WGIC backs launch of first professional doctorate in geospatial leadership

The World Geospatial Industry Council (WGIC) has announced its support for the Executive Doctor of Geospatial Leadership (DGEO), the first professional doctorate of its kind, to be offered jointly by Clark University and the University of Southern California, USA. The announcement was made at WGIC's Horizons 2026 conference in London.

Developed in collaboration with WGIC and more than 50 member organizations, including Esri, Oracle, Amazon Web Services, TomTom, Trimble and Hexagon, the programme is aimed at mid-career professionals and will be delivered in a low-residency, cohort-based format. It is scheduled to begin in Summer 2027.

The doctorate addresses a recognized leadership gap in the geospatial sector. Graduates are expected to combine technical expertise with executive capability, preparing them to lead organizations that rely on geospatial technology, a field that underpins a broad range of industries including insurance, logistics, urban planning, agriculture and environmental monitoring.

The initiative reflects WGIC’s ongoing commitment to geospatial workforce development. WGIC encourages its member organizations to support the development of the DGEO programmes, engage in doctoral capstone projects and classroom experiences to connect academic learning with industry practice, and help build worldwide recognition and demand for the degree.

Scale and impact of the geospatial industry

Announcing the initiative, Aaron Addison, Executive Director of WGIC, said: “Leaders emerging from this first-of-its-kind programme will be equipped and empowered to approach problems with heightened understanding, an expansive set of skills, and the ability to find meaningful solutions. We are living in a time of incredible climate and societal disruption, when the demand for leaders in this space is acute – and the DGEO programme will be critical in meeting that demand.”

Lou Leonard, the D.J.A. Spencer Dean of the School of Climate, Environment, and Society at Clark University, commented: “We are at the point where the scale and impact of the geospatial industry has expanded greatly, moving beyond traditional GIS and remote sensing to integrate AI, machine learning and data engineering. However, with this growth have come workforce gaps for the industry, particularly at management levels, where integrating technological competence, particularly GeoAI, with executive skills is vital to leading organizations in a changing future.”

John Wilson, professor and founding director of the Spatial Sciences Institute at the University of Southern California, stated: “The DGEO programme will offer working professionals the opportunity to strengthen their communication, financial and management skills as they step into leadership roles across the geospatial sector.”