Article by Julia Wagemann, Kristen O’Shea and Mariam Crichton
What does the rise of AI mean for geospatial professionals? This question was discussed during an online panel discussion organised by Women+ in Geospatial as part of GEO Business Virtual. The panelists dived into five key questions, covering industry transformation, upskilling, the way we work, geospatial job market and impact. This article highlights key discussion points from the panelists and summarises the outcomes in four key takeaways for geospatial professionals.
The rise of AI is transforming the geospatial industry. From automating tedious tasks to generating complex insights at an unprecedented scale, AI is reshaping how spatial data is generated, processed, and analysed. How does this transformation affect geospatial professionals?
As part of the GEO Business Virtual, Women+ in Geospatial held a webinar to discuss what the rise of AI means for geospatial professionals. The panelists were leading voices from the geospatial industry: Dr. Julia Wagemann (Founder, Women+ in Geospatial and thriveGEO), Charlotte N’Guessan (Data and Ecosystem Lead, AMINI), Dr. Samapriya Roy (Senior Geospatial Researcher, Desert Research Institute) and Aaron Addison (Executive Director, World Geospatial Industry Council). The session was moderated by Kristen O’Shea (Women+ in Geospatial).
The panel discussion dived into five key questions, covering industry transformation, upskilling, the way we work, geospatial job market and impact.
Industry Transformation: How would you describe the biggest ways AI is transforming the geospatial field right now?
All panellists agreed that AI will not replace spatial decision-making. Rather, AI will help to automate and accelerate tedious tasks, such as data collection and cleaning. Sam emphasised that AI will enable geospatial professionals to use and connect tools with which they were previously unfamiliar. Charlette shared her perspective from the Global South, particularly Africa, where data scarcity is a major issue that AI could help address. Aaron acknowledged that the advent of AI is leading to decision paralysis within the industry.
Upskilling: Which technical and soft skills will be essential for geospatial professionals over the next five years as AI tools become standard?
Julia shared her thoughts on upskilling, mentioning that, with the rise of AI, critical thinking and effective communication are becoming increasingly important. She also noted that, despite the increasing use of automation tools, geospatial professionals must still possess a foundational understanding of programming and spatial data. This is crucial for two reasons: being able to verify the output provided by new AI ‘agents”, and ultimately having the knowledge necessary to defend results and recommendations based on spatial information – as you will be held responsible for the final decision. In the age of AI, to stand out as a geospatial professional requires a combination of well-rounded technical and spatial data knowledge, the ability to use AI tools to accelerate data cleaning and processing, and strong critical thinking and communication skills for presenting results to non-technical audiences.
The Way We Work: How do you see AI changing the way we handle spatial data from collection and preprocessing to analysis and visualisation?
Sam reminded us that the recent acceleration in the geospatial industry is driven by factors other than AI. These include the emergence of new data formats and the shift from traditional systems such as ArcGIS to modern tools like DuckDB. However, AI is entering the field rapidly, notably through virtual constellations or embeddings. In the current landscape, AI tools essentially act as customised search engines or connectors between existing tools. While AI can facilitate the process, professionals must still possess a profound grasp of what they are delivering, since a nice looking map becomes meaningless if the underlying data is inaccurate. The importance of asking the right questions and mastering prompt writing will increase, since the quality of a prompt depends on the relevance and depth of the context provided, which directly affects the accuracy of the AI-generated results.
Job Market: How is the rise of AI changing the job market for geospatial professionals? Are employers looking for different skills or hybrid roles now?
Aaron provided some thought-provoking insights into the current state of the geospatial industry, which is growing at an annual rate of 12–14%. He pointed out that the industry is facing a severe talent pipeline deficit. With the industry expected to double within the next five to six years, there is an urgent need to discuss upskilling and reskilling in order to enable new entry points into the industry. He believes that introductory roles may be replaced by AI, but emphasised that there are no signs that advanced roles will disappear. He believes that the future success of geospatial professionals hinges on cultivating essential soft skills, such as the ability to work in ambiguity, critical thinking, and the resilience to remain motivated when complex problems cannot be solved immediately.
Impact: How can AI and geospatial data be harnessed globally to support more equitable and sustainable growth?
Charlette emphasised that the true impact of geospatial solutions goes beyond technical skill development to actively influencing real-world users, such as farmers and local communities. For instance, platforms like AMINI provide agricultural users with data-driven capabilities to help them make better decisions. However, end users often require further assistance, such as translating technical metrics like NDVI into actionable insights – e.g., informing a farmer whether their plants are healthy. This underscores the need for a blend of skills, combining technical and data science expertise with subject matter expertise to create a real impact in communities.
4 key takeaways
In summary, four key takeaways from the webinar are as follows:
- AI is an accelerator for geospatial workflows, not a replacement for critical decision-making. AI’s primary role is to automate tedious tasks such as data collection and cleaning and accelerating workflows. However, it is not intended to replace the core function of geospatial professionals, which is to make spatial decisions and analyse their impact.
- Foundational knowledge and verification are essential. Despite the rise of AI agents and automation tools, geospatial professionals must retain a foundational understanding of programming and spatial data analyses. This is crucial because they are ultimately responsible for the results and must be able to verify the output of AI tools.
- Critical thinking and prompt mastery are the new core skills. The most valuable skills are shifting away from pure coding towards critical thinking, effective communication and mastering prompt writing, as the accuracy of AI-generated results depends on the quality of the prompts used.
- The industry faces a severe talent deficit. With the industry set to double, there is an urgent need for widespread upskilling and reskilling to address the talent pipeline deficit.
Women+ in Geospatial is always excited to partner with organisations committed to inclusive hiring and meaningful event collaboration, get in touch to explore how we can work together at [email protected].