The Geoholics

This week, we sit down with Shelby Sharpe, an instructional designer and PhD candidate who’s right in the middle of where education meets the real-world geospatial workforce. And let’s just say…she brings some perspective.

We dig into the so-called “workforce shortage” and flip the script...it’s not just about talent, it’s about accessibility, awareness, and how we’re actually training people. Schools are teaching tools…industry needs problem-solvers. Big difference.

Shelby also drops some serious insight on how adults really learn...especially busy professionals, field crews, and PMs. Hint: it’s not sitting through long trainings. It’s solving real problems, in real time, with context that actually matters.

We also get into her journey from practicing geospatial to teaching it, what makes a great technical expert to collaborate with, and how we can better connect education and industry moving forward.

If you care about the future of surveying, geospatial, and the next generation coming into it…this one’s worth your time.

Music by Tom Petty!

Check out these highlights from this year's awesome event!!!

00:30 - Rhea Garratt, Manager of Geospatial Desktop at Pix4D...apologies for the technical difficulties!                                    

09:40 - Andy Ives, Survey Manager at Langan Engineering

34:45 - Madeleine Janzen, Technical Sales Specialist at Geo-Plus and William Myers, Director of Operations at Global eTraining

47:55 - Charles Schreiner, Senior Project Manager and Scott Graham, VP and Chief Surveyor at ETM Surveying & Mapping, Inc.

1:10:55 - Rami Tamimi, Founder and Lead Instructor at The Survey School and Geomatics Project Manager at WSP

1:25:55 - Mike Liggett, Owner at Aerial Ethos, LLC and Scott Harrigan, President at Harkin Aerial

Check out these highlights from this year's awesome event!!!

00:10 - John Downing, CO-Founder & Chief Product Architect of Leteligence and Vice President of LETEL                                    

24:42 - Jeffrey Martin, Founder CEO at Mosaic - 360º Geospatial Imaging System

41:05 - Andrew Middleton, Owner of The Map Center, New England's Oldest Map Store

1:00:40 - Dr. Mohamed Mostafa, Lead Technical Authority - Mobile Mapping at Trimble Applanix

1:30:15 - Riley Smith, Director, Monitoring, Mining, and Tunneling at Trimble

Check out these highlights from this year's awesome event!!!

00:20 - Andres Abeyta, Executive Director at BootcampGIS

15:12 - Joel Gregory, CEO and Mitch McPherson at 12D Synergy

31:05 - Aaron Morris, Director of Innovation at Woolpert

48:40 - Craig Peddie, CEO North America at nfoldROI

1:14:30 - Mario Montagna, Survey Technician and Chad Maxwell, Senior Geomatics Manager at HDR

This week, we sit down with Matt Nugent from Overwatch Imaging a product leader who didn’t start in geospatial…but now lives and breathes it. And honestly? That outsider perspective might be exactly why he’s helping reshape how this industry thinks.

This episode is all about closing the gap between data and decision-making. Because let’s be real…in geospatial, data has never been the problem whereas knowing what to do with it has.

Matt breaks down how the next generation of geospatial tech is being built:

Not around sensors…but around the operator’s decision
Not around volume of data…but speed + clarity of insight
Not around “cool tech”…but real-world impact (wildfires, search & rescue, defense)

“Superhuman Vision”...It’s not about replacing people…it’s about augmenting human judgment at scale.

From agile product development to real-time feedback loops (literally flying systems weekly), this conversation is a masterclass in:

Building products people actually use
Finding true product-market fit in geospatial
Leveraging AI as an accelerator, not a distraction

If you’re in surveying, remote sensing, or building the future of geospatial tech…this episode is a wake-up call!

Music by Frank Sinatra!