OPTIONAL WORKSHOPS

The below workshops will be held on Tuesday 24th November and are included with all full conference registration tickets. Pre-registration is required and placed are limited. These workshops can be booked when registering for the conference HERE.

Workshop A | Geospatial AI in action: from organisational opportunity to real-world application

Led by Simon Jackson, Head of Technology at Esri Australia, the workshop will feature insights from other Esri Australia specialists

Artificial intelligence is reshaping how organisations analyse information, automate workflows and make decisions. Yet realising its potential requires more than powerful models alone. Trusted data, location context and clear governance are critical to ensuring AI delivers meaningful, reliable and actionable outcomes.

Geospatial AI in action: from organisational opportunity to real-world application explores how location intelligence and AI can work together to help organisations move beyond experimentation and towards practical implementation. Through an interactive organisational scenario, participants will experience how Geospatial AI can support decision-making, connect workflows and deliver contextual insights across an enterprise environment.

Designed for professionals across government, industry and research, this workshop will examine the opportunities, challenges and considerations associated with adopting Geospatial AI within an organisational setting. Participants will see how trusted data, governance and operational processes influence successful outcomes while considering how similar approaches could apply within their own environment.

Attendees will leave with a clearer understanding of where Geospatial AI can create value, the foundations required for responsible adoption, and practical considerations for moving from emerging opportunity to real-world application with confidence.

Workshop B | FME Accelerator Workshop | GDV Hub | VertiGIS Products

Michael Studdert, Christian Fellinger, Simon Laird, Justin Madex, Owen Pafrey, David Floreani, Andrej Mocicka

Join us for an interactive workshop designed to help organisations unlock greater value from their data through automation, governance, and spatial intelligence. Whether you are looking to streamline workflows, improve data quality, or enable better decision-making, these hands-on sessions will showcase practical solutions that can be applied across local government, state government, utilities, mining and enterprise environments.

The series begins with the FME Accelerator Workshop, where attendees will explore how FME can automate data integration, eliminate manual processes, and connect systems across the organisation. Learn how to build efficient workflows that save time, reduce errors, and improve operational outcomes plus No prior FME, coding or GIS experience is required.

Next, the GDV Hub Workshop will demonstrate how organisations can validate, govern, and maintain trusted data at scale. Discover how effective data governance can improve compliance, increase confidence in decision-making, and ensure data remains fit for purpose.

The event concludes with Woolpert showing the VertiGIS Solutions, showcasing innovative technologies that help organisations visualise, manage, and share critical information. See how geospatial data can be transformed into actionable insights that support planning, operations, and service delivery.

This workshop series provides an opportunity to gain practical knowledge, explore real-world success stories, and connect with peers tackling similar data challenges. As a true data transformation triple threat, VertiGIS and Woolpert bring together FME, GDV Hub, and VertiGIS solutions to help organisations integrate, govern, and visualise data for better decisions and improved operational outcomes.

Workshop C | Cloud Native Geospatial for Earth Observation

Led by Alex Leith, Technical Director at Auspatious, with a proven track record in delivering operational data infrastructure and making data accessible for informed decision-making. Alex is a leader in the EO community, dedicated to promoting sustainability through better data access.

Broad goals of the workshop:

Demonstrate the use of STAC tools like PySTAC Client and ODC-STAC to find, load, and analyse Earth observation data
Show how cloud native technologies, like cloud-optimised geotiffs, STAC, and direct access to petabytes of data change the way we can get work done
Explore case studies such as measuring Land Productivity for UN Sustainable Development Goal reporting, mapping global sea surface temperature from deep timeseries and the use of Google’s Alpha Earth embeddings for land cover classification.

The advent of cloud computing has revolutionised the capabilities of researchers and professionals globally, helping them to access and analyse Earth observation (EO) data more easily than ever. Despite the well-understood tools and technologies, such as cloud-optimised GeoTIFFs (COG) and the Spatio-Temporal Asset Catalog (STAC) and STAC API specifications, many EO professionals have not yet had the opportunity to practically apply these innovations. This workshop aims to bridge that gap by showcasing how cloud-native geospatial technologies simplify the process of working with EO data, using Python as the primary programming language.

In part one of the workshop, we’ll give an introduction to cloud native geospatial, and then participants will get hands-on coding a Earth observation data science notebook from scratch, loading and visualising Landsat data.

In part two, we’ll talk about Al Gore’s vision for a digital earth, and how we’re on the path to realising that vision, and then we’ll delve into real-world case studies.

Throughout the workshop, participants will gain hands-on experience and insights into how cloud-native geospatial technologies have significantly enhanced the ability to access and analyze large volumes of EO data. By the end of the session, attendees will have acquired practical examples and knowledge to further develop their skills in this innovative field.

Key Learning Objectives

Understanding Cloud-Native Geospatial Technologies: Learn the fundamentals of cloud-native geospatial technologies and their significance in simplifying EO data workflows.

Understanding Cloud-Native Geospatial Data Formats: Dig into the structure of cloud-native data, how it is stored, and how tooling can leverage these strengths to make data access more performant and efficient.

Practical Application with Real-World Data: Engage in hands-on exercises using Landsat, Sentinel-2, Global High Resolution Sea Surface Temperature and Google Alpha Earth embeddings.

Exploring Advanced Tools: Gain familiarity with key Python packages for EO data analysis, including xarray, dask, pystac-client, odc-stac, and odc-geo.

Developing Reproducible Workflows: Understand how to build reproducible workflows that can be executed anywhere, independent of specific computing environments.

Leveraging Global Data Repositories: Learn how to access and utilize global free and open EO datasets, and how these resources can be integrated into cloud-native workflows.

Target Audience

This workshop is designed for Earth observation professionals, researchers, data scientists, and students who are interested in enhancing their skills in EO data analysis using cloud-native technologies. Prior experience with or the ability to understand Python will be strongly beneficial.

Workshop Structure

Introduction to Cloud-Native Geospatial: Overview of the cloud-native geospatial paradigm and its importance in EO data analysis.

Hands-On Exercises: Step-by-step practical sessions to develop and apply Python-based workflows for EO data analysis.

Discussion and Q&A: Interactive session for participants to ask questions, share insights, and discuss the applications of cloud-native geospatial technologies in their work.

Acknowledgement

This workshop was developed with support by the CEOS Systems Engineering Office, ensuring high-quality content and expert guidance throughout the session.

Workshop D | Experience the innovations and efficiencies of the Open Spatial Cloud GIS for yourself

Led by Johan Nel, Andrew Dunlop, Philip Nel | Open Spatial

See how Open Spatial’s Cloud, a modern enterprise grade solution based on open-source technologies and standards, seamlessly delivers effective GIS capabilities through one integrated platform across desktop, web and mobile. Attendees will be set up with a login for a trial of the web and mobile apps to try the system.

Engage in a start to end overview of GIS workflows while considering user management, permissions, data publishing , multiuser editing, contexts (internal and public) and integrated mobile abilities. Attendees will see how enterprise data can be managed, governance applied and visualized across various contexts and use cases.

The workshop will start with using QGIS for editing, styling, analysis and applying AI. Then use the same data in a web browser application for viewing, query, managing workspaces, interacting with other systems, publish maps and control user access, and advanced functionality such as utility network trace. Attendees will be able to use the mobile app to view the project, edit and sync data and have access to the free trial.

Workshop E | Are we ready for the Net-Zero Land Rush? What is the role for geospatial data infrastructures to delivery equity

Led by Mohsen Kalantari, Associate Professor and Deputy Head (Education) from the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering

UNSW Sydney

The transition to renewable energy and net-zero emissions is creating increasing demand for land across Australia and the Pacific. Renewable energy generation, transmission, storage and associated infrastructure present major opportunities, but also raise important questions around equity: specifically, Indigenous and customary land rights and control, consent, land governance, access to information and participation in development.

The workshop forms part of an emerging UNSW Engineering research program at the intersection of geospatial data infrastructure, infrastructure development, Indigenous and customary land governance, and social equity. It will bring together Indigenous and customary land representatives from Australia and the Pacific, as well as institutions, government, industry, international development organisations, geospatial practitioners, and researchers.

Together, participants will address a central question: How can geospatial data, digital infrastructure, and governance capabilities make infrastructure projects investment-ready while recognising and protecting Indigenous and customary rights?

In answering the question the workshop is expected to identify:

Critical land, geospatial and governance gaps that create risks or delays for renewable-energy and infrastructure projects;
Practical capabilities, datasets, geospatial infrastructure and institutional arrangements necessary to bridge gaps between infrastructure planning, project preparation, implementation and long-term asset management;
Opportunities for collaboration between Indigenous and Pacific organisations, government, industry, development partners, development finance institutions and researchers; and
An initial Australia–Pacific action agenda for research, capacity development and investment in land and geospatial infrastructure.

We are inviting participants to not simply to attend, but to help shape a collaborative agenda for how the Net-Zero transition can proceed with stronger land governance, better information and more equitable outcomes for Indigenous Peoples and customary landowners across Australia and the Pacific.