Every SatSummit begins by taking stock.
Before we get into two days of panels, technical talks, lightning talks, roundtables, and discussion, State of Play brings together five speakers to look at some of the forces shaping Earth observation right now: satellites, data, GeoAI, capacity, and applications.
For SatSummit St. Louis, we’ll hear from:
State of Applications
Karl Wurster, PhD, SkyTruth
How satellite data is moving from observation to action, and what it takes to translate increasingly powerful capabilities into decisions and impact.
State of Capacity
Catherine Nakalembe, PhD, University of Maryland / Xylem Lab
A look at the people, institutions, partnerships, and capabilities needed to turn geospatial technology into useful, locally relevant intelligence.
State of GeoAI
Hannah Kerner, PhD, Arizona State University
Where GeoAI stands amid rapid advances in machine learning, foundation models, and AI—and the questions emerging alongside them.
State of Satellites
Kumar Navulur, PhD, Synspective USA, Inc.
A view from the satellite industry on the technologies, constellations, and changing capabilities shaping Earth observation from orbit.
State of Data
Will Mortensen, EdD, Overture Maps Foundation
The evolving data landscape beneath modern geospatial systems, from growing volumes and new sources to the infrastructure and collaboration needed to make that data useful.
Together, these talks set the scene for the conversations that follow: not simply what can Earth observation do, but where are we now, what is changing, and what problems should this community be working on next?
State of Play is only the beginning. The full SatSummit St. Louis agenda is taking shape, with panels, technical talks, lightning talks, roundtables, and plenty of room for discussion across two days.
Preliminary agenda coming soon.
SatSummit St. Louis takes place November 18–19, 2026 at The Post Building in St. Louis.
Tickets are limited.
Tickets