Forum Sessions
ISPRS 2026
Forum Sessions
Engaging Dialogues on the Future of Our Field
Forum Sessions at ISPRS 2026 are designed to spark lively discussion, encourage audience participation, and explore pressing issues from multiple perspectives. Featuring panelists from academia, industry, and policy, these sessions go beyond presentations to foster open dialogue, challenge ideas, and inspire collaborative solutions in photogrammetry, remote sensing, and spatial information sciences.
Forum Session Information:
Forum Chairs:
Morgan Crowley
Laura Dingle Robertson
Observing the Earth as One: Making space for everyone in Remote Sensing, Photogrammetry, and Spatial Information Science
The fields of remote sensing, photogrammetry, and spatial information sciences are rapidly growing, driven by new technologies and digital innovations across all sectors. With fields attracting new talent from around the world, professional organizations like ISPRS must continue to make space for new professionals to feel safe and welcome while also retaining and increasing the visibility of those who have contributed to the field's success. This forum offers a space for connection among individuals and initiatives dedicated to expanding participation, fostering collaboration, and supporting professional growth in geospatial and Earth observation sciences. Open to everyone, this forum will feature a keynote, a panel discussion with leaders in the field, lightning talks on current and emerging community-focused efforts, and a hands-on, facilitated discussion for all attendees. Participants will engage with global leaders and initiatives dedicated to supporting collaboration, engagement, capacity building, and professional network development. The forum will highlight how reducing barriers and increasing connections for individuals from varying backgrounds will support and enhance future innovations in remote sensing, photogrammetry, and spatial information sciences. Expected outcomes include actionable ideas for strengthening individual experiences, building community, and supporting collaborations, as well as concrete steps that professional organizations like ISPRS can take to ensure a more connected and resilient community.
Legacy Project: How to Secure Funding to Support Geospatial Activities
Session Chairs:
Robert Ryerson
Those of us involved in the fields in which the ISPRS operates know that our science underpins much of the world’s economic and environmental activities. However, all too often the rest of the world does not know how important our science and technology truly is. Why this is the case is easily explained: many of us in the field lack experience in selling the value of what we do to policy makers in language that they understand. Our Legacy Project will provide the information those in our field need to better promote our field, be it to governments, industry or academe. In the countries and regions which our participants serve we have been fortunate to have leaders in our field who have convinced our governments and industry of the benefits of investments in geomatics – especially in difficult economic times. We will share our experience and call on the knowledge and experience of the rest of the world in how they too have successfully promoted our field. We will bring this information together as our Post-Congress Legacy Project to show decision makers world-wide the importance of what we do. The information and materials aimed at these decision makers and policy makers will be provided in easily understood non-technical language. They will show how geospatial information can be (and is being) used in economic development, planning, sustainable resource management, resource exploration and the like. It is planned to have this information freely accessible on the web.
Session Chairs:
Jun Chen
Zhilin Li
Hybrid Intelligent Geospatial Computing
In recent years, Artificial Intelligence (AI) has attracted more and more attentions from the ISPRS community after rapid development of Deep Learning technology and generative AI (e.g., ChatGPT). In particular, large language model (LLM) ChatGPT-4, launched on 14 March 2023 by OpenAI marks a breakthrough in AI. Indeed, ChatGPT-4 has been regarded as early (yet still incomplete) versions of artificial general intelligence (AGI). Although the development in AI is very rapid, LLMs on one hand have very limited spatial reasoning abilities, and on the other hand may inadvertently generate fake information (or misinformation) without proper supervision. In geospatial community, extensive training by using geospatial data has been carried to obtain spatialized GPT products, such as GeoGPT, MapGPT, EarthGPT, ImageGPT, SkyEyeGPT, and SpectralGPT. However, an increasing number of researchers have realized that, although deep learning and LLMs will significantly impact on geospatial science, they are not panaceas and exhibit numerous limitations in handling spatial characteristics of features. Therefore, the hybrid integration of AI with geospatial-NI (natural intelligence in geospatial science) to form hybrid intelligence (HI) is the only feasible (necessary and possible) solution at this development stage. In such an AI system, the NI in the form of geospatial knowledge plays a vital role. Therefore, it is very desirable to organize a forum on such a topic.
Session Chairs:
Sina Taghavikish
Trevor Taylor
Ryan Ahola (to be confirmed)
Exploring the Role of DGGS and AI in Addressing Challenges of National Mapping & Remote Sensing Agencies
Traditional spatial reference systems, especially geographic coordinate systems, rely on latitude, longitude, and sometimes altitude to pinpoint locations. While useful, these coordinates can be inefficient for integrating global data at multiple resolutions or over time. A coordinate reference system (CRS) offers a continuous way to identify locations but lacks inherent means to organize space into meaningful, standardized units. A Discrete Global Grid System (DGGS) addresses this gap by dividing the Earth’s surface into hierarchical cells, akin to a digital catalog of the planet, where each cell uniquely identifies a location. Unlike traditional coordinates, DGGS allows consistent referencing, comparison, and analysis across multiple scales and data sources. When data is organized with DGGS, artificial intelligence can more effectively assist in finding answers, detecting changes, and developing new insights—cell by cell. This session aims to introduce DGGS technology to the remote sensing community. DGGS is gaining attention among major data providers such as ESA, CNES, and NRCan. It’s not merely theoretical; DGGS powers real-world applications like disaster response and environmental monitoring, and may play a vital role in Earth observation data management. By organizing data into DGGS, issues like overlap, redundancy, and registration are minimized, saving time and resources for providers and users. The expected outcome is to showcase DGGS-related activities within the OGC community and to promote this innovative technology to industry, governments, and academia, highlighting its potential to advance Earth observation activities.
Session Chairs:
Muralikrishna Iyyanki
Laurent Polidori
Chris Bush
Entrepreneurship in the Industry 4.0 Geospatial Landscape
Geospatial technology entrepreneurship is uniquely positioned to thrive by leveraging the mandates and opportunities presented by the Industry 4.0 which is all about connecting the physical and digital worlds, driven by data, automation, and intelligent systems. Geospatial technology, with its inherent ability to provide location intelligence, is a foundational layer for this transformation. It can create new markets and opportunities for economic growth and social impact. Industry 4.0 leverage could be considerable in terms of availability of Cloud-based data repositories etc. Some of the areas / themes falling under geospatial landscape are illustrated here: - Smart Irrigation & Water Management, Precision agriculture, Drone-based Services, Environmental Monitoring & CCA, Biodiversity Monitoring, - Smart cities, Digital twins, Geo BIM, 3D Modeling & Visualization - Photogrammetry, Surveying, Land records - Block chain, GeoAI and ML services - Standardization of Consultation In this background the Forum is proposed with the following objectives: - To unlock the entrepreneurial opportunities in Industry 4.0 geospatial landscape - To connect industry 4.0 technologies for geospatial innovation - To discuss about entrepreneurial pathways and go through one or two case studies of pioneering geospatial ventures - To organize a fire chat/panel discussion for quick highlights in terms of entrepreneurial journey in geospatial setting - To realize the perspectives from VCs /Angel Firms about the investment trends with focus on industry 4.0 geospatial landscape The expected outcomes includes: - A well understood entrepreneurial pathway starting from value creation to value capturing in geospatial domain - Geospatial professionals with Knowledge about the untapped entrepreneurial potential of geospatial landscape - Possible recommendation for creation of ISPRS WG or ICWG on Entrepreneurship in Geospatial Landscape
Session Chairs:
Zaffar Mohamed-Ghouse Songnian Li
Georg Gartner
Celine Rozenblat
UN-IGIF: Capacity Building and Education Opportunities
The Committee of Experts on Global Geospatial Information Management (UN-GGIM) at its tenth session adopted the Implementation Guide of the United Nations Integrated Geospatial Information Framework (UN-IGIF). The UN-IGIF provides a basis and guide for developing, integrating, strengthening and maximizing geospatial information management and related resources in all countries. The collaboration between academic, private sector, and geospatial societies plays an indispensable role in the successful implementation of the UN-IGIF. The objectives of this forum are to promote the UN-IGIF within the ISPRS community and beyond, to discuss the challenges and opportunities facing its implementation, and to explore strategic pathways in terms of capacity building, education, and professional training. The expected outcomes include awareness of the UN-IGIF within both academic and industrial sectors, and identification of institutional capacity and the need for professional education, training, and knowledge sharing essential to the implementation of the UN-IGIF.
Session Chairs:
Helena van Mierlo
Ajoke Onojeghuo
Morgan Crowley.
Colin McFayden
Wildfire Remote Sensing - Bridging Public and Private Solutions
The challenges related to the improvement of the use of remote sensing in wildfire management and research, are complex and involve a large community that includes government, academia and industry. The increasing role of the commercial industry in EO has led to the emergence of large-scale constellations of private thermal infrared sensors which enable global coverage with an unprecedented temporal cadence. Due to the different nature of these systems (built faster with smaller budgets and higher risk) the performance of these sensor arrays can be different when compared to established or planned public Earth observation missions. Yet, the end-user community will need to benefit from the collective offerings available, from both public and commercial sources. This session addresses the challenges of achieving solutions for the wildfire user community that contain available wildfire remote sensing products from both public and commercial missions. The compatibility between the different processes and products is addressed, as well as non-technical aspects that will need to be considered and potentially overcome, to ensure that the wealth of diversity in approaches will not become an obstacle but rather leads to higher benefits for the end-user.
Session Chairs:
Darren Janzen
Paul Briand
Canadian Earth Observation Supersites for Technology Advancement and Research (EOSTAR)
This session will introduce a new initiative to establish Canadian supersites throughout Canada. Data collections will be prepared for each supersite representing a broad spectrum of earth observation data from both the public and commercial sphere. The data collections for these supersites will be hosted and made available via Digital Earth Canada (DEC), a next generation EO data and analytics platform designed to enable Canadians to access and analyze massive volumes of satellite data in place. The session will introduce DEC and overview the purpose and goals of DEC-EOSTAR which are to (1) advance EO science through sensor fusion and innovation; (2) support applied research and benchmarking of EO methodologies; (3) enable post-secondary and technical training; and (4) foster collaboration among government, academia, Indigenous communities, and the private sector. The supersites will be approximately 10km x 10km and diversely located throughout the major land cover types in Canada and will have a curated collection of open and commercial EO datasets including optical imagery, radar imagery, and lidar data. Following the presentations, the session will shift to an interactive engagement format. Using live interactive polling session participants will help identify key requirements for the supersite network—including data requirements, site characteristics, and potential locations. Through this session, the DEC-EOSTAR team will introduce the project and build a shared understanding to inform the design of a national supersite program.
Session Chairs:
Martin Bergeron
Gunter Schreier
The future of space-based Earth Observation
Satellite based Earth Observation ranks high on the agendas of many space agencies. It is a driving force for established industrial players and start-up companies to develop new concepts for satellite constellations, sensing technologies and services. Space agencies play an important role in supporting the development of national and international programs to access, utilize and apply growing streams of Earth Observation data. Agencies operate optical and radar satellites for environmental observations, for surveillance and security purposes and complement their assets with commercial data. Agencies support the development of new technologies and foster the entry of start-ups to compete in a global market. The ISPRS Space Agency Forum is raising questions of common interest: What future lies ahead for Earth Observation? How might it be influenced by technological, political and economic developments? How will they shape practice and practitioners at large? Following similar round table discussion during the ISPRS Congress at Prague in 2016, this Space Agency Forum (SAF) is offering three thematic sessions. Each one convenes high level speakers from national and international space agencies, organizations and companies who share their opinions, plans and visions for future developments in Earth Observation. The first SAF session on Tuesday morning highlights plans for Canadian Earth Observation Missions addressing international challenges. The second session, on Tuesday afternoon, will be a moderated discussion with heads and directors of space agencies sharing their institutional perspectives on the Future of Earth Observation. This will be complemented by a third session later that afternoon, inviting you to participate in a lively discussion of high-level representatives from industry, government, academia, non-governmental organizations and the media to share their thoughts, visions and suggestions regarding the Future of Earth Observation. The Space Agency Forum sessions are co-organized and moderated by the Canadian Space Agency and the ISPRS International Policy Advisory Committee (IPAC).
Geospatial Information Science Empowered by Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing: Towards Equal, Liveable, Accessible, and Affordable Spaces
Session Chairs:
Sisi Zlatanova
Yonghong Zhang
Against the backdrop of global urbanization, climate change, and uneven spatial development, the International Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ISPRS) Technical Commission IV (Spatial Information Science) would like to cooperate with International Federation of Surveyors (FIG) Commission 3 (Spatial Information Management) to jointly organize a forum at the XXV ISPRS Congress with the topic “Geospatial Information Science Empowered by Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing: Equal, Liveable, Available and Affordable Spaces.” This forum aims to foster cross-community collaboration between ISPRS and FIG stakeholders. It seeks to showcase how photogrammetry, remote sensing and GIS can amplify the impact of spatial information science and management, while drawing on ISPRS and FIG expertise in science & technology developments, standards, policy alignment, and on-the-ground practice to ensure technical innovations serve equitable and sustainable spatial development globally.
From Science to Action: Advancing Global Agricultural Monitoring for Food Security and Resilience
Session Chairs:
Sven Gilliams
Catherine Champagne
Agriculture sits at the intersection of climate change, food security, land use, markets, and livelihoods. Earth Observation (EO) has become essential for monitoring crops, rangelands, drought, and production risks, yet significant challenges remain in moving from scientific innovation to sustained operational use and policy uptake. This GEOGLAM-led Forum Session will bring together scientists, operational agencies, international organisations, industry and policymakers to explore how EO and geospatial technologies are being translated into trusted, decision-ready agricultural monitoring systems at national, regional, and global scales. Rather than research presentations, the forum will focus on impact, coordination, operationalisation, and future roadmaps, reflecting GEOGLAM’s 15+ years of experience as a global coordination mechanism. The session aligns strongly with ISPRS priorities on societal impact, geospatial innovation, and interdisciplinary collaboration.