Introduction

Geospatial technology assumes great significance at a time when countries in the Middle East have set out their goals to become ‘smart’ and imbibe smartness in every aspect of the common man’s life. The change of identity from Middle East Geospatial Forum to GeoSmart Middle East will serve as a means to bridge the existing gaps and bring in more relevant sessions and programmes which would match pace with this sweeping shift in regional strategy and also be more informative and educative for the attendees

Being held in the region for more than a decade now, Middle East Geospatial Forum has firmly established itself as the most premier conference and exhibition on geospatial technologies and applications in the Middle East region. The conference witnesses the participation of over 800 high profile delegates from around the globe, which includes policy makers, technology providers, end-users and members of the academia.

The Middle East region has made substantial progress towards attaining its goal of improving the lives of its millions of inhabitants, by embedding new-age technologies into the functioning of various departments. Geospatial is a powerful tool that can help raise productivity and improve efficiency across major sectors of the economy and thus significantly change how services are offered. Geospatial assumes even greater significance at a time when countries in the Middle East have set out their goals to become 'smart' and imbibe smartness in every aspect of the common man's life.

To match pace with this sweeping shift in strategy and to align ourselves with the changing dynamics, Middle East Geospatial Forum is now GeoSmart Middle East. The change of identity will serve as a means to bridge the existing gaps and bring in more relevant sessions and programmes which would not only be informative and educative for the attendees but also more productive for the sponsors. The GeoSmart Middle East shall be concurrently held with GeoBIM Middle East conference. The brand-new GeoSmart Middle East conference shall discuss the tremendous scope of new-age, smarter geospatial technologies across various sectors that contribute to progressive and sustainable development of the region.

To be held in Dubai during 5-7 March, the GeoSmart Middle East 2017 conference will provide a platform for the stakeholders to discuss and deliberate upon some of the most pressing challenges, evolving opportunities and upcoming technologies. The conference agenda shall be designed to make it more interactive and shall include plenary sessions, workshops, product demos, projects and solutions. It will also provide opportunities for one to one meetings, group discussions and business development.