On 22 October, the NGI attended Trefdag Vlaanderen Digitaal, the Flanders Digital Meet-up, which this year centred on the theme ‘sovereignty in a connected world’. During this annual event, policymakers, experts and digital innovators from Flanders come together to share knowledge and discover the latest developments and innovations in the field of digitalisation.

GeoVillage: digital geographical applications

As is tradition, the NGI had an exhibition stand in the GeoVillage, which brings together organisations and companies offering geographical services and products. Throughout the day, the stand attracted the interest of many visitors. They were able to explore various NGI applications via an interactive digital screen. The discussions with these visitors also yielded valuable feedback and new insights.

Tech tour ‘AI and Geodata’

The tech tour, a new initiative organised for the first time this year, took participants on a tour of organisations specialising in geospatial data that utilise AI in various ways. The tour highlighted AI as a structural lever that does not replace people but supports them in making services faster, more accessible and more personalised.

The NGI was one of the stops on this tour. Our colleague Joren Van Gysegem explained how AI is used to keep maps up to date. AI makes it possible to automatically detect changes in aerial photographs, such as new buildings or other alterations to the terrain. This allows cartographers to focus on the areas concerned and update topographic maps in a more targeted and efficient manner.

A source of inspiration for the future

Trefdag Vlaanderen Digitaal has once again demonstrated its importance as a platform for knowledge-sharing and collaboration in the field of digitalisation and geodata. The insights gained reinforce our ambition to continue investing in innovative solutions to tackle the digital and geographic challenges of the future.

Take a look at some photos from the day below.