Economic assessment of Ireland’s Geospatial Industry
Ordnance Survey Ireland report details contribution sector makes to Ireland’s economy & public sector
The Economic assessment of Ireland’s Geospatial Industry report presents an economic assessment of the contribution of the geospatial information industry to Ireland. The assessment looks at the value added to the economy, the number of jobs generated by the industry, and the savings delivered by the industry to the public sector. This report defines for the first time the economic value of the geospatial industry to the Irish economy.
Geospatial information comprises data relating to the physical location and names of objects or businesses. In the business sector, examples of its applications relate to agriculture, transport, manufacturing retail and utilities. In government, geospatial information use spans many applications including planning, resource allocation and revenue collection. Consumers make use of geospatial information when interacting with education, social networking, leisure, tourism and retail. Using geospatial information allows for better and more informed decision making.
The Economic assessment of Ireland’s Geospatial Industry report commissioned by Ordnance Survey Ireland (OSi) reveals that the geospatial information industry contributed €69.3m to the Irish economy in 2012. When multiplier impacts are included, this is estimated to be over €120m.
The industry generated sales or output valued at €117.5m in 2012, and spent a total of €84.4m on wages/ salaries. 1,677 full-time equivalent persons were directly employed by the industry, which also supported the employment of a further 3,000.
The report estimates that the use of geospatial information accrues annual savings of €82m in the public sector, time savings with an economic value of €279m, and competition benefits of €104m.
OSi Chief Executive Colin Bray explained this significance of the report’s findings: “This is the first assessment of the economic value of geospatial information. For the first time, we have a quantified the important role the geospatial industry plays in the Irish economy in terms of output, employment and value added.”
“Of particular significance are the efficiencies and savings geospatial information can provide for the public sector. This is important in the context of the Government’s Public Service Reform Plan 2014-2015 which refers to an intention to improve public services through more efficient usage of geospatial information”, added Mr Bray. The report was prepared by Indecon on behalf of OSi.
Colin Bray concluded: “OSi is grateful to everyone who participated in the process, helping to develop a comprehensive overview of our industry and the contribution we make.