Unlocking National Value through Geospatial Insight

Roundtable session at the House of Lords, 23 February 2026

This report shares the key insights from the Unlocking National Value through Geospatial Insight roundtable held at the House of Lords on 23 February 2026. Hosted by Merlin Hay, The Earl of Erroll, and facilitated by Connected Places Catapult and the Digital Twin Hub, the session brought together leaders from government, industry, academia and the geospatial sector to explore how spatial insight can be more effectively embedded across national data and decision‑making systems. Against a backdrop of rising demands on infrastructure resilience, climate adaptation and public service delivery, participants examined how geospatial capability can move from a specialist function to a core national asset.

What follows captures the themes that emerged – from governance, trust and stewardship to skills, communication and collaboration across sectors. They reflect a shared ambition to strengthen the UK’s capacity to use place‑based insight to support better decisions, reduce duplication and unlock long‑term public value through more connected, resilient and future‑ready data systems.