What are the lasting memories after spending three days at Intergeo? Which topics, trends and solutions made the biggest impression? While far from complete, this report is a personal reflection – seen through the eyes of GIM International’s head of content – on the world’s most important gathering of geospatial professionals. This year’s event took place from 24-26 September in three halls of the famous Messe Stuttgart venue, located some 10km outside of the city centre.
If there is one topic that has increasingly run as a common thread through all the events I have attended in the last few years, it has artificial intelligence (AI). However, as a representative of one of the most important media brands in the world of mapping and surveying (which is quite a task in itself!), I feel the need to provide some context to separate the wheat from the chaff.
Need for intelligent solutions
During the 2024 edition of Intergeo, AI (or ‘machine learning’, as many experts in our field prefer) is omnipresent. Speaking on how the role of AI will evolve in the geospatial sector, Bernhard Richter, vice president of Leica Geosystems’ geomatics division, says: “AI is something you cannot just grab”. He emphasized that the sector should focus on which AI-based solutions are really solving problems or making things less error-prone thanks to their ability to predict mistakes so that they can be avoided them. Richter mentioned NVIDIA as a key player here, as “they are in charge of all the algorithms.”
Richter is among the experts who prefer to talk about machine learning rather than AI. “Machine learning is something that is tucked away under the hood, and the fact that it is something that the surveyor can rely on is a great advantage for his or her work. Systems can be more robust by using machine learning, but you will always need a total station,” Richter believes.
The lack of new geospatial professionals remains a worrying topic, according to Chris Trevillian, senior director product go to market: “A lack of fundamental knowledge threatens the industry. This requires advanced intelligent solutions from Trimble… smart scanners, smart workflows, versatile data solutions, robust and safe cloud-based environments. It is all about the full ecosystem and workflow, with timely support as critical aspect.” He believes machine learning will be very helpful in an era with possibly not enough surveyors around. Object detection, pavement recording and stockpile measuring are all examples of things that can be done with the help of machine learning.
Portable mapping systems
Anyone who has spent a day, or in my case three days, at Intergeo can appreciate the wide range of mobile mapping systems, and more specifically the portable and wearable variants. Handheld mapping does display traits of a hype, and is reminiscent of the industry buzz around uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs or ‘drones’) 10 to 15 years ago, when an entire exhibition hall was filled with UAV manufacturers. Once again, there are quite a few differences in quality. This plays a less important role in some applications than in others, but before purchasing a portable mapping system potential buyers should carefully consider, among other things, the selection of the sensors, their mechanical capabilities, the portal-to-portal communication with other ecosystems, and the workflow that comes with the acquisition of the data.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, RIEGL – which is widely recognized as having one of the most sophisticated and best performing high-accuracy laser scanning systems – remains confident that quality will win in the end. Based on performance expectations, customers looking for a high-end solution know how to find the Austrian company. RIEGL aims to bring its renowned quality to the wearable and portable market by ensuring the hardware results in an instrument fit for the surveying purpose. But a good solution to capture high-end geospatial data also relies on the software. Additionally, a worldwide network of service points, where customers can count on first-level support in a local context, remains a very important pillar. And RIEGL ticks all three of these boxes.
Among the strong offering of mobile mapping solutions, the newly launched handheld reality capture solution from NavVis is attracting a lot of attention as an innovative handheld dynamic scanning system tailored for the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) sector, as well as for broader surveying applications. Felix Reinshagen, CEO and co-founder, is excited by the enthusiastic reactions, emphasizing that his company has successfully met the demand for an end-to-end reality capture solution applicable to various fields. “We believe this is a groundbreaking innovation that sets us apart from the numerous other handheld systems displayed on the exhibition floor at Intergeo,” he comments.
More accurate sensors
It is inevitable that some of today’s manufacturers and systems have a greater chance of long-term success in the geospatial world than others. According to Steve Woolven, president of Trimble Applanix, just as we have seen a massive consolidation in UAV manufacturers, the mobile mapping field will also become more mature. Customers will then briefly take a step back, as they will need a moment to consider which mapping solutions best suit their needs.
Woolven is an advocate of the crewed airborne space. Here he sees the demand for more accurate sensors, as the world needs more accurate data. “At Trimble Applanix, we are dedicated to simplifying our portfolio in the land market. This commitment is partly based on feedback we’ve received from the sector, and it is something that will greatly benefit our customers,” he notes. He has high expectations of sensor fusion: “Trimble is advancing sensor fusion technology, exemplified by our ability to enable surveying in downtown corridors with poor GNSS reception. This innovation paves the way for effective trajectory optimization in areas where GNSS is unreliable or absent, facilitating seamless surveying with any Lidar system and significantly enhancing the accuracy of Lidar point clouds.”
A couple more takeaways
Another striking trend is the presence of companies that would normally only be seen at hydrographic and ocean technology events. Maritime Robotics, Seafloor Systems and Baywei are some such companies, while of course EvoLogics – a German specialist in underwater communication, positioning, navigation and monitoring, as well as an autonomous surface vehicle for survey and support operations – is present for this ‘home game’. Moreover, a company like CHCNAV is now also presenting solutions and systems for underwater surveying, and can even supply high-accuracy acoustic doppler current profilers (ADCPs) and USVs (underwater drones).
In my view, Earth observation (EO) deserves a bit more attention at the event. After all, the geospatial industry plays a big role in providing solutions for many challenges our society is facing. Yet in the press conference, there was no representative from the EO industry in the panel. This does not do justice to the geospatial sector’s role of mapping our world from space! Shouldn’t we give EO and satellite imagery a bigger stage? Perhaps the organizers of Intergeo will reconsider this for future editions.
The road towards Intergeo 2025
While the above suggestion is hopefully regarded as constructive feedback when developing the programme for next year’s Intergeo, there is another aspect that would probably be appreciated by a significant group of visitors, and at the same time contributes to increased internationalization: the English-language offering. I still continue to be surprised, after so many years of attending this highly esteemed annual event, by the fact that so many talks and presentations are held in German. Maybe this is something to evaluate for next year’s edition.
Let me conclude with a side note: I’m curious to know whether the carpet will return in the exhibition halls. On a practical level, it adds a bit of warmth and cosiness (not to mention underfoot comfort!) to this ever-enjoyable gathering of professionals from around the globe. Moreover, it lends a certain prestige that befits the status of the geospatial industry.
