The second quarter of 2026 has been marked by growing recognition for the role of geospatial innovation in addressing sustainability challenges. Alongside this milestone, Location Innovation Hub has continued to strengthen GeoAI skills, expand access to geospatial data and support organisations in making better use of location intelligence.

Growing GeoAI expertise and practical use of geospatial data

One of the quarter's highlights was the recognition received by the Location & AI online course series, which was awarded a Special Mention for Best Green Initiative at the EDIH Summit 2026. The recognition highlights the growing importance of geospatial technologies, digital twins, geospatial data and GeoAI in supporting Europe's green transition. By the end of June, 309 participants had enrolled in the Location & AI online courses.

• Explore the courses at the Location Innovation Academy: Location Innovation Academy: academy.ogc.org

Location Innovation Hub continues to offer practical guidance across a range of geospatial topics. A new resource published during the quarter is the Geospatial API Business Guide, designed to help small and medium-sized enterprises make better use of geospatial data in their business. This and other practical guides have continued to support organisations, with 63 downloads across the guide collection.

• Discover our free best practice guides and manuals.

Location Finland also continued to gain momentum. Earlier this quarter, the platform was selected for the Data Economy Spotlight 2026 list, recognising it as one of Finland's most inspiring data economy solutions.

Looking ahead

Work continues with new services and resources that make geospatial innovation more accessible. In the coming months, Location Innovation Hub will launch a new website for the Finnish European Digital Innovation Hubs, helping businesses and public organisations find the digitalisation services that best meet their needs. We will also publish a new GeoAI guide and continue to build new connections with European Data Spaces.