excited and motivated to see the growth of our work at the forefront of our industry and I don’t regret a single thing. What are the core values of GEO-MIK Consultants Africa Ltd? GEO-MIK has deeply ingrained principles that guide all company actions and activities and are a constant reminder for day-to-day operations. These are Innovativeness, Teamwork, Customer Service, Professionalism and Commitment. Tell us more about your clients and the market sectors you serve. We serve diverse markets ranging from environment, agriculture, mining and exploration, oil and gas, forestry, urban, rural and regional development, utility/ infrastructure, academia and research. Our clients fall into the following categories: Government and Intergovernmental Organisations, CSOs, Donors and Development Partners, Un Agencies, Regional and Continental Bodies, Private Sector, Academic and other Research Institutions and to these, we offer a range of specialsed services and products: • Remote Sensing (RS): Deploying specialised geospatial solutions, satellite image data analysis and processing. • Geographical Information System (GIS): Utilising information and spatial data obtained from a variety of sources for appropriate and diverse GIS solutions and applications. • Training, Research and Capacity Development: Offering GIS/RS training, research and capacity development. • Optical Satellite Imagery: Providing satellite data for commercial satellite sensors through partnerships, derivative products and making extensive use of the satellite data capabilities for a range of solutions and products. • Geospatial Tools for Agriculture: Providing geospatial and remote sensing data, solutions, products and insights into agriculture development and precision farming. • Spatial Development Planning: We conduct urban, rural, national and regional development planning, natural resource and resettlement action planning, infrastructure and utility planning, land use appraisal and sector policy analysis. What are some of the industry’s key challenges? For the past 10 years, the geoinformation (GI) industry and the market have experienced an upward trend towards the right trajectory both in Uganda and across the region. There are still existing gaps and barriers, though, despite numerous supporting efforts from governments to organise the industry through initial complementary policy interventions. The Geospatial Knowledge Infrastructure Index 2022, for example, also recognises that globally, National geospatial agencies face considerable challenges in meeting the evolving demands of the diverse user ecosystem, including refining large amounts of raw data, data maintenance, competition, funding, etc. Then, there are technical barriers such as the absence of relevant GI infrastructure (hardware, software, etc.), interoperability, the lack of coordination and classification schemes, information access, maintainability, communication, internet connectivity, lack of data on public sector users needs, status, trend and uptake and general lack of technical knowledge and capacities across the industry. THE CEO INTERVIEW
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