"Real World, Real Data, Real Decisions": How AI Is Transforming the Geospatial Industry
Press conference, September 16, 2026 · Messe München
At the midpoint of INTERGEO 2026 in Munich, organizers and industry leaders took stock under this year's conference theme, "Real World, Real Data, Real Decisions." The central question: how increasingly precise geodata actually translates into better decisions — and what role artificial intelligence will play going forward. Rather than relying on rigid programming, providers are increasingly turning to trained AI systems, open data platforms, and agents capable of acting autonomously in areas such as construction monitoring, digital twins, and disaster response.
Who took part
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Rudolf Staiger, President of DVW e.V. – the German Association for Geodesy, Geoinformation and Land Management, organizer of the INTERGEO Conference
Ralf Mosler, Autodesk, on open industry platforms and AI assistants
Boris Skopljak, Senior Vice President Geospatial at Trimble, on the Trimble Connect platform
Bernhard Richter, Hexagon Geomatics
Marko Prisky, Esri Deutschland, on digital twins and AI agents
Olaf Freier, HINTE Expo & Conference, on organizing INTERGEO
The press conference was hosted by Christopher Wirtgen.
What it means for the industry
The discussion pointed to a dual shift. Technologically, the industry is moving from pure data capture toward AI-driven systems that prepare decisions — and, in narrowly defined cases, even make them. Panelists agreed that humans remain indispensable for now, not least because the industry still lacks the competencies to reliably validate AI-generated results. Commercially, pressure is mounting on otherwise competing vendors to collaborate, as customers increasingly demand seamless data flows rather than isolated point solutions. Open standards and platform-to-platform exchange look set to become the industry's real competitive battleground in the coming years — more so than individual products.
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