Every generation reaches a moment when it must ask: Who will build what comes next? For Canada’s geomatics community, that moment is now.
As infrastructure ambitions expand and technology evolves faster than curricula, the gap between what our country needs and what our education systems produce has never felt wider. The challenge isn’t talent — Canada has plenty. It’s connection: between campuses and careers, between learning and doing, between the promise of innovation and the people who will bring it to life.
That’s why this year’s GoGeomatics Expo 2025, taking place November 3-5 in Calgary, is putting education and workforce development at the heart of the national conversation. Backed by strong partnerships with the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT), Mount Royal University (MRU), Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT), and the University of Calgary (UCalgary), the Expo is more than a showcase — it’s an investment in the future of Canada’s geomatics workforce.
SAIT and MRU: Gold Sponsors Championing Future Talent
Two of Calgary’s strongest academic pillars — SAIT and MRU — return this year as Gold Sponsors, highlighting their shared commitment to advancing geospatial education and workforce development.
At SAIT, the Geomatics Engineering Technology program continues to set the standard for action-based learning and industry connection. Students will be volunteering and engaging with exhibitors throughout the Expo, gaining firsthand experience and professional exposure. SAIT will also host a booth where visitors can meet students and faculty, learn about the program, and explore pathways into geomatics and surveying. Faculty will add new dimensions this year with open classes and technical demonstrations for attendees, covering topics such as Geodesy, Control Surveys, Traversing, and Remote Sensing field methods.
Mount Royal University, meanwhile, will showcase its growing leadership in data-driven geospatial education, spotlighting its innovative Spatial Data Science Certificate—a post-bachelor’s program that integrates computing, data science, and geography. The program trains students to manage, analyze, and visualize spatial data using advanced geospatial and AI-enabled tools. At the Expo, MRU will host a booth to promote the certificate, connect with industry, and explore opportunities for collaboration. Faculty and students will also take part in the Canadian Geomatics & Geospatial Advisory Forum, linking academic learning with professional engagement.
From Campus to Career: Institutional Partnerships in Action
Across Alberta, post-secondary institutions are turning the Expo into a true classroom-to-career experience.
At the University of Calgary, the Geomatics Engineering Students’ Society is once again organizing a large student delegation for an industry immersion day. Students will attend sessions, meet potential employers, and explore cutting-edge technologies that are redefining geomatics, infrastructure, and environmental monitoring.
Meanwhile, NAIT’s Surveying and Geospatial Engineering Technology students are keeping a growing tradition alive. For the third consecutive year, a full class will travel from Edmonton to Calgary for a hands-on learning experience at the Expo. Their day on the floor offers exposure to everything from GNSS and LiDAR to UAVs and digital twins — a bridge between the lab and the workplace that brings their training to life.
Together, SAIT, MRU, NAIT, and U Calgary are demonstrating how collaboration across campuses can strengthen Canada’s geomatics workforce. Through field trips, booths, open classes, and direct interaction with employers, students from across Alberta will gain the connections and confidence to turn their studies into meaningful careers.
Education and Workforce in Focus at the Advisory Forum
Education and workforce development aren’t just happening on the show floor, they are also a core theme of the Canadian Geomatics & Geospatial Advisory Forum, taking place during the Expo.
The Forum will unite leaders from academia, government, and industry to tackle one of the sector’s most pressing challenges: how to ensure Canada’s training programs, classifications, and career pathways evolve in step with technological change. Topics will include updates to occupational frameworks, the future of skills development in AI and data infrastructure, and new models for collaboration between schools and employers.
Adding to the strength of the discussion, Carina Butterworth, Instructor in Geomatics Engineering Technology at SAIT, will serve as one of the Forum’s moderators, helping steer a national dialogue on the future of Canada’s geomatics workforce.
Shaping the Next Generation
From sponsor partnerships and student participation to national policy discussions, GoGeomatics Expo 2025 is where education meets opportunity. This year’s focus on workforce development underscores a simple truth: Canada’s ability to build, innovate, and lead in geomatics depends on the people we prepare today.
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