USC and its Spatial Sciences Institute (SSI) have launched a new era in the fast-growing field of geospatial technologies by joining with Geospatial World, an India-based organization that advances the field through international conferences, thought leadership and consulting.
For John P. Wilson - founding SSI director and professor of spatial sciences and sociology in the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences - the collaboration represents an exceptional opportunity for USC.
"Geospatial World brings us into conversation with national mapping agencies, private-sector innovators and government decision makers," said Wilson, who signed the memorandum of understanding (MOU) on behalf of the university. "It opens new avenues to recruit students, place our graduates in high-impact roles and contribute directly to the global geospatial workforce."
Geospatial technologies are transforming how nations plan cities, manage infrastructure, track supply chains and respond to natural disasters. As countries invest in mapping, digital twins and other advanced tools, demand for trained professionals has far outpaced the available talent.
Expanded Reach
Wilson signed the agreement at the 2025 GeoSmart India conference in New Delhi, where he also presented at a workshop. Under the three-year MOU, USC will help design and deliver two professional training programs annually, advise on curriculum for mid-career practitioners, contribute to evaluations and global reports and participate in high-profile conferences that draw leaders from as many as 100 countries. USC will also join Geospatial World's Global Advisory Group, which shapes priorities for the worldwide geospatial ecosystem.
USC Vice President for Global and Online Initiatives Anthony Bailey, who joined Wilson for the agreement signing in New Delhi, said, "By collaborating with leaders in geospatial innovation, USC is expanding opportunities for our students, faculty and international partners to drive impact across industries worldwide. This partnership between India's Geospatial World and USC's leading Spatial Sciences Institute exemplifies our commitment to global engagement and professional advancement."
"This partnership gives us reach we could never achieve on our own," Wilson added. "It opens doors to conversations and collaborations that will benefit our students and the global community."
The rapid growth of geospatial technology is driven by widespread reliance on location-related data by governments, businesses and nonprofits alike. Health systems track outbreaks in real time. Transportation planners model traffic patterns. Engineers use 3D spatial data to guide autonomous vehicles. Cities around the world rely on digital twins - dynamic virtual models of physical spaces - to monitor everything from bridges to water networks.
"Knowing where things are, what they are and what they're like is the glue that enables a large part of our lives at work and at home," explained Wilson, who shared his expertise in digital twins at the GeoSmart India conference. "GIS touches engineering, public health, the natural and social sciences, planning and policy. It's a very big field, and it's growing because the world increasingly depends on it."
Global demand is rising 15 to 30 percent each year - faster in some regions - and the number of qualified graduates for the field has not kept pace.
Many nations in Africa, South Asia and the Middle East face a second challenge: Physical infrastructure has expanded rapidly, but digital representations of that infrastructure lag behind. Without accurate spatial data, governments cannot fully optimize transportation systems, utility networks or emergency response.
"A country may have built its bridges, roads and hospitals, but without a digital representation, it can't use modern tools to plan and optimize how those systems perform," Wilson said. "My research group has seen the same issue in some U.S. communities, and we've helped build digital infrastructure models so they can operate more purposefully."
USC's Leadership in Geospatial Education
The Spatial Sciences Institute was founded at USC in 2010 around a principle Wilson articulated decades earlier: Spatial sciences must operate horizontally across disciplines, not sit within a single department.
Today, the institute offers one of the most comprehensive geospatial portfolios among major research universities. Its programs include the MS in Geographic Information Science (GIS) and Technology, the MS in Spatial Data Science, an undergraduate major and minor and a PhD program. More than 700 students enroll in SSI courses each year, and graduates advance into more than 20 sectors including government agencies, engineering firms, national laboratories, environmental organizations, intelligence agencies and leading corporations such as the GIS software firm Esri, headquartered in the Southern California city of Redlands.
USC's collaborative culture, Wilson noted, sets it apart. "Other universities may have GIS researchers, but they're often in departments that don't talk to each other. At USC, spatial thinking cuts across architecture, engineering, health, computer science and the social sciences. We think of geospatial work holistically."
That interdisciplinary strength has helped USC graduates pursue wide-ranging careers, particularly in government and industry where the need for spatial expertise is strongest.
Ideal Partnership
For more than 25 years, Geospatial World has served as a global convener of the industry. Its events draw leaders from government agencies, major engineering firms, national security organizations and geospatial technology companies. Its short courses attract mid-career professionals from rapidly developing markets where spatial data infrastructures are still emerging.
Wilson first attended these conferences to understand how the field was changing beyond academia. What he found was an influential and highly connected network.
"I realized very quickly that this was a big field," he said. "These meetings helped me understand what skills professionals need today and what pathways our curriculum must provide."
When Geospatial World sought advice on strengthening its executive short courses, the conversations opened the door to a broader collaboration - one now formalized through the MOU.
The agreement also positions USC to help address the industry's shortage of experienced professionals. "Companies are acquiring entire firms just to secure talent," Wilson noted. "We can help prepare the leaders the field needs."
The partnership also supports USC's global vision. "I started attending these conferences not to build a partnership but to understand the field and how to recruit students. Now we have a collaboration that's good for our students, good for our research and good for the global geospatial community."
Defining the Future
Wilson's interest in geospatial science dates back to his childhood in a small New Zealand town on the South Island near Christchurch, where he spent hours in the public library reading issues of National Geographic. "A map is a language," he said. "It lets you organize and communicate something you want others to understand."
By the 1980s, he was writing his own code and building spatial analyses by hand - years before commercial GIS software existed. "I did everything manually or with programs I wrote. Today, a modern GIS could do that work in three days," Wilson reflected.
At USC, he was asked by the then-provost to envision what geospatial education could become. That proposal became the Spatial Sciences Institute, which he has guided for 15 years while mentoring more than 100 graduate students and shaping curriculum efforts nationally and internationally. His work includes contributions to the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space and leadership roles with the University Consortium for Geographic Information Science.
As the spatial-science sector continues expanding, the timing of USC's agreement with Geospatial World could not be better, he said.
"I feel like the stars were aligned," Wilson added. "This collaboration helps us reach every part of the world - and it shows why USC is a place where students from any corner of the Earth can come to prepare for success in this field."
