Reflections on GeoWeek & the Geospatial Value Chain

Front and centre in my mind at the moment is the geospatial value chain. That is odd you might think .. why not all the crazy new developments in the world of geospatial? For two reasons. First, I made a brief visit to the GeoWeek conference in Denver last week. Second, I listened to one of the best interviews with a senior geospatial leader I have heard.

So what is the ‘geospatial value chain’ and why is it so important?. Nick Bolton, the CEO of Ordnance Survey (more on Nick in a bit) describes it as: “That journey from the ingredients to the delicious meal.”

In geospatial terms that means connecting all those core elements – hardware, data, processing, analysis, visualization – to arrive at insight!

In Denver last week at GeoWeek I saw many of the ingredients.

The Value Chain Dots

I enjoyed GeoWeek. Back in the day I’ll admit it was not on my geospatial radar. I always viewed it as surveyor and construction focused. Sure, that has always been part of the geospatial landscape, but not at its core.

But that was then. And this is now.

This year; everybody and their dog (if you will excuse the expression) was there. Suddenly GeoWeek is very much on the geospatial radar. And yes, it was quite different to what I have experienced in the past. Less stodgy and old (I’m being a little harsh here), it had more of a cutting edge vibe.

I spent time in the Exhibition Hall with the vendors; booth after booth focused on different parts of the value chain. A little overwhelming I’ll admit, with differentiation and uniqueness between competing vendor offerings often hard to discern (that is a topic for a different post).

I conducted an informal back of the napkin type count of the main vendor offerings (ingredients), based on their onsite marketing. Note, I did not count the ‘big boys’ in the room (Esri, Trimble etc). What I found:

– 50% Hardware focus

– 15% Data collection and processing

– 15% 3D/digital twin/reality capture/AI

– 20% Miscellaneous (survey, visualization, analysis, data management etc).

My sense is GeoWeek is becoming a premiere geospatial conference; driven by the rapid merging of digital geospatial data and technology with the real world – Geospatial 2.0. I also believe we will see a big change in the mix of vendors. Hardware will be less dominant while insights or dot connectors delivering that delicious meal, to use Nick Bolton 's analogy, will dominate. AI will be ubiquitous.

Talking of Nick Bolton ..

Connecting the Geospatial Dots

I mentioned at the start of this article one of the best interviews with a senior geospatial leader I have heard. You probably guessed that I am referencing Geospatial World’s interview with Nick Bolton. Why did I find it so interesting and compelling?

Clarity and vision.

The conversation had a spatial computing focus, and Nick lays out beautifully where geospatial has been, the importance of the geospatial value chain, and where we are headed. Working for the Ordnance Survey, Nick’s day to day work is data-centric, but he discusses how and where data fits into the overall geospatial value chain.

Historically, organizations like Ordnance Survey controlled the entire value chain vertically, from data collection to distribution. Today, the ecosystem thrives on cross-sector collaboration, leveraging the strengths of different players in the chain to deliver better outcomes. Those players were out in force at GeoWeek last week.

As Nick discusses, Spatial computing, a key pillar of Geospatial 2.0, is driving the transformation of traditional industries. From precision agriculture to urban planning and disaster management, spatial computing integrates digital and physical worlds to deliver real-time insights directly where they are needed. Advanced AI agents and large language models (LLMs) are enabling non-experts to pose complex geospatial questions in natural language and receive actionable answers instantly.

There are many quotes I could pull from this interview, but one stood out for me:

“Data has no intrinsic value on its own—it’s about how it’s applied to deliver insights that solve problems.”

This brings me back to GeoWeek. I believe the future of geospatial data and technology lies in its ability to simplify complexity, democratize access, and enable collaboration across sectors. By connecting all parts of the value chain, the geospatial ecosystem will empower customers to make faster, more informed decisions.

Closing Thoughts

My reflections on GeoWeek, and more broadly our industry, is that we now have an incredible array of ingredients, and utensils to combine those ingredients, but not enough delicious meals (I realize I am stretching this analogy thin).

I believe spatial computing (the blending of the digital and real worlds) and enabling technologies like AI will be game changers. Let me finish with one more quote from Nick Bolton:

“It’s now about how we drive the imagination of the end market in the application phase of the geospatial value chain. That requires us the democratize the understanding of geospatial.”

Onwards to Geospatial 2.0!

Matt Sheehan?is a Geospatial 2.0 expert. He publishes a weekly Spatial-Next Newsletter which dives deeper into advances in the geospatial world, providing important news, opinions, new research and spotlights innovators. Subscribe to the newsletter?here.