Background
A decade ago, during Geospatial World Forum, Amsterdam, in April 2012, the Secretariat for the United Nations Committee of Experts on Global Geospatial Information Management (UN-GGIM), convened an informal discussion with geospatial leaders titled ‘Forum on the future trends in geospatial information management: the five to ten year vision’ to solicit views on the future trends to be tabled for discussion at the Second session of UN-GGIM in August 2012. Consequently, and with global consultation and inputs each time, the Future Trends Report has now been compiled, adopted by UN-GGIM, published, and updated 3 times: 2013, 2015 and 2020. Each of these Reports have provided a consensus view of the developments and future direction for geospatial information management over the coming decade and have proven to be valuable in providing insights into the future geospatial ecosystem.
Today, technology is transforming almost every aspect of our lives, and all sectors of industry and the economy, at an unprecedented pace and scale and is similarly having a major impact on the geospatial industry, creating innovative technological enablers and applications, and generating previously unimaginable amounts of location‐referenced information. These technologies and processes are not only disruptive, but they are continually evolving, providing new opportunities for innovation, and enabling business, industry, and governments to be more agile, to adapt and transform their own internal processes, and to scale-up capability more quickly than in the past. The pace and reach of technolog¬ical developments will increase, transforming human experiences and capabilities while creating new tensions and disruptions for all governments and ac¬tors around the world.
Predicting the future, particularly in the medium to long term (10-20 years), is an exercise fraught with difficulties and misjudgements. Future predictions are even more problematic when dealing with technology matters, such as is the case when predicting future geospatial environments where technological developments will play a crucial role. However, that does not prevent us from trying to make some informed predictions. Several current and/or emerging trends are assisting, already playing a role in shaping our thinking on what a future geospatial environment, as a complex and interconnected ecosystem, may look like.
One such example which is gaining significant momentum, is the United Nations Integrated Geospatial Information Framework (IGIF). The IGIF is a globally adopted United Nations multi-dimensional Framework aimed at strengthening national geospatial information management arrangements in countries - developing countries in particular. It comprises an overarching strategy, implementation guidance, and action plans at the country level. At the strategic level, the IGIF contains a vision, mission, strategic drivers, 7 principles, 8 goals, 9 strategic pathways, and many defined benefits. However, through the Implementation Guide, anchored by the 9 strategic pathways and influenced by governance, technology, and people, the IGIF provides the detailed guidance towards ‘integrating’ geospatial information with any other meaningful data to provide understanding and benefit from a country’s national development priorities.
Another, and connected to the IGIF, is the Geospatial Knowledge Infrastructure (GKI). The GKI has a vision for ‘geospatial knowledge at the heart of tomorrow’s sustainable digital society’. A developed white paper ‘The Power of Where’ provides a blueprint to integrate digital economies, societies and citizens with geospatial approaches, data and technologies and in so doing deliver the location-based knowledge, services and automation expected in the Fourth Industrial Revolution. It is a journey that seeks to benefit people and the planet by driving inclusive growth, sustainable development, and global well-being.
The European Union Location Framework (EULF) Blueprint is a guidance framework for using location information in policy and digital public services. It is fully aligned with the European Interoperability Framework (EIF), through its consideration of all aspects of 'location interoperability'. The EULF Blueprint is now being adapted to align to the IGIF.
Determining the Future Geospatial Information Ecosystem
At its Eleventh Session in August 2021, in making decision 11/103, UN-GGIM emphasized that the IGIF now provided an overarching paradigm to further strengthen nationally integrated geospatial information management. This included not only for countries that were in the early stages of adopting national spatial data infrastructures (NSDIs) but also for those that had already successfully implemented NSDI capabilities. However, continuous collaboration would be necessary with other emerging and complementary initiatives, such as the Geospatial Knowledge Infrastructure, the European Union Location Framework Blueprint and an emerging geospatial ecosystem beyond spatial data infrastructures, which provided direct interlinkages with the IGIF, and which would ultimately extend its relevance in the future geospatial information ecosystem.
The complexity of, and thus the need for considering, the future geospatial ecosystem was reiterated by the background paper ‘Towards a sustainable geospatial ecosystem beyond SDIs’ provided to the Eleventh session of UN-GGIM. Further, during the 2021 edition of Geospatial World Forum in Amsterdam, 20-22 October 2021, EUROGI hosted an event ‘Beyond SDI – What Comes Next’ for participants to contribute their thoughts to the geospatial ecosystem.
Given this robust and evolving discussion, ‘Determining the Future Geospatial Information Ecosystem’ is now an agreed agenda item for consideration at the Twelfth Session of UN-GGIM, which will be convened this coming August in New York.
Therefore, and taking the opportunity of many global geospatial leaders and senior executives being in attendance at Geospatial World Forum in Amsterdam, it seems only fitting that, exactly one decade on from the original discussion on future trends, the UN-GGIM Secretariat invites you to share your thoughts and views as to what this future geospatial ecosystem may look like in Amsterdam once again. The underlying aim is to ‘provide thoughts and ideas which can enable the global geospatial community to be more adequately prepared for the rapidly emerging geospatial ecosystem and environment of the future’.
Therefore, and taking the opportunity of many global geospatial leaders and senior executives being in attendance at Geospatial World Forum in Amsterdam, it seems only fitting that, exactly one decade on from the original discussion on future trends, the UN-GGIM Secretariat invites you to share your thoughts and views as to what this future geospatial ecosystem may look like in Amsterdam once again. The underlying aim is to ‘provide thoughts and ideas which can enable the global geospatial community to be more adequately prepared for the rapidly emerging geospatial ecosystem and environment of the future’.