Over the course of my decades of participating in the world economy, I have found it useful to not pay too much attention to prognosticators, the so-called (and often self-called) experts. I have come to realize that these folks are about as accurate at forecasting the long-term economy as the weather folks are of forecasting the weather more than three days out. 

I have found that economic forecasters tend to have political leanings that likely play into what they predict about what’s ahead. I have also learned that being prepared for the inevitable twists and turns of our economy is far better than just fumbling along based on predictions. 

Who knows what the 2023 economy will bring but the one thing that is certain is it will significantly impact the geospatial industry. xyHt had long-time contributing editor Jeff Salmon take a look at what might happen and report on what sectors of the industry will still be positive for industry professionals. If you’re like a good Boy Scout and like to be prepared, this is a must-read. 

In a look forward at 2023 and beyond, we also had long-time editor and writer Gavin Schrock look at the future of the scanning industry. At INTERGEO last October, Gavin uncovered some new and exciting technologies that will shape the future of scanning. Smaller and faster seems to be the best way to sum it up as the smartphone and tablet continue to work their way into being one of the geospatial professional’s best pieces of equipment. 

This month we all head to Denver for GeoWeek 2023 where Jack Dangermond, founder and president of Esri, will be the keynote speaker at the 2023 edition, February 13-15. Dangermond will review recent applications of GIS and remote sensing and discuss how these technologies can help address the complex challenges the world is facing.  

Hope to see you there.

-JT