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GIS and the Geospatial Ecosystem:
G

:

Creating the World You Want to See
C re a t i n g t h e W o r l d Y o u W a n t t o S e e
By Linda Foster, PLS, GISP
Introduction Which is quite appropriate, because the definition of geospatial
I had the distinct honor of delivering a plenary keynote at the according to the Merriam Webster Dictionary is “consisting of,
2025 International Federation of Surveyors (FIG) Working Week in derived from, or relating to data that is directly linked to specific
Brisbane, Australia, which centered on two of my favorite topics – geographical locations.” It also became apparent to me that we can
GIS and the geospatial ecosystem. I’m also a perpetual problem- nicely represent this ecosystem from the word itself (Figure 1).
solver, so exploring how we can leverage these to create the world Looking at everything included in Figure 1 can be overwhelming.
we want to see was a bonus. This article captures the essence of the There’s a lot there, which means a lot to keep up with. Perhaps
keynote in writing. I hope you all enjoy consuming it as much as I Heraclitus said it best: “Change is the only constant in life.” I think
enjoyed authoring it! that if there were ever an example of this, geospatial would be a
Our world is changing rapidly – both in positive ways, through good one.
technology and innovation, and not-so-positive ways – our physical To help put it all in better perspective, we’re going to step back in
world is in distress. More on this later. time to examine how this geospatial ecosystem has come together,
But first, the innovation we’re experiencing can be seen and felt all and whether the change is really accelerating as quickly as it
around us. Through agriculture, our urban environments, sometimes feels.
transportation systems, energy, healthcare, communication, and Ancient Times – 1960
computing, we are really transforming how we live and improving our • We have land surveying, which has deep historical roots and is
quality of life in many ways.
foundational to the development of our world, and remains
Exploring the Geospatial Ecosystem present throughout the decades ahead.
Much of this innovation can be found in the geospatial ecosystem • And, interestingly, some early origins of UAVs can be traced back
– enabling us to explore and solve problems in a way we could only to 1849 – in the form of balloons, and by the early to mid-1900s,
once imagine. But what exactly is the geospatial ecosystem? We hear radio-controlled aircraft.
so many terms tossed around loosely – GIS, surveying, LiDAR, UAVs,
remote sensing, spatial data, and the like, all rolled into this concept • How about GIS? Does the name Dr. John Snow sound familiar to
of “geospatial.” anyone? Although predating the term “GIS,” Dr. Snow used the
power of mapping and spatial analysis to identify the source of a
cholera outbreak in London.

Figure 1. Word representation of the term “geospatial.”

10 EMPIRE STATE SURVEYOR / VOL. 61 • NO 5 / 2025 • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER