{"id":151061,"date":"2020-02-05T06:00:29","date_gmt":"2020-02-05T11:00:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ict-pulse.com\/?p=151061"},"modified":"2020-02-05T06:02:36","modified_gmt":"2020-02-05T11:02:36","slug":"ictp-091-untapped-opportunities-location-data-valrie-grant-geotechvision-enterprises","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ict-pulse.com\/2020\/02\/ictp-091-untapped-opportunities-location-data-valrie-grant-geotechvision-enterprises\/","title":{"rendered":"ICTP 091: The untapped opportunities of location data, with Valrie Grant of GeoTechVision Enterprises"},"content":{"rendered":"

Location intelligence is becoming increasingly important as we continue to rely on ICTs to optimise our businesses and improve our decision making. In speaking with Valrie Grant, Founder and Managing Director of GeotechVision Enterprises, she shares her entrepreneurship journey, key trends occurring in the geospatial industry and its scope for growth, and the skills that are in demand in order to be successful in that industry.<\/em><\/p>\n

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<\/iframe><\/p>\nThis episode is also available in\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/itunes.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/ict-pulse-podcast\/id1373550291\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Apple iTunes<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/playmusic.app.goo.gl\/?ibi=com.google.PlayMusic&isi=691797987&ius=googleplaymusic&apn=com.google.android.music&link=https:\/\/play.google.com\/music\/m\/Icau5acn2xiyl5yjuh7orl2mt54?t%3DICT_Pulse_Podcast%26pcampaignid%3DMKT-na-all-co-pr-mu-pod-16\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Google Play Music<\/a> and on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.stitcher.com\/podcast\/ict-pulse-podcast?refid=stpr\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Stitcher<\/a>!<\/strong><\/p>\nWe may not necessarily think about it when we looking for street directions on Google Maps, or when we tag our location in a social media post, but there is more to location mapping that meets the eye. In the ICT\/tech space, the initial focus would have been the digitisation of maps and Geographic Information Systems (GIS), but the field has developed to the point where it is being seen as source of critical intelligence that organisations and governments can use to inform strategies and to make more robust decisions.<\/p>\nFurther, as we consider still developing areas, such as the Internet of things, machine-to-machine communications, and even self-driving cars, the generation, manipulation and analysing of location data is an area that is poised for growth, and for which the requisite skills are likely to be in demand. Moreover, and in the not-too-distant-future, it is likely that businesses may need to have access to \u2013 either in house or via a third party \u2013 that kid of expertise, in order to better leverage location intelligence and even to develop location strategies.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_151064\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-151064\" data-attachment-id=\"151064\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/ict-pulse.com\/2020\/02\/ictp-091-untapped-opportunities-location-data-valrie-grant-geotechvision-enterprises\/valrie-grant-v-grant\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Valrie-Grant-V-Grant.jpeg?fit=640%2C635&ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"640,635\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{"aperture":"5.6","credit":"","camera":"NIKON D5300","caption":"","created_timestamp":"1531535034","copyright":"","focal_length":"55","iso":"280","shutter_speed":"0.016666666666667","title":"","orientation":"1"}\" data-image-title=\"Valrie Grant (V Grant)\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"Valrie Grant<\/p>\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Valrie-Grant-V-Grant.jpeg?fit=300%2C298&ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Valrie-Grant-V-Grant.jpeg?fit=640%2C635&ssl=1\" class=\"wp-image-151064 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/fgd.dfv.mybluehost.me\/.website_c81a1e61\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Valrie-Grant-V-Grant-300x298.jpeg?resize=300%2C298&ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"298\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Valrie-Grant-V-Grant.jpeg?resize=300%2C298&ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Valrie-Grant-V-Grant.jpeg?resize=150%2C150&ssl=1 150w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Valrie-Grant-V-Grant.jpeg?w=640&ssl=1 640w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/>Valrie Grant<\/p><\/div>\nOne of the individuals leading the charge in the Caribbean region is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/valriegrant\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Valrie Grant<\/a><\/strong>, the Founder and Managing Director of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.geotechvision.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">GeoTechVision Enterprises<\/a><\/strong>, which specialises in spatial technologies and business ICT solutions. The company was established in 2008, and has offices in Kingston, Jamaica, Florida, USA, and in Georgetown, Guyana<\/p>\nRaised in rural Jamaica, Valrie is a trained geologist and a certified GIS professional, with 20 years\u2019 experience in the field. In addition to leading GeoTechVision, she is an Executive Board Member of World Geospatial Industry Council (WGIC), and the Vice-Chair of the Private Sector Network of the United Nations Committee of Experts on Global Geospatial Information Management (UN-GGIM) for the Americas.<\/p>\nIn our conversation with Valrie, we sought to get a better understanding of not only her entrepreneurial journey, but also the geospatial technology industry: current and imminent trends, along with the in-demand skills for that space. Hence some of the questions we posed to Valrie included the following:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>What drove you to set up GeoTechVision, and what does GeoTechVision do?<\/li>\n<li>What are some of current trends in the GIS\/geospatial space?<\/li>\n<li>What sort of skills are required, and is there a demand for certain skills or expertise?<\/li>\n<li>What was it like being a female business owner, a woman in technology, in the Jamaica in 2008, when GeotechVision was being launched?<\/li>\n<li>How has the business and tech landscape evolved in Jamaica since 2008?<\/li>\n<li>What is the best piece of advice you received with respect to GeoTechVision and\/or leading the company?<\/li>\n<li>What might be some of the challenges or issues that people might not appreciate in running a multi-country business?<\/li>\n<li>What has been the biggest lesson you had to learn in running her own business?<\/li>\n<li>What is the best piece of advice you would give to a young tech start-up?<\/li>\n<li>What\u2019s next for GeoTechVision?<\/li>\n<li>What\u2019s next for Valrie Grant?<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n <\/p>\nWe would love to hear your thoughts!<\/p>\nDo leave us a comment either here beneath this article, or on our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ICTPulse\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Facebook<\/a><\/strong> or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/ict-pulse-consulting-limited\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">LinkedIn<\/a><\/strong> pages, or via Twitter, <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ICTPulse\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@ICTPulse<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n<h3>Select links<\/h3>\nBelow are links to some of the organisations and resources that either were mentioned during the episode, or otherwise, might be useful:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a style=\"font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Oxygen-Sans, Ubuntu, Cantarell, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/valriegrant\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Valrie Grant<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.geotechvision.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">GeotechVision Enterprises<\/a><\/li>\n<li>LinkedIn article, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/pulse\/using-your-location-gain-advantage-valrie-grant-msc-gisp\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Using Your Location to Gain the Advantage<\/a><\/em><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/ggim.un.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">United Nations Committee of Experts on Global Geospatial Information Management (UN-GGIM)<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.un-ggim-americas.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">UN-GGIM for the America<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/unggim-psn.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Private Sector Network of the UN-GGIM<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/wgicouncil.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">World Geospatial industry Council<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mtpja.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Marlie Technology Park<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\nImage credits:\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Wikimedia Commons<\/a>;\u00a0 V Grant<\/em><\/p>\nMusic credit:\u00a0 Ray Holman<\/em><\/p>\n————<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Location intelligence is becoming increasingly important as we continue to rely on ICTs to optimise our businesses and improve our decision making. In speaking with Valrie Grant, Founder and Managing […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":151068,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[355],"tags":[71,205,40,204,278,357,15],"class_list":["post-151061","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-podcast","tag-businesses","tag-entrepreneurship-2","tag-expertise-hr","tag-innovation-2","tag-internet-of-things","tag-interviews","tag-trends","et-has-post-format-content","et_post_format-et-post-format-standard"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/GIS-Image-with-location-pins-Wikimedia-Wikimedia-Commons.jpg?fit=1500%2C1010&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p2iE1G-Dit","jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/151061","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=151061"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/151061\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":151072,"href":"https:\/\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/151061\/revisions\/151072"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/151068"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=151061"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=151061"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=151061"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}