By Ronda Schrenk, CEO, USGIF

As global challenges become increasingly dynamic and the volume of data deluges decision-makers and intelligence analysts, geospatial-intelligence is foundational for sense-making and decision advantage. Strengthening that foundation requires investment in our profession through the training, collaboration, and technology discovery provided through the GEOINT Symposium.

At the United States Geospatial Intelligence Foundation (USGIF), our mission is to advance the GEOINT tradecraft through education, collaboration, and professional development. As part of this commitment, the 2025 GEOINT Symposium will continue our tradition of providing a premier educational platform, offering government and industry professionals unparalleled opportunities to enhance their skills and deepen their understanding of emerging GEOINT technologies.

GEOINT as a National Security Imperative

The GEOINT community is a unique national security asset with one differentiator being the rapid advancements of commercial remote sensing capabilities and associated technology to quickly glean insights from the deluge of data. Traditional missions such as continuously monitoring adversary capabilities, supporting life-saving disaster response efforts, providing the world’s best safety of navigation resources, or enabling precision targeting in military operations, reflect how our GEOINT professionals save lives, protect our service members, and provide decisive insight at the speed of need.

Consequently, our discipline evolves exceptionally fast. For example, the integration of artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), sensor advancements, and quantum computing is transforming analysis and operations. Our adversaries have poured tremendous resources, financial and human, into investments in all these areas. To maintain, or ideally increase, GEOINT superiority, we need to outpace that investment for our workforce. The pace of change demands continuous education, not only to master innovative technologies, but also to refine evolving analytic techniques that ensure unmatched GEOINT capabilities across government, industry, and academia.

GEOINT 2025: A Premier Educational Resource for the Government Workforce

The GEOINT 2025 Symposium, themed Building a Secure Tomorrow Together is the single most comprehensive GEOINT educational event for the IC and DoD. Government and industry attendees will have access to hands-on advanced training sessions and tradecraft workshops designed to enhance operational effectiveness.

Training and education sessions will cover key GEOINT disciplines such as:

• AI/ML applications in GEOINT – Understanding how automation can augment human analysis and decision-making.
• Sensor technology and remote sensing – Leveraging advanced sensor capabilities to improve situational awareness.
• Open-source intelligence (OSINT) integration – Applying publicly available data to enhance intelligence assessments.
• Data analytics and visualization – Transforming raw data into actionable intelligence for real-world decision-making.

These sessions are specifically tailored to meet the evolving demands of government agencies, providing advanced skills that analysts and decision-makers can immediately apply to their missions. The symposium fosters an interactive learning environment, where attendees can train alongside leading experts, gain certification credits, and engage in critical discussions about the future of the tradecraft.

Bridging the Knowledge Gap: A Call to Action

Securing continued GEOINT dominance requires a collective commitment from leadership within the IC and DoD to prioritize workforce development. Training should be viewed as a mission-critical investment that directly strengthens national security. As we look ahead, we must recognize that the strength of our national security lies in the strength of our people. A well-trained, agile, and forward-thinking GEOINT workforce is essential for navigating the complexities of today’s global challenges.