GRSS Expands Industry Role at IGARSS and Beyond
A Conversation with GRSS Director of Industry Relations, Nathan Longbotham
Industry-related programming within the Society has been growing steadily since the creation of the Technology Industry Education (TIE) Forum at IGARSS 2017 in Texas. Industry content featuring participants from the business world has expanded not only within IGARSS but at other GRSS conferences. And TIE organizers aren’t stopping there – Members can expect additional industry-related activities outside of traditional GRSS events.
“An important role of GRSS is being a community facilitator bridging academia and government with industry,” said Nathan Longbotham, GRSS Director Industry Relations. Longbotham, who is Head of Product for a geospatial analytics company called Impact Observatory, was among the industry panelists asked to participate in the first TIE track at IGARSS 2017 and has been involved ever since.
In terms of formal conference programming, Longbotham describes four types of industry-related initiatives that TIE has implemented so far:
Technology Transfer – Academia and government entities traditionally create and nurture new technologies, explained Longbotham, but it’s typically industry that matures and refines them into practical solutions that customers can use. With this in mind, TIE has hosted highly technical workshops focused on facilitating the crossover of early-phase technology to more mature, scalable solutions with the goal of being commercially productized.
Professional Education – Although the majority of GRSS event attendees come from the academic community, not all will remain there, Longbotham pointed out. For this reason, TIE has also focused some programming on career transition into industry. One popular session featured a corporate executive placement professional who gave tips on working with a headhunter to find a job in business. He then conducted a standing-room-only resume writing workshop with one-on-one tutorials. Whenever possible, TIE has dovetailed these educational events with Young Professional programming to focus on recent graduates.
Entrepreneurship – Since 2018, every IGARSS has featured at least one panel with multiple geospatial entrepreneurs describing their business start-up journeys. These sessions typically include businessmen and women from the region where that IGARSS is held, so they can discuss the specific advantages and challenges that entrepreneurs face in their part of the world. Attendees have also had the opportunity to pitch their business ideas to industry professionals in both group and one-on-one settings.
Networking – One of the most important yet undervalued career skills is networking in social settings, Longbotham said. At every conference, TIE has organized a mixer, usually in coordination with the Young Professionals group, where event attendees have the chance to mingle over food and drinks with the industry representatives who participated in TIE sessions earlier in the day.
“GRSS is now focused on transferring many of these programming topics from IGARSS to the other Society conferences,” said Longbotham. [The conference list can be found here.]
What’s Next for GRSS Industry Interaction?
Planning for IGARSS 2025 in Brisbane, Australia, is underway now, and Longbotham promises its programming will include all the popular TIE activities this year. But GRSS is also looking beyond the traditional conferences.
“One thing that has become clear is we need to facilitate community interaction to maintain the momentum and connections between the conferences,” he explained.
To this end, GRSS has begun leaning more on its regional chapters worldwide to host events bringing together members of the academic, government, and business communities. After-work presentations on technology and business topics by members of the private sector are being encouraged, as are local social events where individuals can network and meet people they don’t usually interact with in their professional circles.
Leveraging enthusiasm over Entrepreneurship programming, GRSS is in early stages of planning a new business start-up event, possible in coordination with another professional association. Several formats are under consideration, but the event will likely take the form of a business accelerator/incubator program that is followed by a pitch competition to geospatial industry investors. Individuals or organizations interested in supporting this idea should contact Nathan Longbotham.
Additionally, GRSS members can look forward to expanded communications from the Society regarding industry news and activities published on the GRSS website at www.grss-ieee.org .
