This is part three of a three-part series about the importance of a spatially fluent workforce.
View: Blog 1 | Blog 2 | Blog 3
In the last two articles, we outlined that a spatially fluent workforce is essential for modern businesses, allowing them to navigate rapid changes and data overload by linking information to specific locations. This geographic approach not only enhances decision-making but also improves operational efficiency in areas like inventory and workforce management. For instance, big-box stores use location-based methods to streamline stocking processes, saving time and costs. Beyond efficiency, spatial fluency drives growth by refining market research; it helps companies identify new opportunities in saturated markets through insights into customer behavior and local demand patterns. Integrating geospatial analysis, and now evermore so with AI, will allow businesses to uncover hidden opportunities, optimize resources, and gain a competitive edge.
This article shares ideas on how to achieve a spatially enabled workforce, which is a requirement for successful small and large businesses.
This blog was written by Len Kne, Director of U-Spatial at the University of Minnesota
Embedding Spatial Thinking into Company Culture
In today’s data-driven business world, spatial fluency—the ability to apply geospatial thinking to decision-making—has become a critical skill across industries. No longer confined to GIS experts, spatial fluency enables employees to unlock unique insights about operations, customers, and competitive landscapes by analyzing “where” data.
To maximize the impact of spatial fluency, the private sector is embedding spatial thinking into company culture. As new technologies emerge, companies must adapt quickly, building internal expertise to interpret and leverage spatial data. This shift encourages employees across departments to view data from a location-based perspective, fostering a more comprehensive understanding of business dynamics.
Incorporating geospatial tools into non-technical teams can reveal relationships that conventional data analysis might overlook.
Online mapping platforms like ArcGIS Online allows employees to easily perform tasks like geocoding, which can involve mapping addresses or looking up businesses and census data. These features are valuable across many sectors, enabling users to make data-driven decisions without needing in-depth GIS training. Whether it’s optimizing routes, enhancing supply chains, or identifying new customer demographics, ArcGIS Online empowers users to apply geospatial insights to advance their work in a straightforward, accessible way. This integration of GIS into everyday business functions makes geospatial thinking relevant and beneficial across a broad spectrum of roles, including decision makers in the C-suites.
Investment in Geospatial Training and Workforce Development
As companies strive to stay competitive in fast-evolving markets, the private sector has a crucial role in nurturing this skill set through investments in training, certification, and collaboration with academic institutions to work together to develop a workforce skilled in geospatial analysis and data science. These partnerships address the growing need for spatial knowledge across sectors, enabling professionals to make informed, data-driven decisions that ultimately benefit the organization.
Spatial Fluency Starts with K-12 and Higher Education
In both K-12 and higher education, building spatial fluency is essential for preparing a geospatially enabled workforce. The concepts of spatial thinking can be taught starting in early childhood. By using the spatial information that children see in their daily lives, such as where things are in a classroom or the layout of a playground, concepts like spatial patterns, relationships and impact are embedded in how children see the world and solve problems. Together, these concepts guide users to make more informed, accurate decisions when creating, analyzing, and interpreting geospatial data.
You cannot start too early, engaging students with GIS and spatial thinking from a young age is critical. For example, in Minnesota, state-wide social studies standards already encourage spatial thinking starting in kindergarten. According to Shana Crosson, a Spatial Technology Consultant at the University of Minnesota, “the benchmarks include showing routes between locations using maps at different scales.” However, Crosson continues, “…many K-12 teachers have not been trained in these tools, creating a gap in the effective delivery of spatial concepts.” Organizations like U-Spatial at the University of Minnesota, alongside private sector partners, are working to bridge this gap by creating programs and resources that bring GIS into classrooms, thus broadening students’ access to spatial learning from an early age and sparking interest in geospatial sciences.
At the higher education level, many universities are taking a holistic approach to integrate geospatial science across disciplines like environmental science, business, public health, and social studies. This includes geographic fundamentals like scale and Tobler’s First Law of Geography is essential when working with geospatial data. We believe that higher education should emphasize that students need hands-on experience with spatial technologies to thrive in today’s data-driven world by offering project-based learning opportunities and internships. This approach prepares students not only with technical GIS skills but also with critical thinking and problem-solving abilities. Furthermore, academia should partner with industry to help shape the curriculum, ensuring that students graduate with skills directly aligned with workforce needs. By blending academic training with real-world experience, these efforts make graduates highly effective in fields that rely on location intelligence, from urban planning to logistics.
ArcGIS Online has become a widely adopted platform for geospatial data analysis, offering accessible tools for mapping, spatial analysis, and real-time collaboration. Introduced in 2012, it has been a game-changer in how we all map and perform location analytics. As a cloud-based GIS solution, it enables users to create, share, and analyze interactive maps and spatial data, making it invaluable to foster spatial fluency among employees and students. Anyone can use this web-based tool without specialty software and will require minimal training. By providing hands-on experience with industry-standard tools, ArcGIS Online equips users to handle geospatial data effectively, which aligns with the demands of a modern, geospatially skilled workforce.
Internships = Win-Win Partnership
Experiential learning, such as internships and project-based roles, is integral to preparing a spatially fluent workforce. By working in real-world business settings, students and entry-level employees gain practical experience applying geospatial insights to solve industry challenges. Companies win by creating a pipeline of future spatially fluent employees.
Retailers, for example, increasingly rely on location-based data to optimize everything from store placement to product inventory. Interns and entry-level analysts learn to analyze demographic data, traffic patterns, and sales metrics, helping companies better understand customer preferences. This experience prepares students to bring spatial insights into their professional roles immediately upon graduation. Interns gain experience in fields like logistics, customer insights, and urban planning, developing a deep understanding of how spatial technology can drive efficiencies and support data-informed decision-making in complex business environments.
Challenge Universities!
GIS skills span a wide range, reflecting the varied needs across many professions and industries. While specialized training in fields like geodesy is essential for certain roles—and indeed, there’s a growing need for more experts in this area—not everyone requires this level of technical expertise. What tools like ArcGIS Online enable is the integration of geospatial thinking and capabilities across nearly all types of jobs, providing accessible and impactful ways to incorporate location-based insights into everyday tasks.
Challenging universities to evolve their geospatial science programs is essential as technology advances and workforce needs change. Many institutions have traditionally introduced geospatial thinking and tools late in students’ academic journeys, often not until junior or senior years, if at all. This delay can limit students’ exposure to geospatial concepts and their potential interest in pursuing careers in this field. By pushing universities to prioritize spatial thinking, including foundational GIS skills, data science, and even artificial intelligence, academia can better align with industry needs. Get to know the instructors at your local college. Collaborating with private sector partners, universities need to continually update their programs, ensuring that graduates are equipped with the skills and experiences required to succeed in a geospatially enabled workforce.
Research is a powerful form of teaching, allowing students and faculty to engage in hands-on learning that deepens understanding beyond theoretical knowledge. With the support of private sector funding, universities can expand research opportunities, enabling students to tackle real-world challenges and develop skills directly applicable to industry needs. This partnership between academia and industry not only accelerates technological advancements but also prepares students to enter the workforce with practical experience and a problem-solving mindset that meets modern demands.
Certifications and Continuing Education For All Employees
Leading companies are incorporating geospatial training into their onboarding and professional development programs to make spatial thinking a core competency. For example, logistics companies use GIS-based training to teach employees how to optimize delivery routes and reduce transportation costs. By building geospatial fluency across roles, companies can create a workforce that applies spatial insights to various functions, from supply chain management to marketing.
To ensure professionals stay current with the latest tools and techniques, companies are supporting certification programs in geospatial analysis, machine learning, and spatial data visualization. By endorsing these certifications or microcredentials, companies set a high standard for technical competence while promoting continuous learning. These certifications provide validation of skills in GIS, remote sensing, and spatial computing, bridging the gap between academic knowledge and practical industry applications. There are many short courses available online from educational institutions and Esri.
The Role of AI and Machine Learning in Spatial Workforce Enablement
As artificial intelligence and machine learning become more integrated into business processes, companies are leveraging these technologies to make spatial data accessible to a broader audience. AI-powered GIS tools (GeoAI) can process large datasets and uncover patterns, enabling employees to use spatial data without advanced GIS training.
For example, companies in retail and logistics are applying AI-enhanced spatial tools to assess customer demographics, analyze movement patterns, and determine optimal store locations. These capabilities enable a wider range of employees to incorporate geospatial insights into strategic planning, helping companies make faster, more informed decisions.
Large language models (LLMs) and predictive algorithms further democratize GIS, allowing employees to interact with spatial data through simple text-based queries. By lowering the barrier to entry, companies enable teams from various functions—marketing, operations, and sales—to harness geospatial insights without specialized training, promoting innovation across departments.
Conclusion
The private sector is essential in building a spatially fluent workforce. Through in-house training, certifications, early education initiatives, and AI-enhanced geospatial tools, companies are preparing teams to apply geospatial thinking in innovative ways. The commitment of organizations like Esri and the University of Minnesota to fostering geospatial knowledge through partnerships, training, and experiential learning ensures that businesses have access to skilled professionals capable of leveraging location intelligence effectively.
By investing in spatial fluency, the organization not only enhances its own competitiveness but also contributes to a more informed, spatially literate workforce that can drive growth and resilience in a data-driven world.
