As 2025 draws to a close, EUROGI looks back on a year marked by active engagement, strategic dialogue, and a strengthened European voice for geographic information. From high-level governance meetings to collaboration with national authorities, webinars, papers, and community-driven initiatives, the year reflected EUROGI’s ongoing mission: connecting stakeholders across Europe and reinforcing the value of geospatial information in addressing societal, environmental, and economic challenges.
Governance and Strategy: Two General Board Meetings, One Clear Direction
Porto, April 2025: Strategy Meets the Scientific Community
EUROGI’s first General Board Meeting (GBM) of the year took place on 1 April 2025 in Porto, Portugal, hosted alongside the GISTAM 2025 Conference. This was a particularly significant meeting, as it went beyond internal governance and opened EUROGI’s strategic discussions to a wider scientific and professional audience.
The GBM was held in a hybrid format, enabling broad participation from members across Europe.
Key discussions focused on broadening EUROGI’s reach, clarifying membership categories, and strengthening engagement across sectors. Members explored a simplified and more inclusive fee structure to better reflect the diversity of organisations within the network, from national associations and academia to private companies and, increasingly, municipalities. The introduction of a new sponsorship category was also discussed as a way to create additional partnership opportunities.
In parallel with the GBM, EUROGI organised a dedicated GISTAM session titled “European Challenges and Opportunities.” Open to all conference participants, the session showcased how geospatial technologies are evolving in response to policy, societal needs, and technological change.
Presentations covered topics ranging from data integration and artificial intelligence to digital twins, citizen science, university-city collaboration, and the role of Earth Observation in Europe. The session highlighted EUROGI’s ability to convene expertise across disciplines and connect strategic thinking with real-world applications.
October 2025: Governance Updates and Continuity
EUROGI’s second GBM was held virtually on 14 October 2025. Members approved important updates to the bylaws, simplifying voting procedures and redefining membership categories to make participation more transparent and equitable.
Alejandro Guinea de Salas was re-elected as President for a new term, ensuring continuity in leadership, while Dr. Justine Blanford (University of Twente) joined the Executive Committee.
Reflecting on the year and the organisation’s direction, Guinea de Salas commented: “EUROGI’s strength lies in its diversity and in the connections we build between local, national and European actors. By reinforcing our governance and opening the network further to municipalities, universities and industry, we ensure that geospatial information continues to play a meaningful role in Europe’s strategic priorities.”
The General Board also approved the 2026 budget, welcomed new members, and continued discussions on strengthening engagement with municipalities and universities. The next GBM will take place in May 2026 in Benidorm, Spain, alongside the GISTAM Conference.
Strengthening Dialogue with National Authorities: CNIG and Ecolab
A key highlight of 2025 was EUROGI’s engagement with French institutions involved in geospatial coordination and ecological transition. In March, EUROGI met with the Conseil national de l’information géolocalisée (CNIG), an interministerial body supporting the development and coordination of geographic information in France.
CNIG expressed a strong interest in EUROGI’s European perspective, particularly in understanding how geospatial policies, data standards, and market developments are addressed across EU Member States. Discussions covered the impact of geographic information on markets, data standardisation, INSPIRE monitoring, and the exchange of good practices, including studies on pollution and environmental monitoring.
The meeting also involved Ecolab, the innovation laboratory of the French Ministry for Ecological Transition, which announced the upcoming launch of a GreenTech certification label. EUROGI was invited to participate in CNIG’s international commission meeting in April, reinforcing its role as a bridge between national and European-level initiatives.
Building on this dialogue, in July, EUROGI members were invited to engage in collaborative initiatives proposed by CNIG, including experience sharing, support for GreenTech start-ups, and contributions to standardisation and monitoring activities.
Knowledge Sharing: Position Papers, Webinars, and Publications
EUROGI continued to strengthen its advisory role in 2025 through expert input and knowledge-sharing activities. Following the 2024 conference on the role of geospatial information in addressing Europe’s major challenges, EUROGI was invited by the European Commission to submit further input on climate adaptation and geospatial excellence.
A members’ survey was launched, and a draft position paper has been circulated for review ahead of final submission. This represents an important step in reinforcing EUROGI’s contribution to European climate and sustainability discussions.
Throughout the year, EUROGI also organised and hosted webinars addressing emerging and cross-cutting topics. These included GeoHealth in the context of digital and climate disruptions, as well as Co-designed open-source solutions for climate change adaptation and disaster risk management, drawing on Horizon Europe projects such as I-CISK and DIRECTED. Webinar recordings are continually made available to ensure lasting value for the community.
Growing the Network: Welcoming the City of Lucerne
In 2025, EUROGI took a strategic step towards strengthening the participation of local authorities by welcoming the City of Lucerne as a new member. This reflects a broader objective to better connect municipalities with the European geospatial community.
Lucerne’s long-standing commitment to geographic information, through its Geospatial Information Centre, illustrates how cities use spatial data to support urban planning, utilities, environmental management, and innovation, including 3D city models and BIM integration.
By joining EUROGI, local authorities gain access to a European platform to exchange practical solutions, share challenges, build capacity through targeted activities, contribute to policy discussions, and explore opportunities for European-funded projects. Lucerne’s membership reinforces EUROGI’s ambition to make the organisation increasingly relevant to cities and regions across Europe.
Community and Inclusion: Women in Geospatial
EUROGI’s Women in Geospatial initiative continued to grow in 2025. To mark International Women’s Day, a dedicated video was launched, highlighting the importance of diversity and inclusion within the geospatial sector.
National chapters remained active throughout the year. The Irish chapter continued its regular Earth Observation webinar series, complemented by in-person gatherings and participation in events and fairs. The Spanish chapter engaged with future geospatial engineers through activities at the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, helping to raise awareness of career opportunities in the sector.
Looking Ahead
Taken together, the activities of 2025 reflect EUROGI’s role as a connector: between disciplines, between governance levels, and between communities. As interest grows from local authorities, national bodies, and European institutions, EUROGI remains committed to providing a neutral, cross-sector platform that gives geographic information the visibility and recognition it deserves.
As we move into 2026, EUROGI looks forward to building on this momentum, welcoming new members, and continuing to support informed decision-making through geospatial excellence across Europe.
