World Geospatial Industry Council (WGIC)
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2018
- HeadquartersAmersfoort, Netherlands
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What World Geospatial Industry Council (WGIC) does
World Geospatial Industry Council (WGIC) is a registered not-for-profit trade association of commercial geospatial companies, founded in 2018 and headquartered in The Hague, Netherlands. It represents organizations across the entire geospatial value chain — including mapping, GIS, satellite imagery, navigation, and location intelligence providers — and serves as a collaborative platform rather than a technology vendor. Core offerings include the annual WGIC Horizons event, the quarterly Policy Scan publication, a podcast/video library of 61 episodes featuring industry leaders, research reports (including a metaverse-context report projecting an $8-13 trillion market by 2030), member case studies, and the Horizons Newsletter. The association does not develop proprietary technology products but facilitates industry collaboration, policy advocacy, and engagement with international bodies such as GEO, ITU, EUSPA, OGC, ISO/TC 211, and the UN Statistics Division.
WGIC operates a membership-based revenue model with four tiers — Patron, Corporate, Associate, and Alliance Members — supplemented by event registration fees and other program revenues; specific dues and pricing are not publicly disclosed. The member roster includes major commercial geospatial companies such as Autodesk, Esri, TomTom, Trimble, Hexagon, and AWS (Alliance Member), giving the association broad industry representation. Distribution is direct via membership programs, while awareness is built through events (Horizons, INTERGEO), policy publications, podcasts, LinkedIn, and content marketing aimed at geospatial industry professionals and policymakers.
The organization is led by an Executive Board chaired by Jack Dangermond (President of Esri) with Alain De Taeye (TomTom Management Board) as Vice Chair for the 2025-2027 term, supported by Executive Director Aaron Addison and Secretary General Marius Swanepoel. Recent strategic activity includes the announcement of the world's first Professional Doctorate in Geospatial Leadership with Clark University (June 2026), a workforce-development partnership with Deepspatial (August 2025), and the relocation of the Horizons 2026 event to London, signaling geographic and programmatic expansion of the association's footprint.
World Geospatial Industry Council (WGIC) firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- World Geospatial Industry Council (WGIC)
- Legal name
- World Geospatial Industry Council
- Website
- https://wgicouncil.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2018
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
World Geospatial Industry Council (WGIC) industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Industry Trade Association
- NAICS
- Business Associations (813910)
- SIC
- Services-Membership Organizations (8600)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Digital Policy, Data Governance & Cybersecurity Standards Cooperation (BPADANAH)
Keywords
Where World Geospatial Industry Council (WGIC) is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Amersfoort
- HQ country
- Netherlands
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
World Geospatial Industry Council (WGIC) business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels6 records
World Geospatial Industry Council (WGIC) product offering
Product offeringCore offering
WGIC is a not-for-profit trade association that represents commercial geospatial companies across the entire value chain of the geospatial ecosystem. It operates a membership-based model (Patron, Corporate, Associate, and Alliance tiers) and delivers value through annual industry events (WGIC Horizons), quarterly policy publications (Policy Scan), research reports, podcasts, and case studies. The organization facilitates industry-wide collaboration, policy advocacy, workforce development, and engagement with international bodies such as GEO, ITU, EUSPA, OGC, ISO/TC 211, and the UN Statistics Division.
Product overview
WGIC is a not-for-profit trade association representing commercial geospatial companies across the entire value chain. The organization provides industry events (WGIC Horizons annual conferences), research publications (Policy Scan, sector reports), media content (podcasts with 61+ videos), and knowledge resources (case studies, blogs) to advance the geospatial industry globally.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Horizons Event: Annual flagship event focused on geospatial industry themes and collaboration
- Policy Scan
- WGIC Horizons Newsletter
Products and services
- WGIC Horizons Event Annual flagship event bringing together geospatial industry leaders to discuss geospatial innovation, policy, and collaboration. WGIC Horizons 2026 themed 'Geospatial as Critical Digital Infrastructure' held in London.
- Policy Scan Quarterly policy monitoring publication reviewing geospatial-related policies across regions. Q2 2026 covered 27 policies reviewed, 5 regions covered, 12 high-impact items.
- Bringing Geospatial Context to the Metaverse Report Policy report examining metaverse opportunities and risks for the geospatial industry, including digital twins, cyber geography, and virtual reality considerations. Market size projected at $8-13 trillion by 2030.
- WGIC Podcasts Podcast series featuring interviews with geospatial industry leaders discussing AI, geospatial data, market trends, and technology innovation. Includes 61 videos in the playlist featuring executives from Esri, TomTom, Microsoft, Oracle, Trimble, and other geospatial companies.
- WGIC Case Studies Collection of member case studies showcasing geospatial technology applications across various industries including conservation monitoring, sea level rise profiling, and infrastructure projects.
Companies that use World Geospatial Industry Council (WGIC)
Customer profileSegments1 record
Ideal customer profiles2 records
World Geospatial Industry Council (WGIC) technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability2 records
World Geospatial Industry Council (WGIC) partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
16 partnerships are on record, tiered minor, core and regional.
- DeepspatialminorWGIC partnered with Deepspatial on workforce development initiatives to address skills gaps in the geospatial industry.
- Group on Earth Observations (GEO)coreWGIC has established partnerships with international organizations to extend the reach of the geospatial industry into sectors of global relevance. GEO focuses on coordinating international Earth observation efforts.
- International Telecommunication Union (ITU)corePartnership with UN agency specializing in information and communication technologies. WGIC engages with ITU on policy matters relevant to the geospatial sector.
- European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA)regionalCollaboration with the EU agency responsible for EU Space Programme management including Galileo, Copernicus, and GOVSATCOM.
- Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC)corePartnership with the standards organization for geospatial data and services interoperability. WGIC supports OGC's work on open standards for the geospatial industry.
- ISO/TC 211coreCollaboration with the ISO technical committee responsible for geographic information standards.
- UN Statistics Division (UNSD)corePartnership supporting the integration of geospatial data with official statistics for sustainable development.
- World Federation of Engineering Organizations (WFEO)regionalCollaboration connecting geospatial industry with global engineering professionals for infrastructure and sustainable development.
- AGFUNDminorPartnership with the Arab Gulf Program for Development supporting geospatial initiatives in the Arab region.
- Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate & Energy (GCoM)coreCollaboration supporting cities' climate action through geospatial data and technology, enabling cities to track and improve their climate commitments.
- BuildingSMARTregionalPartnership with the organization developing open standards for building and infrastructure digitalization.
- Locus CharterminorCollaboration on ethical geospatial data use principles and responsible location intelligence practices.
- ConnectAIDminorPartnership supporting development and humanitarian efforts through geospatial technologies.
- Climate Resilient Data Initiative (CRDF)minorCollaboration on climate resilience through data-driven geospatial approaches.
- Amazon Web Services (AWS)coreAWS is listed as an Alliance Member, indicating collaboration on cloud infrastructure and geospatial solutions using AWS services.
- Clark University (USC)coreUniversity partners in developing the world's first Professional Doctorate in Geospatial Leadership, announced in June 2026.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
World Geospatial Industry Council (WGIC) competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Geospatial World: Geospatial World is a media, research, and advocacy platform serving the global geospatial industry, comparable to WGIC through industry publications, conferences (Geospatial World Forum), and policy engagement.
- European Association of Remote Sensing Companies (EARSC): EARSC is a trade association representing the European remote sensing industry, directly comparable to WGIC in mission (advocacy, policy engagement, market development for commercial geospatial companies) and membership model.
- AGILE (Association of Geographic Information Laboratories in Europe): AGILE is a European association promoting GIScience research and education; comparable to WGIC as a membership organization in the geospatial sector with academic-industry engagement, though more research-oriented.
- Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC): OGC is a non-profit standards organization for geospatial interoperability and is both a WGIC partner and a structural peer in the geospatial ecosystem, focused on industry collaboration and standards rather than product sales.
- ISPRS (International Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing): ISPRS is an international non-governmental organization promoting photogrammetry, remote sensing, and spatial information sciences, comparable to WGIC as a global professional body in adjacent geospatial disciplines.
- Group on Earth Observations (GEO): GEO is an intergovernmental partnership coordinating Earth observation efforts globally — a direct peer and partner of WGIC focused on coordinating Earth observation policy, data, and capacity building with member organizations.
- Global Spatial Data Infrastructure Association (GSDI): GSDI is an international association promoting spatial data infrastructure and policy coordination — directly comparable to WGIC in mission around geospatial data governance, standards, and international cooperation.
- United States Geospatial Intelligence Foundation (USGIF): USGIF is a non-profit foundation supporting the geospatial intelligence community through education, training, and events — comparable to WGIC as a membership-based geospatial industry body with workforce development and policy/advocacy functions.
- International Cartographic Association (ICA): ICA is an international organization for cartography and geographic information science, overlapping with WGIC's mission of advancing geospatial collaboration, standards, and policy through a membership-based structure.
Emerging players
- OpenStreetMap Foundation: OSMF supports the OpenStreetMap geospatial data project through a non-profit membership model; an emerging comparable that, like WGIC, organizes a contributor/member community around geospatial data governance and standards.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
World Geospatial Industry Council (WGIC) social profiles
Digital presenceWorld Geospatial Industry Council (WGIC) financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
World Geospatial Industry Council (WGIC) leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
World Geospatial Industry Council (WGIC) funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
World Geospatial Industry Council (WGIC) M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about World Geospatial Industry Council (WGIC)
What does World Geospatial Industry Council (WGIC) do?
WGIC is a not-for-profit trade association that represents commercial geospatial companies across the entire value chain of the geospatial ecosystem. It operates a membership-based model (Patron, Corporate, Associate, and Alliance tiers) and delivers value through annual industry events (WGIC Horizons), quarterly policy publications (Policy Scan), research reports, podcasts, and case studies. The organization facilitates industry-wide collaboration, policy advocacy, workforce development, and engagement with international bodies such as GEO, ITU, EUSPA, OGC, ISO/TC 211, and the UN Statistics Division.
Is World Geospatial Industry Council (WGIC) a public or private company?
World Geospatial Industry Council (WGIC) is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was World Geospatial Industry Council (WGIC) founded?
World Geospatial Industry Council (WGIC) was founded in 2018. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is World Geospatial Industry Council (WGIC) based?
World Geospatial Industry Council (WGIC) is headquartered in Amersfoort, Netherlands, in the Europe region.
Who are World Geospatial Industry Council (WGIC)'s main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Geospatial World, European Association of Remote Sensing Companies (EARSC), AGILE (Association of Geographic Information Laboratories in Europe), Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC), ISPRS (International Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing), Group on Earth Observations (GEO), Global Spatial Data Infrastructure Association (GSDI), United States Geospatial Intelligence Foundation (USGIF) and International Cartographic Association (ICA). OpenStreetMap Foundation is listed as an emerging player.
Does World Geospatial Industry Council (WGIC) have an API?
No public API is recorded for World Geospatial Industry Council (WGIC).
What industry is World Geospatial Industry Council (WGIC) in?
World Geospatial Industry Council (WGIC)'s product category is Industry Trade Association. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPADANAH, Digital Policy, Data Governance & Cybersecurity Standards Cooperation. Its NAICS code is 813910 and its SIC code is 8600.