The third edition of Southeast Asia’s flagship geospatial and location intelligence technology trade event, Geo Connect Asia (GCA), successfully concluded its two-day run on 16 March 2023 at the Marina Bay Sands Expo & Convention Centre in Singapore. GCA 2023, co-located with the first edition of Drones Asia and held in conjunction with Digital Construction Asia 2023, hosted in-person 2,494 visitors from 53 countries, wih 24.5% of them coming from outside Singapore.
“We were delighted to welcome geospatial and location intelligence industry experts from the region and beyond, assisting in the creation of a regional community for the industry, with a Singapore base. Securing the continued support of our sponsors, partners and exhibitors is testament to the exciting event format we are developing; the addition of Drones Asia for the UAV industry has been very well received,” said Rupert Owen, co-founder of GCA and Drones Asia.
“Geo Connect Asia is the meeting point for the Asian region, offering the opportunity to collaborate and build partnerships across the fast-expanding geospatial industry. We look forward to supporting future events,” said Nadine Alameh, CEO of Open Geospatial Consortium. Ms Alameh opened the conference, which comprised 81 prominent speakers, moderators and delegates from across the world.
Visitors also witnessed the official opening of the first Drones Asia, a dedicated drone-technology show jointly launched by Montgomery Asia, the Association of Aerospace Industries (Singapore) (AAIS), and Gold Sponsor Inmarsat. This event was devoted to the region’s growing unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) ecosystem, capturing the commercial demand for airborne, unmanned, and ground-based solutions.
This year’s Digital Construction Asia was also an exciting platform for the introduction of cutting-edge solutions for the built environment – including AI, BIM, blockchain, IoT, and visualisation technologies.
GCA 2023 was graced by guest of honour Dr Amy Khor, Singapore’s Senior Minister of State for the Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment and Ministry of Transport. She delivered the opening address at the event’s opening ceremony.
“Achieving sustainable development in an interconnected world requires us to strike a balance between economic growth, social development, and environmental protection. Geospatial technology has proven to be a key enabler in supporting these sustainability goals, and Geo Connect Asia provides us with an excellent platform to explore ideas and solutions,” said Dr Khor.
At the opening ceremony, Dr Khor witnessed the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the Singapore Land Authority (SLA) and the Container Depot and Logistics Association (Singapore) to use geospatial data to route heavy vehicles more efficiently and safely.
An intent of collaboration was also signed between SLA and the General Authority for Survey and Geospatial Information of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for both countries to exchange knowledge and experiences regarding the use of geospatial technology. In addition, SLA announced a pilot project with SG Enable and Gardens by the Bay to map barrier-free routes for wheelchair users.
“Going forward, we will continue to experiment on using geospatial data sets in novel ways. We will deepen our own geospatial capabilities, broaden our partnerships, and continue to mainstream geospatial in businesses as well as in sustainable development,” said Yeoh Oon Jin, chairman of SLA.
GCA 2023 was supported by nearly 60 trade organisations, associations and government agencies, including SLA; SGTech, the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA); Singapore Exhibition and Convention Bureau (SECB); buildingSMART Singapore (bSS); and the Construction Industry Joint Committee (CIJC).
With the Main Conference, Tech Talks, Expert Stage and UAV Innovation Theatre @ Drones Asia, key industry professionals and players were provided with a platform to connect and hold pivotal discussions that progress the use of geospatial technology and intelligence to address sustainability limitations.
“We received a lot of great leads and we met with a good diversity of customers. We’ve been very busy and positive on getting a good return on investment from our participation,” said Janina Vasquez, geospatial consultant at YJP Surveyors.
John Whitehead, senior director of sales & distribution APAC at Trimble, added, ‘’We were pleased to be able to support Geo Connect Asia for the third consecutive year as platinum sponsor and welcome clients and new prospective customers in a vibrant meeting environment. With the opportunity to demonstrate our latest solutions on our stand and offer more personal exchanges in the Trimble Club, we were delighted with the response.”
Geo Connect Asia with Digital Construction Asia and Drones Asia will return on 6 and 7 March 2024 at the Marina Bay Sands Expo & Convention Centre in Singapore. The combination of events is organised by Montgomery Asia.
