GeoWeek 2025, held at the Denver, Colorado Convention Center, was an exhilarating convergence of geospatial innovation and collaboration. From February 10-12, the event brought together experts, enthusiasts, and industry pioneers to showcase cutting edge technologies shaping geoscience’s future. From GPS receiver manufacturers to drone and aerial imagery providers, the exhibition floor buzzed with innovation and the exchange of ideas.
This year, GeoWeek emphasized the transformative power of geospatial data in various sectors, including emergency management, urban planning, and environmental monitoring. The event celebrated technological advancements and facilitated critical discussions on the responsible use of geospatial data in addressing global challenges. Attendees had the opportunity to engage with thought leaders, participate in informative sessions, and explore the latest tools redefining how we interact with and interpret the world.
New Light Technologies (NLT) formally launched the IMPACT Platform at GeoWeek 2025. The NLT team gave attendees live demonstrations of this comprehensive disaster management tool. Visitors had the chance to explore how IMPACT transforms complex data into actionable insights, revolutionizing how agencies respond to and recover from emergencies.
IMPACT (Incident Management, Prioritization, Alerting, and Coordination Tool), was showcased as a versatile solution that addresses every phase throughout the disaster lifecycle. IMPACT leverages real-time geospatial and operational data to provide a comprehensive view of disaster scenarios, ensuring efficient resource allocation and timely decision-making.
The platform's ability to integrate aerial and satellite imagery, live data feeds from operational systems, and demographic and socioeconomic information allows for a comprehensive assessment of potential disaster impacts, making it an invaluable asset for emergency management agencies.
IMPACT's robust capabilities were a focal point of NLT's demonstrations. The platform facilitates informed decision-making during crises, combining real-time data with predictive analytics. This integration supports agencies in prioritizing resource allocation, streamlining response efforts, and enhancing recovery strategies. One of the standout features is its alerting system, which notifies managing staff of incidents as they occur or are predicted, ensuring timely interventions.
Moreover, IMPACT's adaptability extends beyond natural disasters like hurricanes, earthquakes and floods. It is also used for monitoring disease outbreaks and other crisis scenarios, providing critical insights for incident management. The platform's versatility underscores its potential to assist in managing a wide range of incidents, including man-made disasters and socio-economic challenges, reinforcing its role as a game-changer in emergency management.
At the heart of IMPACT's effectiveness is its seamless integration of real-time geospatial data. By utilizing various imagery and live data feeds, along with datasets from providers like USGS, Census, and NOAA, as well as commercial imagery and data providers, IMPACT offers a comprehensive picture of the disaster landscape. This integration helps agencies understand the scope of an incident and identify the areas and populations most affected, allowing for targeted and efficient response efforts.
The platform's ability to turn complex data into actionable insights is a testament to the pivotal role of geospatial data in effective incident management. Whether mapping vulnerable populations during hurricanes or visualizing public health crises in affected regions, IMPACT's use of geospatial data enhances situational awareness and improves decision-making processes. This capability not only aids in immediate response efforts but also informs long-term recovery and mitigation strategies.
GeoWeek 2025 featured a series of enlightening plenary sessions highlighting the latest advancements in geospatial technology and its applications. One of the standout presentations was by the Dallas Fort Worth Airport, which showcased its comprehensive geospatial capabilities in managing an airport the size of Manhattan, NY. This session underscored the critical role of geospatial data in optimizing operations and ensuring safety in complex environments.
Another highlight was the USGS briefing on mission-critical applications from their 3DEP and D3HP data platforms. These comprehensive national data initiatives provide a wealth of information that enables companies like NLT to offer value-added capabilities by integrating their data. The session emphasized the importance of collaboration between public and private sectors in advancing geospatial technology to address pressing global challenges.
The NLT team, including Ran Goldblatt, Chief Scientist; Kari Primiano, Product Solutions Engineer; Margaret Sablehaus, Data Scientist; and Ghermay Araya, CEO, played a pivotal role in the success of GeoWeek 2025 for NLT. Their expertise and passion for innovation were evident as they engaged with attendees, participated in sessions, and contributed questions to informative panels and plenaries.
Throughout the event, the team highlighted the transformative potential of the IMPACT platform and its ability to revolutionize disaster management. Their interactions with industry peers and stakeholders fostered valuable discussions on the future of geospatial technology and its role in enhancing emergency management capabilities. The team's dedication to advancing the field was evident in their commitment to exploring new avenues for innovation and collaboration.
Emergency Management agencies are already harnessing IMPACT's capabilities to improve disaster response and resource prioritization. For instance, during recent hurricanes, agencies have been using the platform to rapidly identify vulnerable populations and critical infrastructure, enabling quicker and more targeted deployment of resources. In another application, international agencies leverage the tool to prioritize how to distribute critical resources in response to emerging health crises. These real-world applications demonstrate the platform's ability to turn complex data into actionable insights, enhancing the effectiveness of disaster response efforts.
By providing critical insights and visualization capabilities, the platform aids in effective incident management, ensuring timely interventions and informed decision-making.
Looking ahead, NLT is committed to further enhancing the IMPACT platform's capabilities to meet emergency management agencies' evolving needs. These enhancements will enable agencies to respond more efficiently to disasters and other emerging incidents and to optimize their response operations. NLT also aims to expand the platform's reach by integrating additional datasets and partnering with more geospatial data providers. For example, at GeoWeek, NLT`s partner ICEYE provided demonstration data of a recent hurricane over the State of Florida to showcase the ability to integrate satellite Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) data-derived insights into IMPACT.By continuously innovating and adapting to emerging trends, NLT is poised to lead the way in revolutionizing disaster management and enhancing the resilience of communities worldwide.
In conclusion, GeoWeek 2025 was a resounding success for NLT and its IMPACT platform. The event highlighted the critical role of geospatial technology in transforming disaster management and showcased the innovative solutions shaping the industry's future. With its comprehensive capabilities and commitment to continuous improvement, NLT is at the forefront of advancing geospatial technology to address global challenges effectively.
www.NewLightTechnologies.com/impact
NLT is a leading provider of integrated science, technology, and mission services with over 20 years of experience serving government and commercial organizations. Offering renowned expertise in cloud, agile software development, cybersecurity, data science, geospatial, and remote sensing, NLT provides comprehensive consulting, research, digital transformation services, and fit-for-purpose analytics solutions for various industries, from emergency management to economics to health. NLT offers distinctive capabilities in delivering secure cloud-native platforms and web-based decision support tools and has pioneered predictive disaster risk analytics in support of homeland security missions. To learn more, visit www.NewLightTechnologies.com.