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 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.
Local governments are responsible for maintaining the foundational geospatial datasets that support critical public services, yet they often do so with limited resources and growing expectations. This session will explore the operational realities at the local level, including workforce constraints, funding challenges, and the ongoing burden of maintaining accurate, current, and interoperable data. The discussion will ground the broader conversation in the day to day needs of communities and highlight why addressing these challenges is essential to the success of the overall geospatial ecosystem. The session will also examine the broader value of local data contributions and how communities benefit when local geospatial information is recognized, supported, and integrated into larger decision-making and operational frameworks.
Geospatial data created and maintained at the local level underpins decision making across government and industry. This session will highlight how local data feeds federal policy and programs that in turn have implications at the local level. Local data aggregated to the national level supports decisions and funding on efforts related to infrastructure, emergency response, and economic development, and enables a wide range of applications beyond the local jurisdiction. Through real world examples, the discussion will explore how these contributions translate into local, regional, and national impact, while also helping to reinforce the value being returned to local communities. Additional discussion will address how industry capabilities, standards, and data integration approaches are helping support a more connected and interoperable national geospatial ecosystem.
This track focuses on operational deployment, implementation, integration, and enterprise adoption of geospatial technologies and AI-enabled systems.
GeoAI has long been a foundational capability for advancing geospatial science, but the latest wave of AI innovation is redefining how it can be operationalized at scale. This session will explore how agencies can move beyond isolated pilots by incorporating advancements such as embeddings, AI assistants, and agent-based architectures into their geospatial workflows. It will examine how these tools can help democratize access to geospatial insights, improve productivity and decision-making, and enable more dynamic interaction with data. The discussion will also reinforce how GeoAI serves as an enabling capability that supports broader geospatial infrastructure, operational coordination, and implementation efforts across government.
As GeoAI becomes more embedded in government decision making, questions of trust, validation, and accountability are becoming central to its use. This session will explore what “trustworthy” GeoAI looks like through a four features framework of systems that are verifiable, explainable, auditable, and accountable, while examining how agencies can rigorously evaluate and validate outputs, manage risk, and ensure consistent and reliable performance, particularly in high stakes environments where decisions carry real world consequences. The discussion will also include the importance of standards, interoperability, secure data sharing, and trusted governance frameworks as AI systems become increasingly integrated across public and private sector operational environments.
A new generation of geospatial capabilities, ranging from digital twins, spatial processing platforms, to advanced positioning systems, is moving from concept to operational use. This session will focus on real world deployments and practical applications, highlighting how these technologies are being used today to support decision making, improve efficiency, and enhance resilience. Case studies will illustrate where these capabilities are delivering value and how organizations are integrating them into existing systems and workflows. Additional discussion will highlight how these emerging capabilities are helping connect local, regional, and national systems to support more coordinated operational environments.
Infrastructure development is increasingly shaped by complex tradeoffs involving policy, regulation, community impact, and economic priorities. This session will examine how geospatial data is being used to support more informed and transparent decision making in areas such as permitting, siting, and infrastructure planning. The discussion will focus on where processes are breaking down, why delays occur, and how better integration of data and stakeholder input can improve outcomes. Additional discussion will address the growing complexity surrounding energy infrastructure, transmission, data centers, and balancing economic development with local and regional community priorities.
Managing infrastructure assets, from roads and utilities to public facilities, requires accurate, integrated, and up to date data. This session will explore how geospatial information supports day to day operations, maintenance prioritization, and long-term planning. Topics will include data integration across systems, real time information feeds, and the role of geospatial data in improving safety, resilience, and operational efficiency. The session will also explore the importance of interoperability, trusted data environments, and coordination across public and private sector infrastructure systems.
Infrastructure systems are deeply interconnected, yet data and decision making often remain siloed. This session will focus on how organizations are bringing together data across transportation, utilities, land use, and other domains to enable more coordinated and effective operations. The discussion will highlight approaches to improving interoperability, supporting cross system decision making, and leveraging geospatial insights to manage complex, interdependent infrastructure environments. The session will also explore how public and private sector organizations are working toward more connected operational ecosystems through shared standards, data harmonization, and integrated infrastructure management approaches.