The Australian and New Zealand Land Information Council (ANZLIC) has provided an update from its July 2026 meeting.
According to the intergovernmental body — which represents all Australian states and territories plus New Zealand — a “consistent theme” has been emerging… that “geospatial is increasingly shifting from capability building to demonstrating value”.
The meeting saw ANZLIC members highlight how investments in geospatial endeavours “are delivering benefits well beyond the geospatial sector itself”.
Those endeavours include:
- spatial infrastructure
- digital platforms
- location-enabled services
- modernised spatial portals
- digital survey reforms
- urban heat mapping
- place naming initiatives, and
- national interoperability efforts.
“What stood out was the growing recognition that the economic value of geospatial is rarely found in the data alone. Its value emerges when information can be connected across organisations, combined with other datasets and applied to real-world decisions,” the update says.
“Whether supporting planning and infrastructure investment, improving service delivery, strengthening environmental management or informing climate adaptation, geospatial increasingly acts as an enabling layer that helps governments make better use of the information they already have.”
But some practical barriers remain. The meeting saw discussion about challenges that come from governance, interoperability and data-sharing arrangements, particularly when it comes to cross-jurisdictional matters.
Opportunities and challenges for the geospatial sector
According to ANZLIC, an important shift is underway. “Success is no longer measured by how much geospatial information is collected, but by the outcomes it enables,” it says.
“Demonstrating value means showing how location intelligence helps solve problems, supports priorities and contributes to better economic, environmental and social decisions.”
ANZLIC says this offers both opportunities and challenges.
“The sector must continue to build the evidence base that demonstrates impact, while telling a clearer story about the role geospatial plays in improving productivity, reducing risk and helping governments and industries make more informed choices.”
“The strongest case for geospatial is increasingly not technical, it is economic, strategic and focused on outcomes.”
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