Intergeo 2013: Boosting innovation

Essen, 28.11.2013. More than ever before, INTERGEO 2013 in Essen focused on social megatrends such as the energy revolution, climate change, smart cities and demographics – all in close dialogue with politicians, geoexperts and geobusiness. From 8 to 10 October, over 16,000 visitors from 87 countries worldwide took the opportunity to gain an insight into innovations and trends through demonstrations of solutions and services, and learn more about hardware and software. More than 500 exhibitors from 30 countries represented innovation, know-how, application and consultancy services, while 140 speakers shared scientific presentations and evaluations. Intelligent business processes and diverse methods of data acquisition are the raw materials of geobusiness and, at INTERGEO, demonstrated the potential for developments in the future. It was clear that mobility is becoming an increasingly crucial topic in all sectors. The positive feedback from a survey carried out among exhibitors and visitors at INTERGEO underlined the importance of the three-day conference trade fair as an exceptional international platform.

The high proportion of international exhibitors and visitors once again showed that INTERGEO is a central marketplace and communication hub for producers, developers and users of international geobusiness. In the survey conducted by independent company Gelszus Messe- Marktforschung GmbH, 80 percent of exhibitors said they had achieved the objectives they had hoped for by participating in INTERGEO. In addition to actual sales and prospective business with new customers, the primary goals were to work on customer care and image, introduce new products and gauge visitors’ reactions. Some 81 percent of the exhibiting companies praised the high standard of discussions. Almost 94 percent said they were keen to participate in INTERGEO again in 2014.

Almost 40 percent of visitors were happy to travel over 300 kilometres to attend the event, and 92 percent said they would consider visiting INTERGEO again. More than a quarter of the visitors came to the event with the intention of awarding contracts. In line with that, more than 40 percent of visitors were independent entrepreneurs, managing directors or department heads with a high level of decision-making powers. At the same time, the event in Essen also attracted a particularly large number of talented young people, with one in ten falling into this category. That’s more than just a coincidence.

Promoting young talent with Jobshaker

Alongside the main topics, there was also an intense focus on Intelligent Urbanization (IU) and promoting young talent. In cooperation with Messe München International, the theme of IU was the centre of attention at the Trend and Media Forum (TMF) on the Wednesday of the fair. The new recruiting format Jobshaker encouraged school pupils, students and career starters to engage in informal discussions with employers about the many different job profiles that make up the geodata industry. Each Jobshaker in the TMF lasted half a day. There are plans to expand both formats in 2014.

Excellent attendance at national INSPIRE Conference

The high attendance at the second national INSPIRE Conference shows clearly that putting local authority issues front and centre was the right move. This highlights just how important reliable geoinformation is for creating appealing urban environments where people want to work and live. The metropolitan region of the Ruhr and its large population centres offered the ideal platform for this.

Surveying and GIS become one

“INTERGEO in Essen has boosted innovation throughout the value-added chain, from data right up to decisionmaking and expertise. Ultra-innovative geoinformation applications are at the very forefront,” said DVW President Professor Karl-Friedrich Thöne. One new aspect is the merging of GIS and surveying. The technology makes it possible to combine ultra-accurate surveying work with mobile geoinformation systems. Presenting results in real time and having them available for information, processing and visualization generates real added value.

GIS-based answers to key issues

The winners of the GIS Best Practice Awards are representative of the added value generated by geobusiness. The awards were presented by the DVW the evening before INTERGEO. First place went to the project “SIMKAS 3D” led by the Technical University of Berlin’s Centre for Technology and Society. This GIS-based solution impressed the judges with its response to the diverse challenges of coordinating infrastructure operators and authorities involved in ensuring public security in a crisis. Potsdam-based 3D Content Logistics GmbH came second with the project “smartMap Berlin – Berlin 3D city map on mobile devices”. Focusing on the real estate sector, the project offers a new application for the existing Berlin 3D city map. Third place went to LiveMap GmbH from the Prenzlauer Berg district of Berlin for its interactive reporting system “Broadband Atlas Germany”.