Huntsville will showcase its growing geospatial and space industries later this month when the GEOHuntsville Summit returns to the Huntsville Botanical Garden.

The March 26 summit carries the theme “Rocket City Rising” and will bring together a diverse collection of leaders in government, industry and education.

Organizers say the event will focus on how geospatial technology, artificial intelligence and space systems continue shaping North Alabama’s economy and its growing national security role.

Lt. Gen. Richard L. Zellmann, deputy commander of U.S. Space Command, is scheduled to deliver the breakfast keynote address.

Additional keynote speakers are expected from the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency and the National Reconnaissance Office, as Mayor Tommy Battle said the summit reflects years of work to expand Huntsville’s geospatial presence.

“It takes all of us to keep the city moving forward,” Battle said. “A special thanks to the Geospatial Board who works day by day to promote this industry.”

Battle said city leaders began emphasizing geospatial development more than a decade ago after recognizing how many local workers already worked in the field.

“We started this back 15 years ago when we were talking about geospatial, and we realized we had 15,000 people working in the geospatial fields in the city of Huntsville,” Battle said. “We’ve been able to add to what the real value of that technology is to our community and to our world.”

The GEOHuntsville initiative launched in 2012 as part of Huntsville’s Exemplar City program.

Organizers say it was designed to connect the many dispersed stakeholders around geospatial innovation and real-world applications.

GEOHuntsville Executive Director Stan Tillman said that collaboration remains central to the summit’s mission.

“It is my honor to stand up here with Mayor Battle and continue an initiative that we started back in 2012, bringing commercial industries, government and academia together to promote Huntsville as a geospatial mecca,” Tillman said.

This year’s summit will include panel discussions on commercial space threats, next-generation artificial intelligence, geospatial ethics and workforce preparation for future national security careers.

Organizers also plan to award scholarships to local students during the event.

City leaders say the summit reflects Huntsville’s effort to strengthen its already robust industries tied to defense and aerospace while continuing to innovate for the future.