As geospatial and reality capture technologies continue to mature, industry leaders see 2026 as a year where long-building changes begin to surface in tangible ways. That theme emerged throughout a recent Geo Week News webinar moderated by Carla Lauter, Senior Content Manager at Geo Week, featuring perspectives from Matthew Byrd of Reality Capture Network, Galen Scott of NOAA’s National Geodetic Survey, and Jason Stoker of the U.S. Geological Survey.
For Byrd, a shift from idea to asset is already visible in how reality capture tools are being treated across industries. Technologies such as laser scanning and drones, once framed as optional enhancements, are increasingly viewed as core components of workflows in construction, surveying, forensics, and even entertainment. After years of gradual adoption, Byrd expects growth to accelerate in the year ahead, driven less by technical limitations and more by the need for broader awareness and education.
While reality capture continues to expand at the project level, Scott is focused on a change unfolding at a national scale. In 2026, NOAA will reach a major milestone in its long-anticipated modernization of the National Spatial Reference System, the first update to NAD 83 and NAVD 88 in four decades. The effort introduces new terrestrial reference frames, a modernized geoid model, and improved transformation tools, with full implementation expected in 2027. The implications, Scott noted, extend across nearly every geospatial workflow.
“This is the biggest change to happen to geospatial in years,” he said.
Stoker’s perspective from USGS highlighted how data availability is reshaping expectations across the industry. The agency is nearing completion of a national lidar dataset, now totaling more than 72 trillion points that are freely accessible to the public. Looking beyond coverage, Stoker pointed to emerging sensor technologies, including quantum-enabled lidar, which could improve data collection in environments that have traditionally posed challenges, such as cloud cover, water, and ice.
Across the discussion, panelists returned repeatedly to technologies that are gaining momentum rather than new tools. Mobile mapping systems and SLAM-based lidar continue to mature, with a growing range of devices supporting different use cases. New visualization techniques, including Gaussian splatting and radiance fields, also surfaced as areas of interest, particularly for their ability to represent how light interacts with objects.
Byrd cautioned against viewing these developments as replacements for existing methods. “These aren’t replacement technologies,” he said. “It’s about understanding the right use of each.”
Despite the pace of innovation, several persistent challenges remain. Interoperability continues to complicate projects that rely on multiple devices and proprietary platforms, while workforce shortages are becoming more pronounced in specialized disciplines such as geodesy. Scott raised concerns about declining academic programs, warning that reduced domestic training could leave the U.S. increasingly dependent on expertise from abroad.
Stoker also emphasized the importance of understanding data uncertainty, particularly as AI and machine learning become more common in geospatial workflows.
“If you don’t take the uncertainty into account, you’re often just adding data, not information,” he said, noting that the consequences of ignoring uncertainty become more significant as this automation gains popularity.
When the conversation turned to AI, panelists framed it less as a disruptive force and more as a tool to help existing practices. Rather than reducing the need for foundational knowledge, AI places greater emphasis on data quality, metadata, and accuracy. Scott observed that the work required to prepare datasets for AI closely mirrors the efforts underway for NSRS modernization, creating efficiencies for organizations already investing in data readiness. Byrd reinforced the idea that the value lies in how data is applied.
“AI won’t replace your job,” he said. “But someone using it will.”
Looking ahead, all three organizations will have a strong presence at Geo Week 2026 in Denver, with sessions addressing reality capture applications, spatial reference system modernization, standards development, and emerging technologies. Two particular sessions will touch on NSRS modernization, including technical updates and professional societies.
As 2026 approaches, the geospatial industry finds itself at the intersection of maturing technologies, expanding data volumes, institutional change, and ongoing workforce pressures. Some of the takeaways from this webinar and its panelists were calls for deliberate learning, a deeper grasp of fundamentals, and sustained engagement with the changes already underway.
If you're interested in viewing this webinar, click the link here to watch the full on demand panel.
