Episode #8: GeoSmart

In this episode of the LaunchPod, Brandon Paschal sits down with Prof. Adriaan van Niekerk, founder and CEO of GeoSmart and one of South Africa’s pioneers in geospatial science. Adriaan takes us on a fascinating journey from early Geographic Information System (GIS) research at Stellenbosch University to building nationally significant datasets that help predict real-world risks like flooding.

We unpack what geospatial data really is, why understanding where things happen matters just as much as what happens, and how GeoSmart uses terrain, climate, and historical data to model flood risk, inform insurance pricing, guide land-use decisions, and ultimately help save lives.

Adriaan also shares his unconventional path which took him from art and computer science to academia and entrepreneurship - along with the origins of GeoSmart, the creation of South Africa’s digital elevation model (SUDEM), and the challenges of scaling geospatial products across Africa where data availability is uneven.

A must-listen for anyone interested in climate risk, data-driven decision-making, deep tech spinouts, or the intersection of academia and entrepreneurship.