How organizations are using AI to democratize spatial analysis
AI is revolutionizing industries worldwide, and the geospatial domain is no different. By leveraging AI and geospatial technology together, organizations have the opportunity to benefit from faster insights and greater efficiencies. However despite the benefits, the Spatial Data Science community still has progress to make with embracing AI.
Keep reading to learn about the state of AI in geo, as well as examples of how organizations are leading the charge with some real-life use cases!
AI brings numerous benefits to geospatial analysis, making it more accessible and efficient - essentially widening its impact and reach. Key advantages include:
- Democratization of Spatial Analysis: AI lowers the barrier of entry, allowing users without advanced technical skills to perform - and understand - complex spatial analyses. This means that spatial data is no longer the exclusive domain of GIS experts, and ultimately brings decision-makers much closer to the data they are basing decisions on.
- Enhanced User Engagement: With intuitive, conversational interfaces powered by Large Language Models (LLMs), AI can enable users to interact with spatial data naturally, posing questions and receiving understandable insights.
- Instant and Actionable Insights: AI can rapidly process complex spatial data, delivering quick, actionable insights to inform decision-making, faster.
- Adaptive Reasoning: AI's ability to dynamically adapt to user queries and provide tailored responses ensures precise and relevant insights, enhancing the overall utility of spatial data.
So, what does that mean for the geospatial world?
Through all of the noise and hype it can be difficult to understand how organizations are actually adopting AI. That’s why we made AI one of the cornerstones of the latest version of our State of Spatial Data Science survey. We heard from over 250 geospatial leaders and practitioners from across the world about their views on AI, and here was what we learned:
- Only 25% of those surveyed are not currently using AI in any capacity, with public models currently proving the most popular.
- 31% of respondents have purchased an AI tool - almost double the 15% of those who have no plan to. A further 38% have this as part of their mid to long term plan.
- 40% of those surveyed cite data security and privacy as their biggest concerns, with the biggest concern amongst those not currently using AI being unclear use cases.
This shows that the appetite for AI in geospatial is there - even if widespread adoption isn’t (yet!).
Want to learn more about the challenges and opportunities facing the Spatial Data Science community? Our brand new report The State of Spatial Data Science 2024 goes into more detail on these results, as well as other themes including interoperability, data silos, recruitment - and more! Download it for free here!
At CARTO, we’re committed to bringing our users the most advanced features to help them continue to improve the way they conduct spatial analysis, and that’s why we’re so excited to bring you CARTO AI Agents!
These AI Agents allow decision-makers to address vital spatial questions quickly and intuitively, democratizing access to spatial analytics and driving improved decision-making across various sectors. Providing an intuitive, conversational interface that simplifies complex spatial data analysis, CARTO AI Agents eliminates the traditional barriers of complexity that have limited map application use to geospatial experts, making spatial analysis accessible to users of all technical backgrounds. Check it out in action below! 👇
Want to see CARTO AI Agents in action? Check out our keynote at the 2024 Spatial Data Science Conference London here!
So how is AI actually helping organizations to change the way they’re performing geospatial? Let’s explore some examples.
For Aramex, optimizing last-mile deliveries is crucial. CARTO AI Agents will help operational managers to quickly obtain detailed information on delivery routes, leading to more efficient routes, cost savings, and improved customer satisfaction.
Learn more about how Aramex is using advanced spatial analytics to optimize last-mile deliveries here.
VIOOH is a leading platform that connects media buyers and owners in the out-of-home (OOH) advertising industry, emphasizing agility, control, and responsiveness to enhance campaign visibility and effectiveness across a global network. In this example, you can see how they plan to use CARTO AI Agents to identify OOH opportunities which are in close proximity to both car dealerships and high levels of car lovers (based on geosegmentation analysis). The AI Agents returns not only the results of this analysis, but reporting on the geographic clustering of the OOH locations and profiling of their type.
While AI adoption is still growing, its potential is huge. It’s set to transform the geospatial field by making spatial analysis more accessible, efficient, and insightful.
CARTO AI Agents demonstrate this change by all users - regardless of their technical skill level - to address critical spatial questions quickly and easily. From optimizing delivery routes to identifying new locations for EV charging stations, CARTO AI Agents are already making a significant impact.
Be an early adopter! Schedule a free demo with one of our experts to map out how AI could transform your organization’s spatial analytics.
