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Events

It's 40 days to the 2026 Cesium Developer Conference, and we’re getting ready to host developers, creators, and innovators from across the 3D geospatial ecosystem for learning, collaboration, and community, June 8-10 in Philadelphia. For attendees who want a day of dedicated, hands-on training to sharpen skills, we’re offering pre-conference workshops on Monday, June 8.

Register and select pre-conference workshops

Drone flying over Miami, Florida, USA, in Cesium for Unreal.

With topics covering 3D on the web, game engines, integrations, AI, and more, beginners and experienced developers can choose their own adventure. There’s a path for everyone to work closely with instructors and peers to build next-gen applications. 

Check out the full workshop agenda for what to expect and how to prepare. 

Attendees interested in becoming Cesium Certified Developers will learn many of the skills needed for certification over the course of the day; then they can put these skills into practice and submit their projects. 

An iModel of a Philadelphia Metrostation on top of an iTwin Reality Mesh shown in CesiumJS.

Because of the enthusiasm for the pre-conference workshops last year, we’ve increased seats this year—but slots are filling up.  

Bring your laptop with the required software and hardware, which we’ll share soon. We look forward to learning with you. 

Register for the conference and add the pre-conference workshops

Level Up Your Geospatial Skills with Pre-Conference Workshops at DevCon

The GEOINT Symposium is one of my favorite events of the year, and I'm thrilled that Cesium is sponsoring and participating again this year! We're excited to reconnect with the community and dive into the latest geospatial innovations that are advancing national security. 
 
We’ll be at booth 1303 at the Gaylord Rockies in Aurora, Colorado, May 3-6, showcasing the latest from Cesium. Stop by to talk with the team and see how our platform leverages open standards to deliver secure, mission-ready deployments, advanced reality modeling and analysis, and cutting-edge AI integrations. We’ll demonstrate how LLMs and agentic AI can transform the way you interact with your data, enabling natural conversational access to your 3D environments.  

Visit Cesium in booth 1303 at GEOINT Symposium 2026.

Interoperability: The days of siloed systems have faded. Mission success increasingly depends on technologies integrating across environments, domains, and partners.  

Mission-ready 3D geospatial data: We see growing demand for high-fidelity 3D geospatial that serves operations, not just visualization, to “train on the data you operate on.” This ensures simulations, AI models, and mission planning all leverage foundational data to reflect reality. High-res insets captured at the tactical edge are integrated for actionable intelligence. 

LLMs + Model Context Protocol (MCP) servers: As LLMs and agentic AI integrate into mission workflows, 3D Tiles provides a structured, streamable way for these systems to access real-world context. Paired with MCP-style architectures, this enables agents to take action. They can interact with live 3D environments and surface insights in real time.  

Gaussian splats and reality modeling: Beyond traditional meshes, Gaussian splatting allows representation of complex "un-meshable" scenes with incredible photorealism and efficiency. 3D Tiles 2.0 and the upcoming extensions provide the foundation for these massive, high-fidelity reality models to be scalable, interoperable, and analysis ready. 

3D Tiles as the foundation: We will demonstrate government use cases for 3D Tiles 1.1 and highlight new capabilities coming in 3D Tiles 2.0, positioning the open 3D geospatial ecosystem for the next decade. 

Bentley Systems integration: Since joining Bentley, we have doubled down on openness and interoperability, accelerating Cesium’s mission. See how our integration with iTwin bridges the gap between AEC (architecture, engineering, and construction) and GEOINT, providing a subsurface-to-space view of the world. 

iTwin Capture-powered reality modeling and analysis: We're turning raw 2D imagery into high-fidelity 3D reality meshes, point clouds, and Gaussian splats for advanced feature extraction and analysis. 

Cesium AI integrations: By connecting the Cesium ecosystem with the MCP, we enable LLMs and agentic AI to reason about the real world. This includes MCP servers for camera control, entity management, and geolocation, allowing AI assistants to not only query 3D data but also interact with and navigate live CesiumJS scenes. 

Our Moon Lander Game: Back by popular demand and after the successful Artemis II mission to the Moon, we’ll have our Moon Lander Game built with Cesium Moon and Cesium for Unreal. You can also see how CesiumJS was used to track the flight of Artemis II.  (Go, Artemis!) 

Cesium ecosystem in action: We’ll have daily demos from our partners, including Ansys, Blacknight Space, and XRF. 

I’m also excited to present a lightning talk on 3D Tiles 2.0 at 1:10 p.m. on Tuesday in Innovation Corner, outside Exhibit Hall 3, and look forward to your input on the standard. 3D Tiles 2.0 is currently going through the community standard process at OGC.

And, of course, join a great crew from across the geospatial community at the Cesium Reception on Tuesday night at Mountain Pass Sports Bar, upper level, from 9 p.m. to midnight. 

The future of geospatial is being built on open standards, interoperability, and AI-driven insights. We can't wait to explore these trends with you and shape the next decade of geospatial innovation together. 

Connect with us at BOOTH 1303 and feel free to schedule a meeting with our team to discuss your specific needs. We look forward to seeing you at GEOINT! 

Editor's note: updated demo partners on April 28, 2026.

The Cesium Developer Conference 2026 returns for its second year, and the official conference tracks reflect an ambitious, innovative body of talks. Today, we’re excited to share them.

This year’s DevCon takes place June 8-10, 2026, at the Loews Hotel in Philadelphia.

Building on the momentum of our inaugural event, the conference will be a hub for developers, innovators, and creators from across the globe to connect, share ideas, and shape the future of open 3D geospatial technologies.

The 2026 Cesium Developer Conference will feature four technically oriented, community-driven tracks, offering a wealth of knowledge and insights for attendees.

Whether you're building immersive web apps, scaling digital twins, or pushing the boundaries of simulation, there’s a track for you.

The conference will feature four themed tracks with nearly 50 20-minute full talks over both main days of the conference and a block of 16 5-minute lightning talks on June 9, highlighting openness and interoperability. Four tracks will run concurrently during the user sessions parts of the agenda.

We’ll release talk abstracts in early May to ensure you can tailor your DevCon experience.

Digital twin technologies are revolutionizing the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) industries. This track dives into how visualizing and analyzing projects in a geospatial context enhances collaboration, boosts efficiency, and reduces costs. Learn from real-world case studies, innovative workflows, and the integration of technologies like BIM, IoT, and simulation to create intelligent and operational digital twins.

If you’re working with design data, infrastructure at scale, or smart cities, this is your space.

The future of geospatial is being built right now. This track focuses on the latest advancements in data capture, processing, and visualization. Discover new insights on AI and machine learning, advanced data streaming and visualization techniques, emerging technologies like WebXR, and emerging standards like 3D Tiles 2.0. Whether you are working with photogrammetry, LiDAR, or other 3D data sources, this track will provide valuable insights into the future of 3D. For attendees interested in performance, scalability, and what’s coming next, this is the track for you.

Open geospatial technology is a critical tool for analyzing our planet, monitoring global activities, and transforming orbital space. This track will feature developers who are leveraging 3D geospatial data and game engines to support users in the most demanding domains. Learn how these technologies are being used in mission planning, satellite operations, simulation and training, and the visualization of complex aerospace events. Get an inside look at planetary exploration, including missions to the Moon and Mars.

Cesium Core: Product Roadmaps & Advanced Technologies

The teams behind Cesium, iTwin, and 3D Tiles will share their latest work and roadmap. This track will provide a deep dive into the technologies that power the open geospatial ecosystem. Learn about the latest and upcoming product updates, enhancements in 3D Tiles and glTF, and new ways to leverage design data. Experts will explore the latest technologies, including Gaussian splats and AI-assisted development, that are enabling new applications and advancing the state of the art in 3D geospatial. For innovators who want to go deeper with Cesium and iTwin and influence what comes next, don’t miss these sessions.

Speaker at the 2025 Cesium Developer Conference

Beyond the four tracks, the conference will offer numerous opportunities for networking and learning, including:

Mainstage panel discussion and featured keynotes.

Developer "office hours" with the Cesium + Bentley team via the ionosphere.

 Cesium Base Map event for academic and early-career attendees.

Food and refreshments provided throughout the event.

Community tables for universities and non-profits.

We are excited to bring the open geospatial developer community together again and encourage you to register soon.

Spots are limited, and the excitement is building. Secure your place today. For more information and to register, visit the Cesium Developer Conference hub. 

Discover, Learn, and Connect: The 2026 Cesium Developer Conference Tracks Are Here

The 2026 Cesium Developer Conference, June 8-10 in Philadelphia, brings together the developer community to learn, share, and build what’s next in 3D geospatial. This year, we’re introducing a new space designed to make those connections even easier: the ionosphere. 

A new gathering space at the Cesium Developer Conference

The best ideas often come from connection between developers, product teams, and the community to push the limits of what’s possible with 3D geospatial technology. 

The ionosphere is a new dedicated area to support those conversations. It’s a place where attendees can connect directly with the engineers and product teams building the tools they use every day. 

Whether you want to ask a deep technical question, explore a new workflow, or see the latest features in action, the ionosphere is designed to make those interactions easier and more accessible. 

Cesium's technical team will be on hand at the 2026 Cesium Developer Conference to share insights, discuss projects, explore the latest Cesium features, and more. 

Innovate with the experts behind Cesium and iTwin 

In the ionosphere, you’ll have the opportunity to meet the teams working on tech powering the open 3D geospatial ecosystem. 

Attendees can connect with experts from: 

These sessions are intentionally informal. Drop by to ask questions, discuss your projects, and get insights directly from the people building the platform. 

The 2026 Cesium Developer Conference will be packed with technical sessions, community presentations, and expanded opportunities to connect with practitioners and decision-makers across 3D geospatial. 

If you’re building with 3D geospatial technology—or want to start—join us June 8-10 to learn, connect, and explore what’s possible.

Register today for the 2026 Cesium Developer Conference and plan your visit to the ionosphere. 

Step into the ionosphere at the 2026 Cesium Developer Conference

The 2026 Cesium Developer Conference is now open for presentation proposals and registration! If you’re innovating in open geospatial frontiers, now is the time to submit your proposal and be part of the conversation that’s accelerating real-world impact, June 8-10 in Philadelphia. 

Community-powered insights and open innovation 

What set Cesium DevCon 2025 apart was its community-driven spirit. The inaugural DevCon brought together hundreds of developers, creators, and innovators to share, learn, and connect around the future of open 3D geospatial technology.  

With 87 of the 101 speakers drawn from the ecosystem, the event showcased real workflows and solutions from the people building and using 3D geospatial technologies every day. Sessions spanned six tracks: 3D, AI, and Data Technology; AEC and Digital Twins; Aerospace and Defense; Cesium, iTwin, and 3D Tiles; Climate and Disaster Resilience; and Market and Education. 

From breakthrough case studies like Buendea’s digital twin of the Moon for NASA’s XR Operations Support System (XOSS) to MapStore’s integration of CesiumJS, there was something for everyone. 

Already, submissions are arriving to highlight compelling areas of the ecosystem, including 3D micro-experiences, AEC and BIM, astrodynamics, Cesium for Unity, sensor integration, and more.  

Why you should talk and attend: engage, learn, and celebrate with the community 

Presenting and attending come with great benefits. And this year, we’re adding new features. 

Complimentary conference registration for primary authors of accepted talks (with discounted co-presenter tickets available).  

A platform to engage with hundreds of developers, engineers, and decision-makers.  

Inclusion in the full recorded library as a lasting showcase of your work. 

Networking at community tables, meals, and receptions with peers and leaders in the ecosystem, including parties and both welcome and closing receptions perfect for community building and celebration.  

Lightning talk slots: Share and learn from quick insights or demos.  

Pre-conference workshop day, now with expanded capacity: hands-on deep dives into CesiumJS, Cesium ion, and open-source plugins for Unity, Unreal Engine, and NVIDIA Omniverse. 

The Developer Cove: a dedicated space to meet directly with Cesium experts to discuss projects, new features, or any deep-dive topics. 

Early Career Event: Following strong participation from academic and early-career attendees last year, we’re creating a dedicated opportunity for networking and engaging with the Cesium technical team. 

The 2025 Cesium Developer Conference saw real-world implementations and new connections. As Patrick Cozzi said in his reflections on the session recordings, it was “a celebration of the accomplishments of the 3D geospatial community,” as hundreds of developers converged to share and learn. 

2025 Cesium Developer Conference highlights.

Developer Conference Highlights

Power the conversation: submit, share, and learn 

Whether you’re pioneering new applications in aerospace and defense, pushing the boundaries of 3D, AI, and data technology, or transforming AEC and digital twin workflows, DevCon 2026 is your stage. We’re looking for talks that teach, inspire, challenge assumptions, and grow the ecosystem together.  

Share Your Work and Attend the 2026 Cesium Developer Conference 

Attendees at the 2025 Cesium Developer Conference in Philadelphia.

We are thrilled to announce the return of the Cesium Developer Conference, taking place June 8-10, 2026, in Philadelphia, PA, USA, at the Loews Hotel. Join us to connect with fellow developers and innovators from around the globe who are shaping the future of open geospatial technologies.

The 2026 Cesium Developer Conference is a unique opportunity for the community to come together, share ideas, and collaborate on solving real-world challenges. We invite you to be a part of the conversation by submitting a presentation proposal. The call for presentations is open now, January 5, through Friday, January 30.

We are looking for engaging, technically oriented presentations that showcase the incredible work being done across 3D geospatial. Whether you're pushing the boundaries of 3D, AI, and data technology, transforming AEC and digital twin workflows, or pioneering new applications in aerospace and defense, we want to hear from you.

Last year's conference featured a wide range of inspiring sessions, including:

 "A Cesium-Based Web Application for Accessing NOAA Scientific Data"

"Accelerating AEC Workflows with 3D Geospatial Context in Runtime Engines"

"Gaussian Splatting with 3D Tiles and glTF"

"High Fidelity NASA Surface Operations for Astronaut Training Using Cesium Moon"

“One World Terrain’s Well Formed Format 2025”

This year, we look forward to another lineup of groundbreaking presentations from the community. We encourage both full-length talks (20 minutes) and lightning talks (5 minutes) that highlight your innovations and experiences with 3D creation engines, CesiumJS, iTwin, 3D Tiles, interoperability, and openness. Submit your presentation here; the submission window will close end of day on January 30, 2026. 

The conference will feature community-driven tracks, a pre-conference workshop for a hands-on deep dive, and numerous opportunities for networking and collaboration.

Call for presentations: January 5 - January 30

Early bird registration: January 19 - March 16

Conference + pre-conference workshop: $650

US government employees: complimentary. Contact us for your registration code.

Students (conference only): Discounted registration is available; contact us for your discount code.

Don't miss this opportunity to share your expertise, learn from your peers, and help grow the open geospatial ecosystem. Submit your presentation proposal and be a part of the event that is "a glimpse into the future of geospatial technology," as one attendee put it.

Share Your Vision: Present at the 2026 Cesium Developer Conference

With our work at the intersection of computer graphics and 3D geospatial, Cesium has a long history with SIGGRAPH. We’re excited to join again this year—the team will be in Vancouver, Canada, August 10-14. 

Accelerating AEC Workflows with 3D Geospatial Context in Runtime Engines 

Vancouver Convention Centre, West Building, Ballroom C 

Cory Barr will join Adam Liss, Philip Luhn, and David Willard of HNTB to discuss how HNTB uses Cesium to enhance AEC workflows and integrate 3D geospatial context. 

glTF: Innovations in 3D Content Delivery and Use

Vancouver Convention Centre, East Building, Room 15 

Get an in-depth look at how glTF is evolving to support richer, more realistic textures and new interactive applications, including gaming and metaverse use cases. Sean Lilley will deliver "Advancements in glTF for Geospatial," covering Gaussian splats, voxels, AEC rendering, and glX.

ACM SIGGRAPH Cartographic Visualization Birds of a Feather (Carto BOF)

Vancouver Convention Centre, East Building, Room 8 

This session is organized by our friend Theresa-Marie Rhyne and explores how viewpoints and techniques from the computer graphics community can be effectively applied to cartographic and spatial datasets. Jake Adelgren will discuss 3D Tiles. 

Metaverse Standards Forum Frontier Workshop: Town Hall: Gaussian Splats - Ready for Standardization 

Gaussian splats are a rapidly emerging method for the fast and efficient creation of photorealistic 3D visualizations. This Frontier Workshop will address the current technologies, formats, and use cases and investigate the potential for standardization to enable interoperability and sustainable growth. Jason Sobotka and Patrick Cozzi will participate. 

Metaverse Standards Forum State of 3D Asset Interoperability using USD and glTF BOF 

This session covers updates on alignment of PBR materials, physics extensions, roundtripping between glTF and USD, interactivity, animation, FBX, and new geometric representations. Amanda Morgan, Adam Morris, and Patrick Cozzi will participate. 

Hands-On Class: A No-Code Introduction to Creating Geospatial Worlds with 3D Tiles and Cesium 

Vancouver Convention Centre, West Building, Exhibit Hall B 

This class walks participants through how to create global-scale virtual worlds using real-world geospatial data that leverages Cesium and 3D Tiles on the web and in game engines. Cory Barr will lead this hands-on lab. 

glTF & 3D Commerce: Unlocking New Possibilities for Real-Time 3D 

Fairmont Waterfront Hotel, British Ballroom 

Sean Lilley will address glX and 3D Tiles. 

Fairmont Waterfront Hotel, Waterfront Ballroom Foyer (lobby level) 

Cesium is proud to be a sponsor of this event. Meet members and enjoy a cold drink and snacks after a long day of sessions. See live demos in action and make some new connections. Please RSVP if you plan to join us. 

We look forward to seeing you in Vancouver! 

The 2025 Cesium Developer Conference was a celebration of the accomplishments of the 3D geospatial community, a look into the future of developing digital twins for the built and natural environment, and a chance to hang out with hundreds of kindred spirits in Philadelphia, our hometown. I appreciate the knowledge and enthusiasm everyone brought to this inaugural event, and I’m happy to share that the session recordings are now available. 

Kicking off the 2025 Cesium Developer Conference.

Some of Dr. Norm Badler’s former students gathered as we presented the Bentley Lifetime Achievement Award to Norm’s wife, Ginny Badler.

Ronda Schrenk, CEO, USGIF, joined us to talk national security as part of the opening keynote.

Lightning talk by Sharel Liu, architectural designer and technologist.

Panel: Pragmatic Approach to Open Standards with Emily Stearns, executive director, Metaverse Standards Forum; Scott Simmons, chief standards officer, OGC; Neil Trevett, VP, developer ecosystems, NVIDIA; David Rees, senior director for ground combat modeling and simulation, Maxar; and Amy Rose, CTO, Overture Maps Foundation.

Andrew Lunstad, CTO, Terradepth, discussed undersea data after leading attendees in singing sea shanties.

Community partners and attendees connected during meals. 

When we said this was by and for the community, we meant it.  

Eighty-seven of the 101 speakers were from the community, with sessions spanning 3D, AI, and Data Technology; AEC and Digital Twins; Aerospace and Defense; Cesium, iTwin, and 3D Tiles; Climate and Disaster Resilience; and Market and Education. We honored Dr. Norm Badler, hosted the Khronos glTF Ecosystem Forum, welcomed community partners, and heard from people doing meaningful work across the ecosystem in talks, keynotes, panels, and fireside chats.  

The sold-out pre-conference Cesium Deep Dive workshop accommodated 50 engaged learners, and I got to spend time with a number of our Certified Developers at their reception. With so much going on, I wish I could have been in multiple places at once. 

We closed out the conference with a party at The Franklin Institute. 

We're grateful to our knowledge partner, Geospatial World, our technology sponsor, Google Cloud, and Bentley for their support in bringing the conference to life. 

Thank you and congrats to everyone who joined us. I was blown away by the energy of the community as we came together to share, learn, and connect. Let’s do it again—we’ll share details in the fall. In the meantime, check out the recordings and let us know your favorites on LinkedIn. 

2025 Cesium Developer Conference Session Recordings Now Available 

The final session at this month’s Cesium Developer Conference features a trio of exciting talks focusing on the vitality of open data and fascinating reality capture stories from the field.

Register for the Cesium Developer Conference

Dr. Amy Rose, CTO of the Overture Maps Foundation, will kick off our closing session with an update on the foundation’s efforts to create and foster the use of open data. Overture was started by a consortium of companies and organizations to compile common geospatial data layers at a global scale that could be used by the entire community.

Overture’s datasets are spatially accurate, high quality, and well documented. The foundation’s content can power applications in just about any industry, including many of the applications and projects being worked on by the devcon audience. Dr. Rose will highlight Overture’s impact and discuss the datasets and technology advancements that they are driving next.

Bentley Systems partner spotlight on Geomatex.Courtesy Bentley Systems.

Partner Spotlight: Geomatex

Bentley Systems’ partner Geomatex Integrated Solutions won and delivered a reality capture project to support tourism facilities renovation at one of the most recognizable locations on the planet: the Pyramids of Giza.

Geomatex will present on the group’s use of done data and iTwin Capture to provide precise 3D models of the site—down to the hieroglyphics!

CNN special on Pete Kelsey’s work. Courtesy CNN.

A drone and a robot dog revealed lost secrets of Alcatraz

Pete Kelsey has flown drones, captured lidar, and created high-resolution reality capture data in places as diverse as Easter Island and the underwater USS Arizona Memorial. Before last year, he hadn’t imagined that sleeping in a jail cell would be a prerequisite for capturing point clouds. 

We are thrilled to have Pete, owner of VCTO Labs, present his most recent project, which has been featured in global news. With a team of volunteers supplied with donated hardware and software, Pete and a crew spent 18 nights on Alcatraz Island so that they could capture the inside and outside of the grounds and the facilities after tourists were gone for the day.

Pete’s story is a fantastic example of collaboration across the AEC and geospatial community, and we’re honored that he will share it with us at the conference.

Every geospatial application requires data. With stories about open data movements and the latest technologies in data collection, developers will leave the conference inspired to create new experiences and value for their users. 

Check out the full conference agenda here, and read more about session tracks.

Our speakers are excited to meet up with industry colleagues, share learnings, and hear feedback. Register to attend and connect with the community in Philadelphia, June 23-25. The last day to take advantage of the discounted hotel room block is Friday, June 6.

Reality Capture and Open Data at the Cesium Developer Conference

At the upcoming Cesium Developer Conference Geospatial World will spotlight emerging trends and the transformative role developers continue to play in the open geospatial ecosystem. We will explore how developer-led innovation is unlocking new economic opportunities, advancing sustainability, and shaping the digital infrastructure of tomorrow.

Geospatial technologies—once confined to scientists and specialized industries—are now deeply woven into the fabric of everyday life. From ridesharing and food delivery to disaster response, climate monitoring, and urban infrastructure, geospatial data powers an expanding array of essential and commercially valuable services. In fact, the geospatial market is projected to grow from USD $661 billion in 2025 to approx. USD $1.2 trillion by 2030, growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 12.5%.

This growth is not monolithic; it reflects the differentiated roles of distinct technological verticals (see Figure 1). Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) and positioning, for example, is expected to more than double in size from 2022 to 2030—driven by its pivotal role in real-time navigation, autonomous mobility, and synchronized telecommunications. Meanwhile, GIS and spatial analytics are forecasted to grow from USD $111 billion to USD $263 billion, fueled by accelerating use cases in smart city design, precision agriculture, infrastructure management, and environmental, social, and governance (ESG) compliance.

Figure 1: Global Geospatial Market Size and Forecast (2022-2030). Source: Geospatial Knowledge Infrastructure Readiness Index 2025 by Geospatial World.

Looking ahead, the industry is undergoing a structural shift toward Geospatial Knowledge Infrastructure (GKI)—a knowledge-led, integrated paradigm that positions spatial data as a strategic asset at the heart of digital economies.

At the same time, macroeconomic and policy drivers—sustainability mandates, climate resilience goals, and data sovereignty concerns—as well as the rise of generative AI, are converging to elevate the importance of open systems. Capitalizing on this transformation requires open geospatial ecosystems: well-managed open data platforms, clear interoperability policies, customizable tools, and robust regulatory frameworks.

Hence, open-source geospatial tools are no longer niche alternatives; they are becoming foundational. Their flexibility, cost-efficiency, and adaptability make them ideal for a broad range of users, from startups and municipalities to national governments. Supported by thriving commercial ecosystems—consulting, subscriptions, and “X-as-a-service” models—open systems are fundamentally reshaping how geospatial value is created, delivered, and scaled.

Developers: Catalysts of Open Innovation in Global Geospatial Industry Growth

Central to this shift is a global, self-organized community of developers. Developers are a critical driving force behind the growth of the geospatial industry, particularly through their role in cultivating and expanding open ecosystems. By building, contributing to, and integrating with open-source platforms (such as QGIS, GeoServer, Cesium), APIs, and developer tools, they create a foundation for scalable innovation and interoperability across sectors. This open ecosystem approach accelerates product development cycles, reduces barriers to entry, and fosters collaborative innovation, enabling organizations to build on shared standards and community-driven advancements.

As developers harness frameworks to create novel, high-impact geospatial applications—climate modeling and smart city infrastructure to disaster response and precision agriculture—they dramatically expand the accessibility and utility of geospatial technologies. These innovations not only increase platform usage and enable new commercial models but also generate significant socioeconomic value by empowering public institutions, startups, and underserved communities with actionable spatial intelligence, thus growing the geospatial market significantly.

Building Resilience Through Open Standards

A core strength of the open geospatial ecosystem lies in its interoperability. Developers work with widely adopted standards (e.g., GeoJSON, KML, GML, and Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) protocols) to ensure seamless data exchange between tools and platforms. This adherence to open formats avoids vendor lock-in and lays the foundation for resilient, future-proof systems. Community contributions, from bug fixes to localization efforts, accelerate the evolution of tools and ensure they remain responsive to real-world needs, especially in under-resourced environments.

Developers are going beyond being technologists; they are often on the front lines of digital inclusion. Working with incomplete or unstructured datasets, they collaborate with grassroots organizations to turn data into insight, often in regions where institutional support is minimal or nonexistent.

Civic tech movements like Code for America and Code for Kenya have mobilized developers to build tools that visualize budget data, improve healthcare access, and simplify the delivery of social services. The Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team (HOT), a globally distributed network of mappers and developers, has been instrumental in crisis zones. After the 2015 Nepal earthquake, thousands of volunteers mapped roads and relief centers within hours, enabling more efficient aid delivery by organizations like the Red Cross.

Environmental initiatives have also benefited. The Mapati Project, which uses urban tree mapping to combat heat islands, and Global Forest Watch, which tracks deforestation in real time, both rely on open data and developer-built platforms. These tools give communities, indigenous groups, and environmental watchdogs the ability to hold actors accountable and participate in global sustainability efforts.

If the geospatial industry is to realize its projected USD $30 trillion economic impact, the strategic role of developers cannot be overstated. Beyond technical implementation, developers act as enablers of last-mile connectivity, translating complex geospatial capabilities into accessible, localized, and scalable solutions. Their work fuels the creation of real-time applications, dynamic decision-support systems, and data-driven public services that directly influence livelihoods, infrastructure, and policy outcomes. By bridging the gap between high-resolution data and community-level impact, developers transform code into catalysts for economic inclusion, environmental resilience, and societal progress.

Challenges Ahead and the Evolving Role of Developers

Despite the clear opportunity, the open geospatial community faces persistent challenges. Maintaining open-source tools often depends on volunteer labor. Questions of data privacy, ethics, and unequal access—particularly in developing regions—remain pressing concerns. The geospatial industry is also expanding faster than the talent pool can support, creating a widening skills gap. This signals a growing opportunity for the developer community not only to meet demand but to shape it—welcoming a broader, more diverse range of contributors, including designers, civic activists, and even artists. As generative AI and machine learning become central to geospatial workflows, the role of the developer is even more critical to open geospatial ecosystem innovation. No longer confined to code, developers are becoming interpreters of complex data, translating geospatial intelligence into socially meaningful outcomes.

Connect with developers and integrators shaping the future of open geospatial at the 2025 Cesium Developer Conference, and hear from Geospatial World, this year’s knowledge partner. Register to join us in Philadelphia in June.

The Geospatial Revolution Is Open: How Developers Are Transforming the Landscape

Our third installment highlights two more tracks at the 2025 Cesium Developer Conference: community-contributed aerospace and defense topics and sessions on Cesium, iTwin, OGC 3D Tiles, and other open technologies compiled by the teams at Cesium and Bentley Systems who work on them.

With Cesium’s roots in aerospace and commitment to interoperability and rapid innovation for tackling the hardest problems in 3D geospatial, we were excited to receive a group of full and lightning talk submissions focused on space, the Moon, flight systems, and mission-critical visualization and analysis.

To provide the community with a closer look into the advancements happening with Cesium and 3D Tiles, we decided to group a set of talks from the Platform team in Bentley Systems. The Platform team comprises development teams from Cesium, iTwin, and iTwin Capture, bringing together global geospatial, cloud-based-BIM (building information modeling), and reality capture.

Calculating access to communications satellites in DigitalArsenal's OrbPro. Courtesy DigitalArsenal.

In today’s complex geopolitical environment, we’re seeing expanded interest in access to open geospatial technologies. Recent investments in the space industry have created satellite constellations with thousands of new spacecraft in just the last few years, and we’re hearing from developers who want to implement full global geospatial 3D experiences for training, planning, operations, and analysis.

These trends are reflected in the talk submissions we grouped in the Aerospace and Defense track, including:

A presentation by Maxar on 3D Tiles and One World Terrain

A photogrammetry sandbox built with Cesium for Unreal by the French Air Force

A flight status indication system from Takram

Military planning using agentic AI from our former colleague Brady Moore

Astronaut training on the Moon with Buendea

The Aerospace and Defense sessions are in a track the morning of June 24, and a series of seven lightning talks will be featured during the afternoon of the 24th on the main stage.

Maxar Precision3D Surface Model of Kabul International Airport. Courtesy Maxar Technologies.

We want the community to take center stage, and we want to feature enough sessions that developers can get a taste of what is happening now that Cesium is part of Bentley Systems.

Level Up Your Geospatial Skills with Pre-Conference Workshops at DevCon

Cesium at GEOINT 2026

Discover, Learn, and Connect: The 2026 Cesium Developer Conference Tracks Are Here

Step into the ionosphere at the 2026 Cesium Developer Conference

Share Your Work and Attend the 2026 Cesium Developer Conference

Share Your Vision: Present at the 2026 Cesium Developer Conference

Cesium at SIGGRAPH 2025