Dear visitors of INTERGEO 2024,
As the patron of the world’s largest congress and leading trade fair for geodesy, geoinformation, and land management, I warmly welcome you to Stuttgart.
We can tackle complex challenges more effectively when we understand possible scenarios and options for action – and for this, the "where" is immensely important. That is why geoinformation is more valuable today than ever before. It is needed not only to gather land statistics and update maps, but also to form the basis for decisions that are existential for our society: from prevention and monitoring in disaster management to internal security. Especially for time-critical operational decisions, geoinformation must be made available quickly, digitally, and reliably.
To simulate developments and actions before their implementation, digital twins are increasingly being used. The Federal Agency for Cartography and Geodesy is therefore building such a digital twin for all of Germany. With the enormous volume of data, the demands for providing information as quickly and comprehensively as possible are growing. Artificial intelligence is playing an increasingly important role in this. I am therefore pleased that the relationship between AI and geospatial data is a key theme at this year’s INTERGEO.
At the same time, the risk is growing that hostile or criminal actors may try to manipulate or misuse geoinformation data. Cybersecurity is therefore essential for geoinformation, especially when it comes to protecting our critical infrastructures. The importance of being well-prepared in this regard was painfully highlighted by Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine. INTERGEO 2024 is therefore an extremely relevant forum for exchanging ideas on current security issues as well.
I wish all conference participants inspiring encounters and discussions. Thank you for your important work.
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