New Delhi, 1 February 2025 – The Association of Geospatial Industries (AGI), in collaboration with its member Geospatial World, organized an impactful Investors Roundtable on Investors Roundtable, brought together key industry players, including investors, technology providers, and service companies, to discuss opportunities and challenges in the rapidly evolving geospatial sector.
In his welcome address, Nikhil Kumar, President of AGI, highlighted the transformative role of geospatial technology in India’s economic growth. “2021 was a watershed moment for India’s geospatial industry with the release of the National Geospatial Policy, unlocking new sectors and space-driven growth. Today, we gather to demystify and simplify these opportunities,” he said.
Kumar emphasized that geospatial technology is pivotal across multiple sectors, from boosting agricultural productivity by 25-30% to enhancing broadband networks, improving urbanization, and increasing access to clean drinking water. He added, “From planning to design, development, operation, and maintenance—every stage of infrastructure and urban projects is directly influenced by geospatial technology.”
The discussions also explored key themes around data collection, crowdsourced data, and the need for unified platforms to integrate and aggregate diverse data sources. “The digital transformation of geospatial applications is accelerating, driven by AI, digital twins, big data analytics, and deep tech,” Kumar noted.
Srikant Sashtri, Chairman of the Geospatial Data Promotion and Development Committee (GDPDC), explained the committee’s critical role in driving liberalization within the sector. He elaborated on the GDPDC’s efforts to revamp India’s outdated mapping and data infrastructure, noting that this modernization is a priority to ensure India keeps pace with global developments.
“Our vision is to build a robust data and technology infrastructure that enables seamless access to location-tagged data, fostering innovation and economic value within India’s private sector and startup ecosystem,” Sashtri added.
The roundtable also touched on pivotal questions regarding the support needed for geospatial startups, bridging the gap between startups and investors, and creating a conducive policy environment. The event also addressed how Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) and specialized funding models can drive further investment and innovation in the geospatial sector.
Sanjay Kumar, CEO of Geospatial World, spoke about the changing dynamics of the global order post-COVID and how geospatial technology is integral to managing challenges in this shifting landscape through a detailed presentation. “Geospatial technology is a system of systems—it allows us to measure, model, monitor, and manage change. If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it,” Kumar said.
He further discussed how geospatial innovations are reshaping industries, such as autonomy and robotics, and noted that geospatial is set to become a $1 trillion market global by 2030, with significant growth in sectors such as GNSS and positioning, Earth observation, and spatial analytics.
In the closing remark, Sreeramam Raghavan, CEO of NeoGeo Info Pvt Ltd., elaborated on the growing diversity of geospatial applications. “Geospatial solutions must evolve to meet the diverse needs across sectors—agriculture, defense, infrastructure, finance, and more.” Raghavan emphasized that the sector’s growth is being driven by the demand for simplified, diversified, SaaS-based models that offer long-term cash flow potential and adhere to compliance standards.
This roundtable event served as a crucial platform for investors, startups, and technology providers to discuss actionable strategies and investment opportunities in the expanding geospatial sector.