India - GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) Geospatial & Space Business Summit
28 October 2025
Abu Dhabi, UAE
Overview
GWCC is organizing the India–GCC Geospatial & Space Business Summit, a landmark initiative designed to strengthen collaboration between India and the Gulf region in the fields of Geospatial Infrastructure and Space Applications. This first-of-its-kind summit will serve as a strategic forum to explore emerging opportunities in trade, commerce, and technology partnerships across the geospatial and space sectors.
The summit will provide a dynamic platform for international cooperation, knowledge exchange, and industry-led innovation, enabling stakeholders to identify new avenues for growth, investment, and sustainable development. By bringing together government representatives, industry leaders, and academic experts, the event will play a pivotal role in shaping the future of space and geospatial collaboration between India and GCC nations.
Potential Between India and GCC Countries in Space, Geospatial and Defence Cooperation
India and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) nations (UAE, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait) are rapidly deepening partnerships in space, geospatial technologies, and defence, driven by shared ambitions for innovation, security, and sustainable growth.
Defence Cooperation
- India and GCC states have intensified military-security ties through frequent high-level visits and regular bilateral exercises such as “Desert Eagle” with the UAE and “Al Nagah” with Oman, reflecting shared concerns over cross-border terrorism and regional security.
- Defence technology co-development is gaining traction, with joint initiatives in artificial intelligence (AI), cybersecurity, counter-drone systems, and naval shipbuilding. India and the UAE are exploring future collaboration on advanced maritime platforms, including potential aircraft carrier projects.
- Maritime security has emerged as a critical pillar, with cooperation in search and rescue, anti-piracy missions, and pollution control. A key milestone is the MoU signed between the Indian and UAE Coast Guards, complemented by India’s operational access to Oman’s Duqm port for sustaining naval deployments.
- Naval shipbuilding and maintenance projects are being actively discussed, focusing on refits of existing vessels and co-production of warships, with opportunities for joint development of next-generation naval assets that strengthen both India’s and the GCC’s maritime capabilities.
- Strategic partnerships are expanding, with India and the UAE designated as “Major Defense Partners” by the US, paving the way for trilateral cooperation in the western Indian Ocean. Saudi Arabia and India are advancing cybersecurity and maritime security dialogues, while Oman continues to serve as a key hub for joint exercises and logistics support.
Geospatial Cooperation
- Landmark projects such as Saudi Arabia’s $500 billion NEOM Smart City and the UAE’s Masdar City showcase the central role of geospatial intelligence in future urban ecosystems.
- Initiatives like the Abu Dhabi Spatial Data Infrastructure (SDI) and Bahrain SDI reflect the region’s commitment to institutionalizing geospatial frameworks.
- With advanced capabilities in GNSS, high-resolution imaging, and geospatial analytics, India is positioned as a strategic partner for GCC nations’ digital transformation goals under Vision 2030 and Vision 2071.
Space Collaboration
- The UAE has emerged as a regional leader with the Emirates Mars Mission (2021), KhalifaSat, and DubaiSat programmes.
- India’s ISRO is actively collaborating with the UAE and Saudi Arabia on remote sensing, climate monitoring, satellite communication, and navigation systems.
- Under Vision 2030, Saudi Arabia has pledged $2.1 billion to expand its space sector, renewing its pact with ISRO and KACST for joint missions, disaster management, and capacity building.
- Oman and Bahrain are partnering with India to adopt NaVIC services, develop national space initiatives, and enhance maritime domain awareness.
The Road Ahead
Together, India and the GCC are shaping a future defined by regional security, technological innovation, and geospatial-driven economic transformation—unlocking billions in trade and investment potential across critical sectors.
SPEAKERS
Amit Seymour
CEO
Satpalda
Amit is a leading expert in satellite imagery and analytics who brings 20 years of experience in the domain. Currently serving as a Director at SATPALDA, Amit has contributed to promotion and advocacy of satellite data usage and potential downstream applications for different use cases. He has collaborated with government and industry users around the world to advance the practical applications of satellite technology for real-world challenges. Amit brings both expertise and practical insights to today's discussion on how satellite imagery is transforming industries and enabling users. We're excited to have him share his knowledge on the current capabilities and future potential of satellite-based Earth observation.
Dr. Deb Jyoti Pal
Sr VP
Galaxeye Space
Building SISIR Radar - a company that indigenously develops cutting edge SAR, GPR, radars and remote sensing technologies. Built the world’s highest resolution L-band SAR mounted on a drone and a high bandwidth GPR with 20m ground penetration and 5cm resolution. Working on X-band SAR, custom drones, hyperspectral imager on drones and a SAR satellite constellation. Built Summachar - a news platform that aims to change the way news is created and consumed. Summachar presents news that matters in succinct infographics - data driven stories that go beyond headlines and opinions and visually explain what's in the news and its context. 100k+ readers. An avid problem solver and alumnus of IIT Kanpur with experience in engineering, graphic design, story-telling and product management across MNCs and startups. Previously built GPUs at Intel and indigenously designed and developed a smartphone at Creo.
Dikvijay Singh
Head of Marketing Sales and solutions
Dr. Sethu Saveda Suvanam is the founder and CEO of ReOrbit, a Finland-based company with the mission of designing the next generation of MEO and GEO small satellites. Educated in India and Sweden, Sethu Saveda Suvanam is an aerospace engineer. He holds a PhD in Aerospace Engineering from KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, Sweden. In November 2019, he founded ReOrbit with the aim of changing the way satellites are designed and used. ReOrbit develops satellites that are reconfigurable, scalable for different missions, and equipped with autonomous orbital capabilities.
Jayanta Poddar
Co-founder & CTO
Garudalytics Private Limited
Jayanta Poddar, Co-founder & CTO of Garudalytics, drives innovation in Geospatial Technology and GeoAI for governments and enterprises worldwide. With over 14 years of experience in enterprise GIS, project management, and large-scale geospatial analytics, he has delivered impactful solutions across governance, utilities, urban, and defence. A two-time Esri Community MVP, he combines technical expertise with leadership, fostering collaborations that position geospatial intelligence as a catalyst for sustainability and smarter decision-making.
Mandali Srinivas
Chief Product Officer and Co- Founder
Building SISIR Radar - a company that indigenously develops cutting edge SAR, GPR, radars and remote sensing technologies. Built the world’s highest resolution L-band SAR mounted on a drone and a high bandwidth GPR with 20m ground penetration and 5cm resolution. Working on X-band SAR, custom drones, hyperspectral imager on drones and a SAR satellite constellation. Built Summachar - a news platform that aims to change the way news is created and consumed. Summachar presents news that matters in succinct infographics - data driven stories that go beyond headlines and opinions and visually explain what's in the news and its context. 100k+ readers. An avid problem solver and alumnus of IIT Kanpur with experience in engineering, graphic design, story-telling and product management across MNCs and startups. Previously built GPUs at Intel and indigenously designed and developed a smartphone at Creo.
Saurabh Rai
CEO
Arhas Technologies
Scaling a start to realise the great potential of Geospatial & AI Tech in India, Saurabh Rai contributes as a thought leader, and an experienced advisor on GIS, Geospatial technology, process initiatives, data science, data architectures, data engineering, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, technology, analytics, user experience, data-driven businesses, customer success, and consumer insights. He possesses strong entrepreneurial, digital, analytical, and cross-industry skills and has led some of the largest Geospatial surveys, and systems deployment across the globe. The projects have won multiple awards including the first Edison award in India. A career built on a passion for Startups and Innovation; he has incubated Greenfield businesses, set up practices, and seen them through growth. Saurabh is passionate about Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, and related technologies in solving problems and bringing automation and efficiency to complex workflows. As Arahas Technologies' CEO, he turned the company into a major player in Geospatial Data and AI in India, focusing on Land, Water, Forest, and city services. He also led the Global Analytics and Geospatial divisions at Tech Mahindra. Notably, he launched India's first true B2B2C e-commerce platform, connecting partners and merchants across 15 states and also drove the start up operations to over USD 10 MN and GMV of 50 MN. Beyond that, he was also the member of global leadership team and he played crucial roles in Accenture, overseeing a USD 4 billion Utilities Business and contributing to Accenture Digital. He transformed GIS operations for big players like TATAPower, global utilities, telecom companies, and Smart Cities. He also led the GIS initiative for Mumbai Airport's modernization. In the finance sector, he incubated a a leading blockchain-based fintech company, focusing on cross-border payments and fundraising.
Sreeramam G V
CEO
NeoGeoInfo Technologies Pvt. Ltd
Dr. Sethu Saveda Suvanam is the founder and CEO of ReOrbit, a Finland-based company with the mission of designing the next generation of MEO and GEO small satellites. Educated in India and Sweden, Sethu Saveda Suvanam is an aerospace engineer. He holds a PhD in Aerospace Engineering from KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, Sweden. In November 2019, he founded ReOrbit with the aim of changing the way satellites are designed and used. ReOrbit develops satellites that are reconfigurable, scalable for different missions, and equipped with autonomous orbital capabilities.
N S Narasimha
CEO
Aganitha Space
Scaling a start to realise the great potential of Geospatial & AI Tech in India, Saurabh Rai contributes as a thought leader, and an experienced advisor on GIS, Geospatial technology, process initiatives, data science, data architectures, data engineering, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, technology, analytics, user experience, data-driven businesses, customer success, and consumer insights. He possesses strong entrepreneurial, digital, analytical, and cross-industry skills and has led some of the largest Geospatial surveys, and systems deployment across the globe. The projects have won multiple awards including the first Edison award in India. A career built on a passion for Startups and Innovation; he has incubated Greenfield businesses, set up practices, and seen them through growth. Saurabh is passionate about Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, and related technologies in solving problems and bringing automation and efficiency to complex workflows. As Arahas Technologies' CEO, he turned the company into a major player in Geospatial Data and AI in India, focusing on Land, Water, Forest, and city services. He also led the Global Analytics and Geospatial divisions at Tech Mahindra. Notably, he launched India's first true B2B2C e-commerce platform, connecting partners and merchants across 15 states and also drove the start up operations to over USD 10 MN and GMV of 50 MN. Beyond that, he was also the member of global leadership team and he played crucial roles in Accenture, overseeing a USD 4 billion Utilities Business and contributing to Accenture Digital. He transformed GIS operations for big players like TATAPower, global utilities, telecom companies, and Smart Cities. He also led the GIS initiative for Mumbai Airport's modernization. In the finance sector, he incubated a a leading blockchain-based fintech company, focusing on cross-border payments and fundraising.
Tapan K Nanda
Co-Founder
Aganitha Space
Building SISIR Radar - a company that indigenously develops cutting edge SAR, GPR, radars and remote sensing technologies. Built the world’s highest resolution L-band SAR mounted on a drone and a high bandwidth GPR with 20m ground penetration and 5cm resolution. Working on X-band SAR, custom drones, hyperspectral imager on drones and a SAR satellite constellation. Built Summachar - a news platform that aims to change the way news is created and consumed. Summachar presents news that matters in succinct infographics - data driven stories that go beyond headlines and opinions and visually explain what's in the news and its context. 100k+ readers. An avid problem solver and alumnus of IIT Kanpur with experience in engineering, graphic design, story-telling and product management across MNCs and startups. Previously built GPUs at Intel and indigenously designed and developed a smartphone at Creo.
Prashanth Reddy Marpu
Chief Technology Officer
Smart Solutions, Space 42, UAE
Dr. Prashanth Reddy Marpu is Chief Technology Officer at Smart Solutions, Space42, where he leads innovation in geospatial analytics, AI-driven Earth observation, and satellite systems. He was instrumental in establishing Space42's commercial space program and continues to advance satellite technologies and remote sensing applications.
Before joining Space42, Dr. Marpu served as Associate Professor and Manager of the Yahsat Space Lab at Khalifa University. There he oversaw multiple small satellite missions, including MYSat-1, DhabiSat, MeznSat, and Light-1. His expertise
Dr. Marpu has published over 150 papers and contributed significantly to international Earth observation efforts. He actively participates in global forums, including the World Governments Summit 2025 and ISPRS GSW 2025, where he discusses integrating AI in environmental monitoring and urban resilience.
His academic background includes research roles at the University of Iceland and as a Marie Curie Fellow at the University of Pavia, Italy, focusing on remote sensing data analysis. He earned his PhD in Remote Sensing from TU Freiberg, Germany, and an MSc in Wireless Engineering from the Technical University of Denmark.
CORE OBJECTIVES
To deliberate on the various policy reforms pertaining to Geospatial and Space technologies towards strengthening the existing bilateral relations between the two countries
To demonstrate combined value of geospatial and space technology in overall development of the two countries through business dialogue
To showcase latest technology innovations across space, geospatial, AI/ML, Cloud, Autonomy and their combined integration with geospatial and EO capabilities to develop national geospatial knowledge infrastructure and its applications
To share and exchange the best practices of the Geospatial technologies embedded with future generation technologies and applications
To facilitate an actionable agenda for capacity building of the key stakeholders by leveraging of each other’s capabilities
To draw a roadmap for the next five years with Geospatial and Space technologies and applications at the nucleus
WHO WILL ATTEND?
Industry Leaders
Government Functionaries
Thought Leaders
Business Users
Implementing Agencies
HIGHLIGHTS OF THE PROGRAMME
- Dialogue forums consisting of participation from Government, Industry and Civil Society leaders
- High Level Networking Reception
PROGRAMME SCHEDULE
INDIA -USA GEOSPATIAL AND SPACE BUSINESS SUMMIT
November 15, 2022
14:00 -17:00
Programme Agenda | Hall 2.5
Topic 1 – Policy Impact and Ease of Doing Business: An Indian Perspective
Topic 2 – India-USA Geospatial & Space Technology Collaboration: Opportunities for Industry
Topic 3 – Technology Transfer and Make in India: Opportunities and Potentials
