Geospatial information and precise positioning have become fundamental pillars of modern digitalisation. It is estimated that up to 80% of all data has a location component, and its importance continues to grow across the economy, security, and public services.

The global market for geospatial and positioning services is expanding rapidly. According to Geospatial World's estimation, it will grow from €0.57 trillion in 2025 to €1.19 trillion by 2030. At the same time, the European Commission estimates that 10% of the European economy already depends on satellite positioning.

Interoperability Remains a Challenge

Despite this growth, interoperability remains a major hurdle in Europe. A recent article by the researchers of the Finnish Geospatial Research Institute FGI highlights the insufficient compatibility between datasets, systems and standards.

As technologies such as autonomous systems, digital twins, and other location-based solutions become mainstream, limited interoperability slows innovation, raises costs, and makes scaling new solutions harder.

“Applications from drones and robotics to precision agriculture and smart mobility all rely on accurate, real-time, interoperable location data,” says Antti Jakobsson, project manager at the Location Innovation Hub. “While this creates significant business opportunities, it also demands new expertise and capabilities.”

Finland's Strengths and Support

Finland is well positioned to respond, with globally recognised geospatial expertise, high-quality national datasets, and a strong open data policy. Still, many organisations face challenges in turning this potential into practical solutions.

Location Innovation Hub, one of Finland’s European Digital Innovation Hubs, works to bridge this gap.

“We offer consultation, test environments, guidance on funding and business development, training, and access to a broad innovation ecosystem. Our focus is supporting organisations as they navigate the geospatial transformation. We develop Europe-wide solutions to support interoperability, such as the Location Europe test platform that brings together geospatial data across Europe, as well as the Location Finland platform in the Finnish context,” Jakobsson explains.

• The article has been published in Finnish in the Finnish Academy of Science and Letters (AASF) publication, issue 2/2025: Paikkatiedot ja paikannus digitalisaation avaimina 

• Learn more about Location Innovation Hub’s services and get in touch

• Want to make your organisation's geospatial data more accessible? Or do you need datasets to develop your own services? Explore Location Europe and Location Finland platforms.

• Want to learn more about geospatial interoperability in practice? The Location Innovation Academy offers online courses at different levels for both business leaders and technical experts. Explore the courses: academy.ogc.org