The General Authority for Survey and Geospatial Information, in partnership with the Digital Saudi Program, concluded the virtual geospatial hackathon “GeoHackathon,” which was held from 17 to 19 August 2025. The event brought together more than 100 male and female innovators from across the Kingdom in a promising technological experience aimed at utilizing geospatial information to deliver digital solutions for a smarter and more sustainable future.

The “GeoHackathon” initiative sought to strengthen national capabilities in the geospatial field and smart planning practices, encourage creative ideas, develop practical and applicable prototypes, and provide enabling opportunities to incubate innovative geospatial solutions.

The hackathon served as a dynamic platform for innovation, offering participants the chance to develop creative ideas within virtual teams, and the winning projects will receive incubation opportunities to transform these projects into viable business models, while promoting a culture of geospatial innovation and opening new horizons for national talent to contribute to the Kingdom’s digital transformation journey in alignment with the objectives of Saudi Vision 2030.

The “GeoHackathon” showcased pioneering projects across diverse fields, including smart transportation, sustainable cities, geographic site analysis to support decision-making in the environmental, logistics, and crisis management sectors, urban planning, digital twins, and unmanned aerial vehicles (drones).

The judging panel—comprising a number of experts and specialists in the field of geospatial information—announced the winning projects: - Green Hajj: A project aimed at enhancing environmental sustainability, preserving resources in the holy sites, and promoting sustainable practices among pilgrims and visitors. - Masar: An intelligent platform for high-precision analysis of water and vegetation maps. - Raqeeb: An integrated early warning and forest fire prediction system that functions as a comprehensive monitoring network, detecting environmental changes in real time. - Rased: An intelligent system designed for real-time accident detection, enabling faster response from the relevant authorities. - AquaDrag: A project to develop an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) equipped with advanced sonar technology capable of producing high-resolution 3D maps of the seabed.

Participants were honored in recognition of all the innovative solutions presented, while the winning projects will be incubated and further developed through the Geospatial ecosystem.

It is worth noting that, in accordance with its mandate, the Authority’s mission is to regulate, develop, supervise, and monitor the Survey and Geospatial Information and Imaging Sector in the Kingdom. This includes building and developing national competencies in cooperation with universities and specialized institutes both inside and outside the Kingdom.