The workshop will be on the afternoon of 21st January and the morning of 22nd January

Background

The growing strategic importance of 3D geoinformation across domains such as planning, energy, environment, and infrastructure demands a collaborative platform for knowledge exchange and innovation for National Mapping and Cadastral Agencies (NMCAs). NMCAs are investing in 3D models, tools, and services. At the same time, the research landscape is still rapidly evolving, with advanced acquisition and modelling techniques, new standards, open tooling, and increasing cross-domain integration.

In 2025, the EuroSDR Workshop on “the State-of-the-Art of 3D Mapping at National and Regional Mapping Agencies” brought together nearly 70 participants from NMCAs, research institutions, and industry. Presentations highlighted a variety of topics, including data acquisition techniques, processing workflows, and practical applications of 3D data. An additional dedicated session featured updates on the latest developments from industry and academic research, offering valuable insights into cutting-edge innovations in 3D mapping.

The workshop emphasised the importance of sustained collaboration and knowledge exchange among NMCAs, research institutions, and industry partners to drive advancements in 3D mapping. Participants identified the need for continued engagement and committed to following up on the workshop's outcomes. 

The workshop presentations can be found here: https://www.eurosdr.net/workshops/eurosdr-workshop-state-art-3d-mapping-national-and-regional-mapping-agencies

Aim of the 2026 workshop

While the 2025 workshop served as an arena for informing about the state of the art in respective countries, the 2026 workshop aims to take a step further and discuss the way forward:

·         What goals and user needs should NMCA 3D data meet?

·         What gaps still exist - technical or non-technical that are (partly) preventing NMCAs from meeting these goals?

·         What is required to reach these goals and overcome the missing parts, and how do we collaborate to get there?

The overarching goal of the 2026 workshop is to establish a research agenda with a set of clusters for further development of NMCAs collection, modelling, maintenance and use of 3D data.

This research agenda will serve as a foundation for future collaboration in the EuroSDR 3D Special Interest Group

 Presenting: Please contact Knut Jetlund Knut (knut.jetlund@kartverket.no) or Jantien Stoter (Jantien.stoter@kadaster.nl)  if you are interested in giving a presentation. We especially invite the presenters from the 2025 workshop to contribute with their thoughts based on their status and the challenges they are facing.

Participating: The workshop is open to everyone who is interested in learning more about the 3D mapping challenges of NMCAs and contributing to the discussion to address them.

You are warmly invited to register below, if you:

·         think 3D has reached maturity, or

·         think 3D is always going to be a niche product used by some but not with widespread uptake or

·         don’t know anything about 3D and want to learn, or

·         know about 3D but are not yet clear about its benefits.

Organisation committee

Knut Jetlund, Kartverket, Norway

André Streilein, Swisstopo, Switzerland

Jack Metcalfe, UCL, London

Claire Ellul, UCL, London

Stefano Cavazzi, Ordnance Survey UK

Jantien Stoter, Kadaster, The Netherlands