Breakfast Roundtable

Capacity Development Program to Strengthen National Geospatial Ecosystems (Invitation Only)

Date: 9th September 2025 // Time: 0730-0900 hrs

Background

As nations increasingly rely on geospatial data to drive digital transformation, enhance extreme weather preparedness, and achieve long-term development goals, the need for future-ready geospatial capacity is more urgent than ever. Yet adoption remains uneven, constrained by gaps in technical expertise, outdated institutional frameworks, and limited infrastructure. Current international efforts are fragmented and underleveraged. Addressing these challenges requires a coordinated, collaborative approach that aligns the priorities of governments, industry, academia, and communities.

This high-level roundtable convenes senior leaders to:

  • Take stock of National Geospatial Capacity Ecosystems.
  • Advancing Strategic Frameworks and Collaborative Models for Capacity Development.
  • Shape actionable strategies to build an innovation-ready workforce.

Insights will directly inform a flagship publication - “Geospatial and Space Capacity Development: Building the Foundation for an Equitable, Scalable, and Resilient Future” - to be launched at the Geospatial World Forum 2026 (Amsterdam). Discussions will also feed into a dedicated Summit on Capacity & Capability Development.

This initiative is steered by the Global Advisory Board for Advancing Capacity Development Toward Geospatial Knowledge Infrastructure, convened by Geospatial World Secretariat. The Board’s mandate is to map the landscape, identify gaps, recommend interventions, and develop a shared roadmap to strengthen national geospatial ecosystems.

Advisory Board Priorities:

  • Map the global landscape of geospatial capacity → Assess geospatial capacity across agencies, academia, industry, end-users, and multilateral bodies.
  • Identify systemic gaps, skill shortages, and institutional bottlenecks → Pinpoint systemic challenges: skill shortages, institutional bottlenecks, and adoption barriers.
  • Tiered & Contextual Roadmap → Design contextual national/regional pathways based on stages of digital & geospatial maturity.
  • Actionable Models → Deliver scalable recommendations aligned with geospatial readiness indices & national development goals.
  • Ecosystem Strengthening → Enable long-term capacity through knowledge transfer, curriculum modernization, reskilling, and R&D frameworks.

Roundtable Themes

Theme 1: Strengthening National Geospatial Capacity Ecosystems
  • Assess current capacity across government, industry, academia, and civil society.
  • Identify barriers: skills, institutions, infrastructure, funding.
  • Explore approaches to build resilient, agile, and inclusive national systems.
Theme 2: Advancing Strategic Frameworks & Collaborative Models
  • Share successful capacity-building models and lessons learned.
  • Define roles of diverse stakeholders in co-creating a roadmap.
  • Discuss governance, partnerships, resource-sharing, and indicators for impact.
Theme 3: Building an Innovation-Ready Geospatial Workforce
  • Align training with emerging technologies and innovation demands.
  • Tackle education gaps, reskilling, and industry-academia linkages.
  • Identify high-impact opportunities to strengthen national decision-making.

Proposed Agenda

Tuesday, September 09, 2025

Breakfast Roundtable on Capacity Development Program to Strengthen National Geospatial Ecosystems (By Invitation Only)

0730-0740 hrs.

Welcome & Framing

Participant introductions & session norms.
Ananya Narain

Ananya Narain

Vice President - Consulting
Geospatial World

0740-0830 hrs.

Thematic Discussions

  • Theme 1: Strengthening National Geospatial Capacity Ecosystems
  • Theme 2: Advancing Strategic Frameworks & Collaborative Models
  • Theme 3: Building an Innovation-Ready Workforce
0830-0840 hrs.

Cross-Cutting Synthesis & Action Points

  • Facilitator highlights recurring themes.
  • Participants identify one priority action each.
0840-0850 hrs.

Closing

Next steps: contributions to the white paper and continued engagement.
Supriya Krishnan

Supriya Krishnan

Associate Partner - Consulting
Geospatial World

Expected Outcomes

  • Shared Understanding of Priorities
    A clear stakeholder-driven picture of capacity gaps across the geospatial ecosystem and national priorities for inclusive, resilient, and future-ready geospatial ecosystems.
  • Actionable Pathways for Collaborative Growth
    Practical strategies for co-creating capacity frameworks-covering partnerships, policy enablers, and workforce development-aligned with innovation and long-term progress.

For questions, please contact Supriya Krishnan, Associate Partner-Consulting, Geospatial World,
at supriya@geospatialworld.net (+1 401 205 5120).