Summary Report: Canadian Geomatics Environmental Scan & Economic Value Study

NRCan has released a summary report synthesizing the findings of two long-anticipated studies that will illuminate the status of the Canadian geomatics sector.

Prashant Shukle, Director General, CCMEO, Earth Sciences, NRCan, in his foreword to the summary, explains that “the first volume, the Canadian geomatics environmental scan, is an independent analysis of the sector, the key players and its operating context; the second, the value study is a detailed analysis of the economic and non-economic benefits associated with the use of geomatics and Earth observation technologies and services.” We expect the findings (or reports) to be released very soon. In the meantime, we highly encourage everyone to go over this short summary, which can be downloaded here.

Key Highlights from the Summary:

• 2,450 firms make up Canada’s geomatics industry
• Geospatial technologies generate approximately 19,000 Canadian jobs
• Geospatial technologies contribute some $21 billion of value to Canada’s GDP

Stay tuned to this story, because GoGeomatics is going to be providing further analysis here on the magazine when the two findings reports that make up the study are released. We will be interviewing Prashant Shukle, and Peter Sullivan, Surveyor General of Canada Lands. We’ll also be speaking with some of the key players who put together the report: Ed Kennedy, Senior Associate with HAL, and David Arthurs, President of HAL. We’re already brewing the coffee for a few long nights going through the nitty gritty of the documents for our readers!

In addition, we’ll be inviting other members of the sector to provide their analyses on the study, like Bob Ryerson, President and Chief Consultant of Kim Geomatics, and others.

This is an exciting time for our industry, and GoGeomatics Canada is your go-to source of information as these findings are released. We will be hosting a discussion through our articles and social media on the results of the study, as they come in. We hope you will join us.