wide range of applications, especially with the use of artificial intelligence.”
For Hexagon, INTERGEO is also an indispensable event, said Thomas Harring, President of Hexagon’s Geosystems Division: “INTERGEO feels like coming home and meeting family and friends: We enjoy connecting with the geodata community and exchanging ideas with customers and partners from around the world. This year, among other things, we introduced Leica iCon trades. For the first time, we bring precise industrial measurement technology to the construction site.”
Boris Skopljak, Vice President of the Geospatial Sector at Trimble, was equally enthusiastic: “At INTERGEO, we were not only able to present numerous innovations in the field of reality capture, but above all, effective ways of collaborating in the cloud. We are leaving Stuttgart inspired by many stimulating conversations and are already looking forward to the reunion of the geo-community in Frankfurt for INTERGEO 2025.”
Olaf Freier, Chief Strategy Officer of HINTE Expo and Conference GmbH summarized: “Once again, I am impressed: INTERGEO is the international meeting place for the who’s who of the industry, this is where the Champions League plays. We are only just to tap into the full potential of BIM, Digital Twins, and AI. By 2025, we expect the next major development step, and I am already looking forward to discussing this with the community at INTERGEO from October 7 to 9, 2025, in Frankfurt/Main.”
More information at: www.intergeo.de