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From Space to Climate Change geospatial data enables to see the see the world in a different way

From Space to Climate Change geospatial data enables to see the see the world in a different way

March 2024
Geospatial data is essential across many sectors from whale watching to local neighbourhoods.

Geospatial is an important element of any location.  It involves the collection, analysis, and interpretation of data linked to a geographic location such as

  • Maps and charts
  • Satellite imagery
  • GPS data
  • GIS data

 

At the event, Geospatial Insights 2024; Innovations and Applications across Sectors held in the Edinburgh Climate Change Institute on Tuesday 27th August, hosted by Location Data Scotland in partnership with AGI Scotland, we heard from a wide range of speakers from various organisations about how geospatial data and technologies are being used in their organisations to deliver products and services.

Technology is evolving further and with applications such as AI and Machine Learning we can analyse locations even further.   Scotland’s strong research base, government support, industry partnerships, and expertise in geospatial technology have made it a thriving hub for satellite and space activities.

Alan Moore from Idox said, “Geospatial data is now being discussed in the Boardroom.  This emphasises the importance of this data source in supporting decision making and helps organisations regulate and monitor their environmental impact”.

The speakers explored the importance of geospatial data across a range of sectors from land management systems through to road safety, whale watching, climate change and local neighbourhoods.

This event was delivered as part of the Data Lab Community’s Geospatial Fringe series.

Steven Thomson, Events and Community Manager at the Data Lab said, “It has been fantastic to see the range and breadth of work going in Scotland and beyond within geospatial. Throughout the last month we’ve heard from organisations working to improve road safety, right through to environmentalism and climate change. The potential for geospatial data to improve where we live, and work is immense and is only going to get more exciting.”

Slides and case examples from the presentations can be viewed below

Make sure your organisation benefits from being part of the geospatial community in Scotland by joining our Directory.  Sign up here.

 

Developing the Next Generation of Geospatial Specialists

Developing the Next Generation of Geospatial Specialists

July 2024
Senior Geospatial Professional Caroline Broughton shares her thoughts on what needs to change to tackle the skills shortfall facing the sector.

In a recent article, senior geospatial professional at SYSTRA Caroline Broughton shared her thoughts on what needs to change to tackle the skills shortage facing the sector.  SYSTRA is one of the world’s leading engineering and consulting groups specialising in infrastructure and mobility solutions.

Caroline attended the ‘Developing the Geospatial Skills Agenda’, an industry event organised by Location Data Scotland, University of Edinburgh and Fife College at the Scottish Government’s Victoria Quay building in Edinburgh, where key geospatial figure heads were brought together to discuss how the industry is evolving to encourage new talent.

The focus of the event was to look at the integration of GIS into the secondary school curriculum; raising awareness of GIS as a career option for both those of school-age and considering a career change; and being consistent in the naming of the sector (are we GIS, or geospatial, or spatial data science?).

The experts also considered what was needed to prepare the next generation of geospatial specialists, ready to meet industry needs and unlock the value of spatial data.

For SYSTRA, involvement in LDS and related communities such as the Association for Geographic Information (AGI) Scotland presents an opportunity to influence the development and actioning of the geospatial skills roadmap from an industry perspective, ensuring our future skills needs will be met.

Read the full interview with Caroline here

Geospatial Skills Industry Day

Geospatial Skills Industry Day

March 2024
Industry day to update the Scottish geospatial skills roadmap and share ambitions for developing the skills agenda.

We are inviting organisations across different industries in Scotland to an event in the Scottish Government’s offices in Leith on Thursday 2nd May from 09.30 – 13.30.   Join us and other key individuals from industry and academia to hear about the progress of the Scottish geospatial skills roadmap and our ambitions for developing the skills agenda. The event will also be an opportunity to discuss specific skills that are needed by industry that will help shape and inform the future development of curriculum content with a view to increasing the number of pathways into the Geospatial Sector, and also the talent pool.

Head of Geospatial at the Scottish Government, Alan Corbett said, “It is essential to have constructive engagement with industry to jointly decide how we can create more highly skill jobs and retain existing skill staff in the forward-thinking businesses across Scotland.  As a leader in geospatial, Scotland is at the forefront in the advancement of geospatial technologies.  To retain this position, we need to ensure we have the talent and skills to fulfil different types of geospatial roles to meet emerging global industry demands.  Geospatial is a core element of Scottish Government’s Digital Strategy and as such we are committed to making Scottish talent more attractive to the global Geospatial market.  Our aim is to attract new inward investment into the country and boost economic growth through the creation of more highly skilled jobs.”

Geomatics Manager at Shell, Rob Dunfey said, “I am very supportive of initiatives to build geospatial skills. Obviously, there is value for employers such as Shell in being able to recruit geospatial professionals, but more importantly for broader society and the economy. I truly believe that geospatial skills are going to underpin our energy transition to net zero.”

We are limited to 50 places at this event but if you are passionate about having your say, register to attend here.  A waiting list is in place, so we will advise as soon as places become available.

 

So, what do we really mean by Innovation in Geospatial?

Panel at What is Innovation in Geospatial with Geospatial Commission, Electrek Explorer, Registers of Scotland, Eolas Insight, Geovation Scotland and Location Data Scotland
Panel at What is Innovation in Geospatial with Geospatial Commission, Electrek Explorer, Registers of Scotland, Eolas Insight, Geovation Scotland and Location Data Scotland
Panel at What is Innovation in Geospatial

So, what do we really mean by Innovation in Geospatial?

September 2022
Collaboration in Key!

30 August 2022 saw Location Data Scotland and Geovation Scotland join forces to run an event at the Registers of Scotland’s building in Edinburgh to explore the topic of innovation in geospatial with industry, public sector and academia.

A range of speakers and panellists from the Geospatial Commission, Registers of Scotland and industry joined Ashley Stewart, lead for Location Data Scotland and Lyndsey Dougan head of Geovation Scotland, to explore what we really mean by innovation in geospatial.

Innovation is Problem x Execution = Solution

Lyndsey explained that Geovation Scotland deliver a hugely successful accelerator programme targeting companies in Scotland working in the geospatial sector and they feel collaboration is the number one ingredient to make innovation happen. It’s not just about having an idea or creating new technology – it’s about creating value and having the support infrastructure in place to make it happen!

We also heard from Douglas McNeil from SME Eolas Insight who have an innovative solution tackling the impact on the environmental sector using location data. Doug said “In our experience, we can see there is lots of geospatial technology impacting the environmental sector and these technologies are making service development easier, enabling SMEs to punch above their weight. These technologies can help inform us to support our efforts towards biodiversity net gain and help us on our journey towards net zero.”

Tourism business Electrek Explorer introduced their innovative app which supports the green traveller to find new experiences when they are out and about, providing information about e-bike and EV routes, charging points, nature sites, EV accommodation, bike friendly accommodation, electric bike charging cafes, local businesses and activity providers.Eilidh Smyth from Electrek Explorer said, “Innovation is nothing without the support of the wider ecosystem. We had fantastic support from Location Data Scotland and Geovation Scotland to help raise our profile, challenge our business model and make cross-sector collaborations which has really helped us scale and grow.”

In terms of innovation, areas such as climate change and sustainability, transport, utilities and insurance are evolving, however sectors such as the emergency services are way behind! The key challenge in driving innovation is scalability. There are lots of great things happening across Scotland but questions remain around how we as a nation can help develop new skills and technologies and commercialise these, to drive more innovation. We also need to consider data democratisation – how do we get the right data to the right people in the right way at the right time? And what about data standards – are they interoperable, are they based on fair principles? Now is the time to create national standards that tie it all together.

Scotland has an amazing opportunity to drive innovation. We are a small nation with lots of opportunity to scale. Scotland is the perfect location for a test bed as we have scalable datasets and can lead by example. But we need to work together rather than working in silos!

As a starting point, we encourage you to join Location Data Scotland’s community to help you find collaboration partners and stop trying to figure this out on your own!

Relevant Funding, Events and Reports referred to during the event:

Location Data Scotland : Innovation and Collaboration Webinar – 28th September 2022

SAVE THE DATE: Geovation Showcase 20th October

Geovation Scotland Accelerator Open Call

Applying Space Data to the Net Zero Economy

Agri Challenge – Can your organisation help to accurately measure biomass and natural capital using space data?

Other Funding Opportunities

Geospatial Commission Annual Plan 2022/2023

Building public confidence in location data: The ABC of ethical use