The Kingdom, represented by the General Authority for Surveying and Geospatial Information, has achieved an advanced ranking in the Geospatial Knowledge Infrastructure (GKI) readiness index for the year 2025. The Kingdom has moved up from 32nd place in 2022 to 9th place globally, securing the top spot in the Middle East and the Arab world, and ranking sixth among the G20 countries. This announcement was made during the first day of the Geospatial World Forum 2025 in Madrid, Spain from April 22 to 25.
The Geospatial Knowledge Infrastructure readiness index, developed by the Geospatial World organization and supported by the United Nations Statistics Division, aims to compare countries’ readiness in adopting geospatial knowledge. This reflects their progress in promoting economic growth, sustainable development, and digital transformation.
The index is based on several axes. In the policy axis, the Kingdom ranked sixth globally due to its leading experience in governing the national geospatial data system and setting policies, standards, and specifications according to international best practices. In the infrastructure axis, the Kingdom ranked seventh globally for its pivotal role in unifying national efforts related to geospatial information. This includes building the national geospatial platform, which serves as a national geospatial infrastructure accessible to the public and private sectors, academia, non-profit organizations, and individuals. In the geospatial industry axis, the Kingdom ranked eighth globally, highlighting its role in establishing strategic partnerships with various sectors.
The Kingdom’s progress in this index reflects the unlimited support given by the wise leadership to the surveying and geospatial information sector. In addition, the support and empowerment by the Minister of Defense and Chairman of the Geospatial Council have led to the Kingdom’s leading position regionally and globally among advanced countries in the geospatial field. This recognition has paved the way for the United Nations to approve the Kingdom to host The Global Geospatial Ecosystem Center of Excellence, making Riyadh its headquarters. With this, the Kingdom will become a beacon of innovation and quality in the future management of geospatial information worldwide.
It is worth mentioning that geospatial information organizes the surveying, geospatial information, and mapping sector in the Kingdom. This includes adopting and developing the national geospatial infrastructure, setting basic standards and guidelines related to the sector to achieve comprehensive use of the geospatial information system among relevant entities.
