Dear visitors to INTERGEO 2025,
As the patron of INTERGEO, it is my pleasure to welcome you to Frankfurt (Main) this year for the world’s leading trade fair for geodesy, geoinformation and land management.
We are currently facing a diverse range of policy challenges to be overcome. In order to make the right decisions, we need a solid foundation of information that can be assessed and linked. Geoinformation plays a key role here.
Many of us can still recall the images from last year’s flooding disaster in Austria, Poland and the Czech Republic: first responders and volunteers working side by side to provide emergency assistance and to repair damage. It helped to have maps that showed the flooded areas and other relevant information clearly and in a way that was easy to understand, because an image often says more than a thousand words. These maps made it possible to quickly identify affected areas and transport routes in order to provide aid and protection. We know that such disasters can hit any of us. That is why it is so important to be prepared. With the help of digital models of reality, called “digital twins”, we can simulate the potential impacts of flooding. Digital twins enable us to prepare disaster response plans and test their effectiveness in advance – using geoinformation.
We must be able to count on this foundation for rapid assessment and decision-making in emergencies. To do so, we must make optimal use of the many different kinds of geoinformation. It is increasingly reasonable and necessary to draw on artificial intelligence in order to manage the enormous volume of data, assess it efficiently and provide the required information as quickly as possible.
In the current security environment, geoinformation has become even more relevant politically: that is true not only in Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, but also for large-scale events, such as sport events. Because in these cases too, rescue and emergency personnel must keep an eye on the overall situation at all times. The need for geoinformation is enormous – especially when it comes to protecting human life. And that is why your work is essential for the security of all.
I would like to wish everyone attending INTERGEO 2025 interesting and inspiring encounters and discussions. Thank you very much for your work.
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