July 23, 2025

Around the Lidar, AEC, and 3D Industries: Smart Cities, GeoAI, Moon

A look at the latest news and stories from around the geospatial, AEC, and lidar industries.
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Every week here at Geo Week News, we have been highlighting some of our favorite stories from around the internet that cover the geospatial, 3D, and AEC industries. Whether it’s a fascinating case study, insights from an industry thought leader, or deep dives into new tools, there is never any shortage of great writing and storytelling in this industry. So, below you can find links to three stories that we loved this week.

Powering smart cities with airborne precision data

Ada Perello | GIM-International

For a couple of decades, the concept of a “smart city” was just that – a concept that was largely rooted in the theoretical rather than the tangible. More recently, though, technological innovations have made at least parts of this concept a reality, and we are starting to see signs of development around these smart city concepts. This article highlights one of the most important foundational elements of these urban areas: Aerial surveying. Perello, who works for the European Association of Aerial Surveying Industries (EAASI) talks about aerial mapping developments that have led to those in the smart city realm, benefits of crewed aerial mapping versus drones, and some real-world applications.

Read the full article here

A Beginner’s Guide to Geo AI 

Aaron Morris | Woolpert

Artificial intelligence is capturing the imagination of leaders in every sector, as executives and others try to figure out how they can leverage the rapidly advancing tools for their own purposes. The geospatial industry is no exception to this, and recent months have seen the proliferation of the term “GeoAI.” This, of course, is not a new term, but it is gaining popularity as, similar to smart cities, it’s moving from more of a concept to a reality. In this article, Morris outlines what exactly is meant by GeoAI, where the space figures to move, best practices for getting started in the space, and more.

Read the full article here

USGS Maps Moon for Water, Supporting NASA Mission

USGS

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is well known for their work here on Earth, mapping the topology of our surface and helping discover where valuable minerals may lie around the country and the world, among other functions. Now, they’re taking their talents to outer space. As this release outlines, the USGS is partnering with NASA for a new project, assessing places on the surface of the moon where we could potentially find lunar ice.

Read the full article here

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