If you work in geospatial (and I am guessing if you're here, you probably do), you likely have a mental list of the friction points that slow your work down: data handoffs that break mid-project, tools that almost do what you need, processes that eat hours that should take minutes.
We've been hearing about these pain points in conversations with readers, at conference sessions, and in responses to articles we publish at Geo Week News, and what always strikes me is how consistent they are across roles and sectors.
What we started wondering was what it would look like to actually track these challenges systematically, across every corner of the industry, in a way that puts practitioner experience on the record. Maybe we can even identify some places where there's something missing, and help to create some of those resources to get there.
That's what the Field Reality survey is about. It's a practitioner survey open through June 26 to all geospatial professionals, regardless of role, sector, or organization size. We want to hear about the specific, day-to-day stuff: where time and budget disappear, how technology decisions actually get made, what data integration headaches look like in practice, and what professional resources would genuinely move the needle for you.
This isn't a survey about industry sentiment or where the market is headed. It's about what it actually takes to do this work, and where that work keeps getting harder than it should be. We plan to share findings with the broader geospatial community after the survey closes, because the goal is to turn what practitioners are experiencing into something useful for everyone in this industry, not just for us at Geo Week News.
The survey takes about 10 to 15 minutes, and responses are confidential. As a thank-you, everyone who completes it by June 26 is entered to win a custom Geo Week-branded backpack and a $150 Visa gift card (3 winners!).
Take the Field Reality Survey here.
If you're dealing with it, someone else is too. Help us prove it.
