AGI GeoCom: Sovereign data, shared futures
AGI GeoCom: Sovereign data, shared futures took place on 12 November 2026 at Royal Geographical Society, London. It was organised by Association for Geographic Information (AGI), and B2DB records 33 speakers across 18 sessions on 2 stages.
GeoCom 2026, subtitled Sovereign Data, Shared Futures, is the Association for Geographic Information's flagship one-day, thought-leadership conference for the UK geospatial sector, held on 12 November 2026 at the Royal Geographical Society (with IBG) in London. The programme focuses on digital sovereignty in an age of uncertainty, the tension between sovereignty and openness, the technological challenges of capturing, storing and consuming geospatial data without compromising resilience, and the importance of trust and of sustainable, ethical and legal processes. It features presentations, focused discussion groups and networking opportunities.
Key facts
| Dates | 12 November 2026 (finished) |
|---|---|
| Venue | Royal Geographical Society, London, United Kingdom |
| Organiser | Association for Geographic Information (AGI) |
| Series | AGI GeoCom |
| Speakers | 33 |
| Sessions | 18 |
| Stages | Agora, Sunley Room |
| Sponsors | 9 |
| Official site | agi.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/11/GeoCom-2026-Brochure-Final.pdf |
Keynote speakers
- Blythe Crawford CBE Director Grail, Tiberius Aerospace
- Professor James Cheshire Director, UCL
Speakers (33)
Compiled from the published agenda; speakers can claim and verify their own entry.
- Blythe Crawford CBE Director Grail, Tiberius Aerospace
- Professor James Cheshire Director, UCL
- Donna Lyndsay Interim Climate Services Development Manager, Space4Climate
- Richard Flemmings Chief Executive Officer & Founder, Map Impact
- Simon McLellan Coordinator for the Implementation of WMO Unified Data Policy, World Meteorological Organization
- Lucy Butt Senior GIS Consultant, AtkinsRealis
- Christine Armour AGI GeoCom Co-Chair, AGI
- Andrew Paul AGI Northern Ireland Chair, AGI
- Fergus Craig AGI Chair, AGI
- Liz Fox-Tucker Professional and Policy Manager, Royal Geographical Society
- Rachael Dale-Kemp Programme Director, DEFRA
- Holger Kessler Senior Stakeholder Manager, AtkinsRealis
- Darshana Chauhan Co Founder and CEO, Coplug
- Vida Williams Geospatial Capability Lead, Jacobs
- Peter Rabley CEO, OGC
- Michael Hanley Commercial Director, Soil Association Exchange
- Stewart Hall Director of Business Development, Bright Ascension Ltd
- Andrew Carrel President of Data and Services, AAC Clyde Space
- Cerys Butterill Data Analyst, Avon Fire & Rescue Service
- Rachel Higgins UK Policy Lead, Ordance Survey
- Siobhan Ryan Technical Specialist, Avineon Tensing
- Amena Boyd Scientific Data Officer, British Antarctic Survey
- Matthew Rix Transformation Director & Chief Digital and Data Officer, Informed Solutions
- Emma Bee Head of National Geoscience Data Centre, British Geological Survey
- Louise Rezler Director of Commercial Partnerships, Soil Association Exchange
- Charles Kennelly Group Chief Technology Officer, Esri Holdings Ltd
- Claire Edwards Deputy Director, Natural England
- Abigail Page Head of UK Geospatial Strategy, Government Digital Service
- Andy Beardsley TSA
- Dr Louise Darroch Data Scientist, British Oceanographic Data Centre
- Mehul Doshi Head of Strategy, DSIT/GDS
- Phil Kershaw Digital Strategy Lead, RAL Space
- Róisín McDermott Senior Geospatial Analyst, NHS South Central and West
Most represented companies
- AGI — 3 speakers
- AtkinsRealis — 2 speakers
- Soil Association Exchange — 2 speakers
Agenda (18 sessions)
Day 1 — Thursday 12 November 2026
- Welcome 09:30–09:35
- Opening Address 09:35–09:50
- Morning Keynote: Risk and Opportunity in a world of Super convergence 09:50–10:30 — Blythe Crawford CBE
- Trust as Infrastructure: the Hidden Foundations of Sovereignty 10:30–10:45
- Who Owns the Map? Sovereignty, Stewardship and the Future of Geospatial Data 10:45–11:00
- Wrap up from morning session and introduction to Agora sessions 11:00–11:05
- Earth Systems Evolution 11:35–12:30 · Agora — Donna Lyndsay, Stewart Hall, Andrew Carrel
- Interoperability and Infrastructure 11:35–12:30 · Agora — Lucy Butt, Holger Kessler, Darshana Chauhan, Mehul Doshi
- Collaboration in Geospatial 11:35–12:30 · Agora — Rachael Dale-Kemp, Cerys Butterill, Matthew Rix, Abigail Page
- Women in Geospatial Session 13:00–13:30 · Sunley Room — Vida Williams, Claire Edwards
- Sovereignty, Resilience & Geospatial 13:30–13:45 — Charles Kennelly
- Wrap Session and move to agora panel sessions 13:45–14:00 — Christine Armour
- The Great Skills Shift 14:00–14:45 · Agora — Liz Fox-Tucker, Vida Williams, Rachel Higgins, Andy Beardsley +1 more
- Data in the World of Geospatial 14:00–14:45 · Agora — Simon McLellan, Amena Boyd, Emma Bee, Dr Louise Darroch +1 more
- AI in Geospatial 14:00–14:45 · Agora — Richard Flemmings, Christine Armour, Peter Rabley, Siobhan Ryan
- Leveraging geospatial data to drive sustainable UK food production 15:15–16:00 — Michael Hanley, Louise Rezler
- Closing Keynote: Maps You Could Die For: Spies, Censorship and Cartographic Sovereignty 16:00–16:45 — Professor James Cheshire
- Closing 16:45–17:00 — Christine Armour, Andrew Paul, Fergus Craig
Organisers, sponsors and partners
Organiser (1)
Association for Geographic Information (AGI)
Host (1)
Royal Geographical Society (with IBG)
Sponsors (9)
Idox Geospatial · Informed Solutions · CGI · Avineon Tensing · AtkinsRealis · Royal Geographical Society (with IBG) · Esri UK · Dalcour Maclaren · British Cartographic Society
Supporting Partner (1)
Source: the published agenda. See how B2DB compiles its records.