Published: 03 Jul 2024
To ensure that the UK remains at the forefront of geospatial innovation globally, it’s just over a year since the UK Government announced the launch of its ‘Geospatial Strategy 2030’.
Geospatial Strategy 2030 replaces the previous UK Geospatial Strategy 2020, initiated by The Geospatial Commission in 2018, and aims to enhance location data and technologies across the UK by 2030.
The Strategy sets out three core missions and objectives:
Mission 1
The first mission details how the UK will embrace emerging technologies to remain at the forefront of geospatial innovation. Requiring effective partnerships across industry, public sector and academia, this aims to maximise the value of location data and services, utilising satellite technology, Artificial Intelligence (AI), 3D mapping, and more.
Advances in sensor technology, combining satellite, aerial and ground-based LiDAR sensors, are allowing survey companies to capture more data at increasingly higher resolutions than ever before.
Innovations in 3D mapping are also providing a more rapid processing of data, enabling surveyors to understand natural and man-made environments in an increasingly high level of detail, allowing us to present 2D and 3D world findings in surveying. They also provide new opportunities to combine and analyse data, creating new insights and knowledge in the process.
Mission 2
By the end of the summer 2024, a review will be conducted to ensure the agreement remains fit for purpose over its remaining years, including an evaluation of the data and services included, its delivery model, and the foundations users have in place to make effective use of data provided.
Mission 2 reveals how the UK will drive greater use of geospatial applications and insights, using the power of location data, technology and services to unlock greater value across the economy.
Mission 3
The last mission defines the UK’s objectives for building confidence in the future of the innovative use of geospatial applications. This will be achieved by identifying best practice about sustainable data access, and assessing the value of upskilling geographic experts with digital skills through the evaluation of the Data, Digital, Diversity Training pilot programme.
On the global stage, there are aims for the UK to deliver an international geospatial conference on the power of location technologies.
By the end of this summer, there will also be first steps made towards integrating geospatial into data science and geography courses, assisting with educating future surveyors.
The Geospatial Strategy 2030 impact on surveying
Geospatial is a vital part of the UK’s growing digital economy and since 2018, dedicated geospatial companies alone have generated over £6 billion in annual turnover and employed over 30,000 people.
In fact, geospatial has grown three times faster than the rest of the economy, securing £1 billion in equity investment since 2016, and 2022 was a record year for equity investment, with over £400 million raised across more than 100 deals by geospatial companies.
The UK is ranked second in the world for its geospatial capability, and therefore is well-positioned to continue to support and grow emerging digital technologies.
In the future, location data, applications and services will be a key component of the Geospatial Strategy 2030, with an eye on surveying firms providing strategic geospatial data and insights and embracing advancements in geospatial technologies for the benefit of land, property, transport, and further areas for development.
Of course, it will be interesting to see from the results of the General Election what the winning governing party will further initiate for the Geospatial Strategy 2030, and what this may have in store for surveying firms across the UK.
