GEOSPATIAL FRONTIERS
A Publication by Project Geospatial
LOOKING BEYOND
THE MAP
Geospatial Frontiers, a new publication from Project Geospatial, brings together leading voices and experts from across the geospatial ecosystem to tackle the industry's most pressing challenges. Through in-depth articles and discussions, Geospatial Frontiers aims to explore innovative solutions and spark critical conversations that will shape the future of geospatial technology and its applications.
Contributing Authors
Google Earth: The World We Were Given, the World We Are Losing, and the One We Could Still Build
With Google announcing the end of new Google Earth Pro desktop downloads in June 2027, the geospatial industry faces a larger question: What happens to the powerful, accessible workflows that made Google Earth revolutionary? From its Keyhole origins and disruptive influence on traditional GIS and military intelligence to the rise of KML, KMZ, network links, and the eventual loss of Google Fusion Tables, Google Earth transformed how people visualize, analyze, and share geographic information. This Geospatial Frontiers feature examines what Google continues to get right, what risks being lost in the shift from desktop to browser, and why platforms such as Cesium, GeoLibre, and RustGIS have yet to fully serve the overlooked middle market between casual map users and GIS professionals. As AI, cloud computing, and open geospatial technologies advance, could the next generation finally deliver the intuitive, data-driven spatial intelligence workspace Google Earth always had the potential to become?
Geospatial Progress: Modernizing QGIS, Simplifying Satellite AI with Alpha Earth, and Scaling Google Earth for Business
The geospatial industry witnessed a transformative week with three major announcements that bridge the gap between open-source legacy and AI-driven enterprise intelligence. Leading the charge is the long-awaited release of QGIS 4.0 "Norrköping," a massive structural leap that migrates the premier open-source desktop GIS to the Qt6 framework for superior performance and security. Simultaneously, Google DeepMind unveiled its 2025 AlphaEarth Foundations update, introducing 64-dimensional satellite embeddings that allow developers to "see through" cloud cover and decode complex planetary variables with unprecedented mathematical precision. Finally, Google Earth officially transitioned into a powerful business ecosystem with the launch of its Professional and Professional Advanced tiers, integrating Gemini-powered "agentic" AI and domain-specific data layers for high-stakes urban planning and sustainability workflows. Together, these releases signal a new era where raw planetary data is no longer a bottleneck but an analysis-ready instrument for global decision-making.