Combining AI with geospatial data opens up significant opportunities for companies, whether the question is of customer understanding, resource allocation or service optimisation. However, not many training modules have been available on the subject.
The ‘Location and AI: The Basics’ online course released now provides a clear overview of how the AI technology combined with geospatial data can support business planning, decision making and innovation. The course is specifically intended for SMEs and decision-makers in the EU.
The course is provided by the Location Innovation Hub, which is part of the European Digital Innovation Hubs network. The production team consists of specialists and researchers from across Europe. The course has been released in cooperation with the Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC).
‘AI and geospatial data do not belong to major corporations only, as they can also offer concrete benefits for small and medium-sized enterprises. The course provides an opportunity to understand what AI and geospatial data are all about and how they can be used in business operations. I can recommend the course for managers of all SMEs,’ says Antti Jakobsson, Project Manager at the Location Innovation Hub.
A response to the objectives of the European AI Strategy
The European Commission aims to make Europe the global leader in the development and use of AI. The action plan published in April underlines the importance of the European Digital Innovation Hubs such as the Location Innovation Hub in promoting the use of AI in different sectors. The course is a concrete example of how strategic goals can be put into practice. It helps understand what combining AI with geospatial data means, what benefits it has to offer, and what risks and ethical issues need to be considered.
‘This training is a great example of how we can bring the power of location data and AI closer to practical business. It makes complex concepts easy to grasp and shows how these technologies can support smarter decisions and real value on the ground,’ says Nigel Edmead, Senior Director of Learning at the Open Geospatial Consortium.
Part of the NLS’s long-term AI activities
The course is part of the NLS’s long-term activities to use AI in the production and research of geospatial data. For example, the NLS has been studying and developing the opportunities of using AI in the maintenance of the Topographic Database’s data for years now. In the projects of the Finnish Geospatial Research Institute (FGI), technologies and AI have already been combined, for example, to prevent wildfires and identify forest damage.
The ‘Location and AI: The Basics’ online course is free of charge, available in English, and can be completed at the learner’s own pace at academy.ogc.org. In addition to this basic course, a more in-depth course will be released for data specialists and developers later in autumn, which will focus on practical applications, for example.
Further information
Antti Jakobsson, Project Manager, +358 50 599 4123, firstname.lastname@nls.fi