Could geospatial technology be a future UK digital growth industry?

Jeremy Wright, the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, hosted a special ‘tech breakfast’ last week for representatives of the ‘geospatial’ sector at Downing St at the end of last week.

The agenda: discuss opportunities and barriers for the sector – one the Government sees as promising, having set up a Geospatial Commission in the 2017 Autumn Budget to “drive and deliver the right policies and projects to maintain the UK’s status a world geospatial leader”.

At the meeting, which included representation from The Association For Geographic Information, Citymapper, Google, Meridian Mobility, the Royal Geographical Society and Sainsbury’s, discussed issues from innovation, investment, access to data and skills.

“New technology is changing how we live, work, travel – all underpinned by geospatial data,” said Wright. “[So] I was delighted to welcome the UK’s geospatial leaders to hear first-hand from attendees about how to unlock this fundamental building block of the UK’s digital economy, starting with the Geospatial Commission launching the UK’s first National Geospatial Strategy next year.”

“As a technology startup always attempting to push the boundaries, it’s fantastic to know that the government continues to be on our side in supporting and accelerating innovation in the geo-space,” added Ed Leon Klinger, CEO of Flock.

“We are thankful for the wealth of support that Flock has already received from government, and immensely proud to work so closely with various government departments as our business grows.”

The Cabinet Office says it will now study the results of its just-concluded call for evidence on what the UK’s next steps in the sector should be.