Leaders from across government and industry share how spatial computing is helping communities formulate policy, engage the public, and make informed decisions regarding infrastructure issues such as the placement of energy generation, transmission, and data center infrastructure, as well as management of key supply chains from source to community. The session will also explore how geospatial intelligence is supporting coordination across federal, state, local, and tribal governments and industry to align policy priorities with operational planning, infrastructure investment, and public service delivery.
This session highlights real-world applications of GeoAI in government. Rather than focusing on the hype surrounding AI, the discussion will showcase operational deployments of AI-enabled geospatial analytics and decision support across government and industry, including infrastructure monitoring, transportation systems, and emergency and disaster management. Panelists will also examine how agencies are integrating AI into operational workflows, improving situational awareness, and supporting more timely and informed decision-making through trusted and scalable geospatial systems.
Industry leaders provide insight into how government-produced, freely available geospatial data and services deliver value beyond the immediate government mission, forming the foundation for a wide range of commercial applications and services that support nationaleconomic growth. The discussion will also address the importance of maintaining authoritative public datasets, modernizing open data ecosystems, and supporting innovation, workforce development, and economic competitiveness through trusted geospatial infrastructure.
With the explosion of industry-led space-based, aerial, and ground-based imaging, a massive collection of high-resolution “ground truth” has emerged alongside a growing ecosystem of analytics and decision-support services. This session explores how government and industry can collaborate on data creation, maintenance, and access, while addressing issues such as trust, licensing, and long-term data stewardship. Additional discussion will focus on evolving public-private partnership models, standards and interoperability, secure data sharing, procurement challenges, and the shared responsibility of managing critical geospatial infrastructure in an increasingly AI-enabled environment.
With increasing emphasis on states and localities playing a stronger role in national resilience and preparedness, communities must have geospatial capabilities in place to support informed decision-making. Representatives from cities, counties, and tribal nations will share insights into current capabilities and the challenges they face. The session will also examine how communities are navigating infrastructure growth, energy generation and transmission, data center development, land use pressures, agricultural impacts, and climate resilience while balancing economic development, sustainability, and long-term community priorities.
Mapping and GIS have long been fundamental resources for public safety, emergency management, and national security. Today’s challenges require real-time monitoring, improved risk assessment, and decision-ready insights. This plenary explores how spatial computing, GeoAI, and digital twins are transforming how governments address public safety, disaster response, and national security. The conversation will also address cybersecurity, critical infrastructure protection, cyber-physical resilience, secure geospatial data sharing, and the growing importance of trusted real-time operational intelligence in protecting communities and national assets.
This session will provide an overview of the newly released NSDI Implementation Plan and outline the approach for stakeholder engagement during the public review and feedback period. As the plan will have only recently been released, the session is intended primarily as an informational discussion designed to encourage participation, review, and constructive input from across the geospatial community. Discussion will focus on how federal agencies are approaching implementation, opportunities for engagement by federal, state, local, tribal, territorial, private sector, academic, and nonprofit stakeholders, and the importance of coordinated feedback to help shape implementation priorities moving forward. The session will also highlight the public comment process, key areas where stakeholder perspectives are being sought, and the role of collaboration, standards, interoperability, governance, and cross-sector coordination in advancing the continued evolution of the NSDI.
This track focuses on governance, coordination, partnerships, stewardship, and ecosystem alignment, complementing the operational and deployment-focused conversations taking place in the Technology and Implementation Track.
Session Overview: Local governments play a vital role in maintaining the foundational geospatial data that supports essential public services, infrastructure planning, emergency response, and community development. As demands for accurate and accessible geospatial information continue to grow, many local organizations face increasing pressure to deliver high-quality data while navigating resource limitations, workforce shortages, and evolving technology requirements.
This session will explore the realities of geospatial capacity at the local level and examine the challenges and opportunities associated with sustaining critical data assets. Discussions will focus on workforce development, funding considerations, data stewardship, and the importance of ensuring that local geospatial contributions are recognized, supported, and integrated into broader regional and national initiatives.
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Session Overview: Geospatial data developed and maintained by local governments serves as the foundation for decision-making at every level, supporting initiatives that range from infrastructure investment and emergency management to economic development and public service delivery. As local datasets are aggregated and integrated into broader programs, they provide critical insights that inform regional and national priorities while creating value that extends well beyond individual jurisdictions.
This session will explore how local geospatial contributions drive outcomes across government and industry, and how these investments translate into measurable benefits for communities. Through practical examples, participants will examine the role of data integration, standards, and industry collaboration in strengthening interoperability and enabling a more connected, resilient, and effective national geospatial ecosystem.
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This track focuses on operational deployment, implementation, integration, and enterprise adoption of geospatial technologies and AI-enabled systems.
Session Overview: Artificial Intelligence is rapidly transforming how governments interact with, analyze, and derive value from geospatial data. While GeoAI has long supported advancements in geospatial science and analytics, emerging capabilities such as embeddings, AI assistants, large language models, and agent-based architectures are creating new opportunities to operationalize geospatial intelligence at scale. These innovations are enabling agencies to improve access to information, streamline workflows, and accelerate data-driven decision-making across a wide range of mission areas.
This session will explore how government organizations can move beyond experimental GeoAI initiatives and integrate AI capabilities into sustainable operational programs. Discussions will focus on implementation strategies, practical use cases, governance considerations, and the role of GeoAI as an enabling capability that strengthens geospatial infrastructure, enhances operational effectiveness, and supports broader government objectives.
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Session Overview: As GeoAI becomes increasingly integrated into government operations and decision-making processes, ensuring trust, transparency, and accountability has emerged as a critical priority. Agencies must be able to evaluate the reliability of AI-generated outputs, understand how decisions are derived, and establish safeguards that support responsible use in mission-critical environments. As adoption grows, the need for robust validation frameworks and human oversight becomes essential to maintaining confidence in AI-enabled geospatial systems.
This session will examine the principles and practices that underpin trustworthy GeoAI, focusing on systems that are verifiable, explainable, auditable, and accountable. Discussions will explore approaches for validating AI performance, managing operational risks, and implementing governance frameworks that support transparency and reliability. The session will also address the role of standards, interoperability, and secure data-sharing practices in enabling trusted AI integration across public and private sector geospatial ecosystems.
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Session Overview: Emerging geospatial technologies are rapidly transitioning from research and pilot projects to operational deployment across government and industry. Capabilities such as digital twins, advanced spatial processing platforms, next-generation positioning systems, robotics and real-time geospatial analytics are enabling organizations to make more informed decisions, improve operational efficiency, and strengthen resilience in the face of increasingly complex challenges. As these technologies mature, agencies are identifying practical ways to integrate them into existing workflows and maximize their value across mission-critical functions.
This session will explore real-world applications of emerging geospatial capabilities and examine how organizations are successfully deploying these technologies to support operational outcomes. Through implementation examples and case studies, participants will gain insights into adoption strategies, lessons learned, and the role these innovations play in connecting local, regional, and national systems to create more coordinated and responsive operational environments.
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Session Overview: As infrastructure investments expand across sectors, decision-makers are faced with increasingly complex challenges involving policy requirements, regulatory processes, environmental considerations, community interests, and economic development goals. Geospatial data has become a critical tool for navigating these competing priorities, providing the insights needed to support more transparent, efficient, and evidence-based decision-making throughout the infrastructure lifecycle.
This session will explore how geospatial technologies and data-driven approaches are being applied to infrastructure planning, siting, and permitting processes. Discussions will examine the factors contributing to project delays, opportunities to improve coordination among stakeholders, and strategies for integrating data and community perspectives into decision-making. The session will also address emerging challenges related to energy infrastructure, transmission networks, data center development, and balancing national priorities with local and regional needs.
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Session Overview: Effective management of public infrastructure assets depends on access to accurate, integrated, and timely information. As agencies oversee increasingly complex networks of roads, utilities, public facilities, and other critical assets, geospatial data is playing an essential role in supporting operational awareness, maintenance planning, and long-term investment decisions. By connecting information across systems and providing greater visibility into asset conditions, geospatial technologies are helping organizations improve performance, reduce risk, and maximize infrastructure value.
This session will explore how geospatial information is being used to support asset management throughout the infrastructure lifecycle. Discussions will focus on data integration, real-time operational insights, and strategies for improving safety, resilience, and efficiency. The session will also examine the importance of interoperability, trusted data environments, and collaboration across public and private sector infrastructure stakeholders.
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Session Overview: Modern infrastructure systems are highly interconnected, with transportation networks, utilities, land use, public services, and other critical assets influencing one another in complex ways. However, data, processes, and decision-making often remain fragmented across organizations and operational domains. As infrastructure challenges become more interconnected, there is a growing need for integrated approaches that enable organizations to view, manage, and respond to conditions across entire operational ecosystems.
This session will explore how geospatial technologies are helping organizations connect data, systems, and workflows to support more coordinated infrastructure operations and decision-making. Discussions will focus on interoperability, cross-domain data integration, and strategies for improving operational awareness across interconnected environments. The session will also examine how public and private sector stakeholders are advancing shared standards, data harmonization, and collaborative approaches to build more connected and resilient infrastructure ecosystems.
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