GEOBusiness 2023 did not disappoint. As expected, it delivered a wealth of opportunities for learning, networking and collaborating.
The London ExCel was packed full of start-ups, established industry names, innovators and experts all keen to share recent developments in the geospatial technology realm.
Here are a couple of our highlights…
The National Underground Asset Register
Chris Chambers, Deputy Director at The Geospatial Commission, gave an informative and captivating update on the National Underground Asset Register (NUAR).
Some of the key facts and figures included:
- The Geospatial Commission is building a digital map of underground pipes and cables in the UK
- There is circa 4 million km of buried pipes and cables across the country
- There are around 60,000 accidental strikes on cabling and pipes every year!
- Currently, the data is held by around 650 separate organisations
- The NUAR is designed to liberate this data and improve its quality and accessibility
- Importantly, this process is underpinned by legal framework documents
- The NUAR is expected to bring at least £350 million per annum in economic benefits over 10 years
- There’s still a long way to go, but the early-stage reception has been positive
Overall, the NUAR has the ability to improve efficiency, accuracy and most importantly, safety. It represents an important and overdue piece of the GIS puzzle which will eventually enable anyone with an interest in a particular parcel of land to understand what’s happening underground. It will also revolutionise the way we install, maintain, operate and repair our buried infrastructure.
The initial version of NUAR went live in April covering North East England, Wales and London. It includes data from all of the major energy and water companies in these areas, as well as numerous smaller and public sector organisations. NUAR is currently a BETA service and will be iteratively enhanced in line with user feedback. Once complete, NUAR will cover England, Northern Ireland and Wales.
ARUP’s GIS Adoption
David Edmends, GIS Consultant at Arup, gave an informative talk on the vital role that Arup University and Invest in Arup have both played in driving GIS adoption within the company’s wider digital transformation strategy.
Impressive and ambitious programmes with plenty to emulate!
AI for net-zero Land Intelligence
The team at Mott MacDonald presented a session on automated land screening which was very interesting in regards to the renewables sector and brought in AI.
With climate change at the top of the world’s agenda offsetting this by developing net-zero solutions is essential.
The session showcased the use of open data, AI and location-based analytics to develop an innovative digital land screening solution to identify suitable land and building for renewable energy opportunities.
In summary GEOBusiness 2023 was a fantastic event bringing together the very best and brightest in the proptech industry.
We can’t wait for the next one!
