Emerging Trends and Challenges In Geospatial Data Services

Geospatial data services in academic/scholarly settings are constantly adapting in order to meet emerging technological trends and shifting challenges. This panel will highlight current challenges and trends of significant concern faced by geospatial data services providers and service points. The panelists will discuss how those emerging trends and challenges are being addressed by the services they provide at their institutions, while also addressing how to respond given resource constraints and/or best case scenarios.

The topics of salient and timely concern include: 1. Impact of catastrophic shifts in US Science Policy 2. A spectrum of emerging artificial intelligence (AI) tools and methodologies 3. Rapidly advancing technological shifts (what your laptop can do today, high performance clusters were doing 5 years ago) - yet we still have problems with metadata production and maintenance and data literacy. 4. Responsible data stewardship (e.g. how to preserve campus research data despite widespread financial crises, minimizing digital waste, 2026-7 changes to AGOL storage capacities)

This panel discussion seeks to arrive at recommendations for both best practices and developing more robust peer group support among practitioners.