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Geo Week 2026 – Denver, Colorado

Panel: The Next Decade of Geospatial Innovation: Bridging Gaps in AI, Workforce, and Data Integration

Moderated by Carla Lauter, Senior Content Manager, Geo Week

On the opening day of Geo Week 2026 in Denver, five industry leaders gathered for a candid discussion on what the next decade holds for geospatial professionals. The panel featured Aaron Addison (WGIC), Dan Bellissimo (GIS Surveyors), Andrew Brenner (NV5), Rachel Dempsey (NOAA), and Dr. Aaron Morris (Woolpert).

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AI Is Coming — But It Is Not a Magic Button

Dr. Aaron Morris reframed the AI conversation early: the real shift isn't automation — it's codification, the ability to train systems to replicate expert-level workflows for the first time. At Woolpert, the team treats AI as an information production line: the AI is the conveyor belt, but experts still architect and run the factory.

Dan Bellissimo put it plainly from the production floor. His 500-person operation has AI in the sandbox, but he still cannot take a raw point cloud and deliver it to a client without human correction in off-the-shelf software. Clients expect AI pricing; reality is different — and that gap needs honest conversation.

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Data Silos: The Opportunity Nobody Wants to Share

Andrew Brenner challenged the room directly: the industry is still collecting the same geography multiple times for different clients instead of sharing it. "If we can get the high-density LiDAR that utilities are collecting shared with local government, we could achieve miracles." Bellissimo underscored the point — Weyerhaeuser and power utilities face nearly identical corridor management challenges, yet no data or intelligence sharing exists between them. The platforms are ready; the will is what's missing.

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Foundational Infrastructure: NOAA's NSRS Modernization

Rachel Dempsey grounded the panel with a foundational truth: every sensor, satellite, and digital twin discussed depends on a consistent geodetic framework to function at all. She updated the room on the National Spatial Reference System (NSRS) modernization — replacing WGS 84 after more than thirty years. Beta versions are live and in feedback collection; full delivery targets 2027. She also flagged a quiet crisis: NOAA isn't just struggling to grow its geodesy workforce — it's struggling to maintain it. Industry investment in that pipeline isn't charity; it's self-interest.

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The Education-Industry Speed Gap

Aaron Addison offered the panel's sharpest workforce analysis: the industry iterates five to eight times for every one iteration in higher education. Curriculum approval takes eighteen to twenty-four months — meaning a new course can arrive twenty iterations behind the moment it's first taught. The fix isn't just better curriculum; it's mentorship. "Give them opportunities to succeed; don't set them up to fail." Morris added a sobering data point: one major tech firm he knows has cut entry-level hiring seventy percent, with AI absorbing those tasks. The paradox is real — you can't build experts without training entry-level workers.

Addison also framed the decade's opportunity: decision-grade data — explainable, traceable, trustworthy — is what earns geospatial a seat at the executive table. "It's not just a 'believe the map' conversation. It's a trust conversation."

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Career Advice for the Next Generation

The panel closed with quick-fire advice for anyone entering the field:

Dr. Aaron Morris (Woolpert): Build wide skills and lean into your network. The network is key.
Rachel Dempsey (NOAA): Talk to everyone. This field spans policy, science, agriculture, economics — you'll find your angle.
Andrew Brenner (NV5): Get practical experience outside the classroom. Companies are looking for problem solvers.
Dan Bellissimo (GIS Surveyors): Learn spatial logic. Everything else you can be trained on. Be ready to pivot.
Aaron Addison (WGIC): Take remote assignments early. That diversity of experience becomes a career differentiator you can't replicate later.

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About Geo Week

Geo Week is the annual gathering of the geospatial, LiDAR, reality capture, and survey communities. The 2026 conference is held in Denver, Colorado.

Panelists:
Aaron Addison – Executive Director, World Geospatial Industry Council (WGIC)
Dan Bellissimo – Director of LiDAR and Remote Sensing, GIS Surveyors, Inc.
Andrew Brenner – Vice President, Solutions Engineering, NV5
Rachel Dempsey – Deputy Assistant Administrator, National Ocean Service, NOAA
Dr. Aaron Morris – Global Director of AI, Woolpert, Inc.