The “Geospatial Week GSW2025” conference, organized by the International Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ISPRS) in collaboration with Mohammed bin Rashid Space Center, opened today in Dubai. The event runs from April 7 to 11.
H.E.Dr. Eng. Mohammed bin Yahya Al-Sayel, the President of General Authority for Survey and Geospatial Information (GEOSA) and ISPRS regional representative for Arab states addressing the floor at the conference's opening session.
He highlighted that the Arab region’s hosting of this prominent event for the second consecutive time—following Egypt’s hosting in 2023—reflects the growing role of Arab countries in the global geospatial arena.
He stated that GEOSA, as a public legal body responsible for regulating the surveying, geospatial information, and imaging sector in the Kingdom, continues its relentless pursuit of international leadership at the regional and global levels. He noted that GEOSA plays a pivotal role in leading geospatial transformation across the Arab world, enhancing the role of geospatial information to support and empower various development sectors, and ensuring that it becomes an essential component of digital transformation and economic growth strategies, in collaboration with international organizations and relevant research institutions to promote knowledge and spur innovation.
At the same time, Al-Sayel pointed to GEOSA’s experience in building and developing the national geospatial infrastructure to develop the sector to attract the investment and enhance its growth within the goals of Saudi Vision 2030. Such efforts include the establishment of the National Geospatial Platform aimed at integrating geospatial data and maximizing its benefits by providing a single, secure, and easy-to-access source based on the best practices and standards dissemination, as well as launching the National Geospatial Academy as a knowledge hub and a global platform for specialized education and training to build and empower geospatial human capabilities.
He stressed that, this international leadership of the Kingdom, represented by GEOSA, that the United Nations has offered consent for the Kingdom to be the host country for the United Nations Global Geospatial Ecosystem Centre of Excellence (UNGGECE) in the capital city of Riyadh.
Al-Sayel, pointed out that the Kingdom is seeking to submit a bid to host the ISPRS 2030 conference under the theme “Mapping the Future: Innovations in Geospatial Sciences,” stressing that Saudi Arabia's hosting of this major event—becoming the first Arab country to do so—would be an ideal opportunity to deliver a historic milestone for the global geospatial community. It would open new horizons for shaping the future of geospatial sciences and include global hackathons and major competitions aimed at enhancing the role of geospatial information in developing smart solutions, addressing modern-day challenges, promoting decision-making based on geospatial intelligence, supporting smart urban planning, showcasing the -art- of -the- state geospatial technologies and applications, raising geospatial awareness, and empowering human capabilities in the geospatial field.
GEOSA is participating in Geospatial Week GSW2025 as a main sponsor, showcasing its local and international experiences through a dedicated booth, conducted several panel discussions, and submitting scientific papers.