Intergeo Focuses on the Energy Transition

Germany is currently in the midst of a transition from nuclear power to renewable energy. Since geomatics plays a vital role in this huge shift, it is no surprise that the 'Energiewende', as it is called in German, is one of the major themes at this year’s Intergeo. The generation of energy is decentralised, which in turn has a massive impact on the energy grid. Geomatics is important in terms of land management for both energy producers and for the energy grid itself. Additionally, however, geomatics is key in analysing an area’s potential for energy production and hence determining the optimal location for biogas facilities, wind turbines, solar panels, etc.

By Mark Pronk, technical editor, and Wim van Wegen, editorial manager, GIM International

Furthermore, UAS and related products such as measuring equipment and software are very well represented at Intergeo this year, reflecting the rapid pace of growth of this technology. Many companies at the show are demonstrating new and innovative applications for laser scanning and Lidar. Moreover, for the first time, Intergeo includes a Brazilian pavilion featuring six companies from that country, underlining the event’s ever-broader international scope.

In line with tradition, the Intergeo press conference took place on the second day of the show. The organisers stated that they expect over 16,000 visitors to attend this year’s edition, which is being held in the German city of Essen, enabling it to retain its crown as the world´s largest event for geomatics. Karl-Friedrich Thöne, president of the German Association of Surveying, told the audience that he was pleasantly surprised by young average age of the attendees, regarding that as a positive sign for the future of the geospatial industry.

Erik Arvesen, vice president of the geospatial division of Trimble, spoke about the shift from a focus on data to a focus on information and decisions, and pointed out that geospatial professionals are becoming more knowledgeable about certain industries. Gerd Buziek, director of communications at Esri, emphasised the importance of ‘web GIS’ and talked about the ‘Facebook of maps’.

Carl Reed, chief technology officer at Open Geospatial Consortium, highlighted an interesting challenge by examining the matter of how to compile knowledge out of data. While ‘the cloud’ and ‘big data’ are the latest buzzwords on everyone’s lips, he said that standards will actually play the key role in allowing information to be captured and shared effectively. Reed stated that we need standardised ways to communicate, and that standards will enable innovation because developers then no longer need to worry about the reliability of the information.

Jürgen Dold, president and CEO of Leica Geosystems, focused on the importance of keeping it simple. He said that the geomatics sector can learn from Apple: a company that makes it so simple. He agreed with the OGC’s call for standardisation, but he added that we should also focus on the applications and turn-key solutions.

Towards the end of the press conference, the role of politics in geomatics was also questioned. Moderator Hagen Graeff, DVW's chief representative, stated that geospatial activities are political activities. He was corrected by Karl-Friedrich Thöne, who remarked that they have to be political activities.

For more information visit Intergeo's tv channel on YouTube.