AGI Foresight Report 2030 – The Future of Geospatial

A culmination of a 12-month project that sought to extract opinions and insights from the geo community in the form of an online survey, engagement with partner organisations, and extensive in-depth, one-to-one interviews, the report identifies the key themes that will drive change to 2030:

Data – the next transformation; the report predicts the biggest transformation in geospatial data since the advent of digital mapping. One which will extend beyond the technological capability to encompass fundamental questions of trust, community engagement, and professional authority.

Artificial Intelligence; AI stands as perhaps the most consequential technological force reshaping the geospatial sector today. However, success requires moving beyond technological optimism to address fundamental challenges around skills, collaboration, data access, and ethical deployment.

Interoperability & Infrastructure; currently at a critical juncture, where foundations underpinning spatial data exchange and system integration are changing, the geospatial community needs to seize the nettle by embracing standards and APIs, with a “make it work” attitude.

The Great Skills Shift – evolution for an embedded future; Traditional education models are colliding with rapidly evolving industry demands and the question isn’t whether geospatial will remain relevant, it’s whether our education systems and professionals can adapt quickly enough to thrive.

Collaboration; is the geospatial sector moving from traditional, competitive models to more collaborative frameworks that recognise the interconnected nature of geospatial challenges? The theme and desire are evident, but the reality is more piecemeal.

Earth Systems Evolution; earth systems don’t just inform decisions, they are instrumental in how we build, finance, and protect our future. However, the future does not lie in a single technology, but in the connections between them, the wisdom of deployment, and collaboration to address challenges.

With the benefit of hindsight, the report also reflected on how the geospatial industry has already developed, and issues identified in previous foresight projects, before addressing the “so what?” challenge with calls to action for major stakeholder groups in the geo ecosystem. These include; Government and Policy Makers to enable the infrastructure revolution, Industry delivering responsible innovation at scale, and Geospatial Membership Groups leading the professional evolution revolution.

We are at an important inflexion point for our industry, and it is every leader’s role to take these challenges seriously. Without productive adaptation, the geospatial sector risks becoming infrastructure that others control, essential but invisible, powerful yet struggling to articulate its value.

The AGI Foresight Report 2030 was officially launched to an audience of more than 200 geospatial professionals at the AGI Foresight Conference 2025 at the Royal Geographical Society (with IBG) in London. With keynote presentations from Ed Parsons, Geospatial Technology Advisor and Google’s first ever Geospatial Technologist, and Denise McKenzie, Past Chair of the AGI and Managing Partner at the PLACE Trust, the agenda also featured representation from AtkinsRéalis, Idox Geospatial, and 1Spatial, together with an interactive presentation from the AGI Early Career Network.

The AGI would like to thank Cadcorp, CGI, Esri UK, GIS Jobs, Idox Geospatial, Informed Solutions, MGISS, Ordnance Survey, Ordnance Survey Northern Ireland, and Verisk for their sponsorship, which has made the Foresight project possible, and extend special thanks to the Royal Geographical Society (with IBG) for its backing. It would also like to encourage members of the geocommunity to use the report in their day-to-day activities and conversations, to challenge the content, and to engage with the AGI to advocate for wider deployment of geography and geospatial.

To download your copy of the report and join the Foresight conversation which is already gaining traction and volume within government, academia, and industry, visit this link. Alternatively follow the AGI on LinkedIn.