Spatial Stack with Matt Forrest

Matt Forrest

Welcome to The Spatial Stack, where modern geospatial technology takes center stage. Our episodes feature interviews with leading experts, insightful discussions on the integration of AI and big data in spatial tech, and case studies on groundbreaking projects worldwide. Tune in to stay ahead in the rapidly evolving world of geospatial technology!

  1. Why Flood Risk Data Exists (But Isn’t Easy to Access) with Kevin Bullock

    2D AGO

    Why Flood Risk Data Exists (But Isn’t Easy to Access) with Kevin Bullock

    We have an incredible amount of public geospatial data—high-resolution elevation, weather forecasts, floodplain maps, real-time sensors—yet most people still can’t easily answer a simple question: “What’s my flood risk right here, right now?” In this episode, I’m joined by Kevin Bullock, an aerospace engineer and remote sensing expert at Development Seed, to talk about how he turned years of geospatial expertise into Hydra Atlas, a mobile app designed to make flood risk understandable and accessible for everyday users. We explore why so much critical data remains difficult to use, how Kevin pulled together datasets from FEMA, NOAA, and USGS, and why mobile—not web—was the right platform for this problem. Kevin also shares what it was like building a geospatial app with Swift, testing real-world use cases, and designing an interface that prioritizes clarity over complexity. This conversation goes beyond flooding. It’s about modern GIS, product thinking, open data, and what happens when geospatial professionals stop building tools for other experts and start building tools for people. If you’re interested in geospatial product development, public data, mobile mapping, or turning complex systems into usable software, this episode is for you. Download HydraAtlas: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/hydraatlas/id6749492232Follow Kevin on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevbullock/ --- Whenever you’re ready, here are 3 ways I can help you: 🎓 Modern GIS Accelerator: The step-by-step roadmap to master Python, Spatial SQL & Cloud workflows. Stop just "making maps" and start building spatial solutions. 👉 https://forrest.nyc/accelerator/ 🧪 The Spatial Lab: Join the top 5% of geospatial professionals in our private community. Get access to exclusive courses, mentorship, and the network you need to level up. 👉  https://forrest.nyc/spatial-lab/ 🧭 Career Compass: Not sure where to start? Get the fast, practical steps to land the GIS role you actually want. 👉 https://forrest.nyc/career-compass/ 📰 Daily modern GIS insights: https://forrest.nyc CONNECT WITH ME📸 Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/matt_forrest/💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mbforr/📧 Newsletter: https://forrest.nyc🌐 Website: https://forrest.nyc

    47 min
  2. #34: Everything Is Changing in Geospatial, Here’s What Actually Matters

    2025-12-17

    #34: Everything Is Changing in Geospatial, Here’s What Actually Matters

    If there’s one word to describe the past year in geospatial, it’s change. In this solo episode, I take you behind the scenes of what I’ve been seeing, hearing, and working on across geospatial, cloud, and AI over the past year, and how those shifts are shaping what actually matters heading into 2026 . I talk about: - Where AI is real vs overhyped in geospatial workflows- Why cloud-native geospatial has quietly crossed into real production systems- How formats like GeoParquet, Iceberg, and modern compute engines are changing where spatial data lives- Why architecture and systems thinking are becoming the most valuable skills in the industry- The rise of power skills (not “soft skills”) across roles like data engineering, product, architecture, and leadership- What roles are emerging, and how they actually work together in modern spatial teams This isn’t a predictions episode built on hype. It’s a grounded look at what changed, what didn’t, and what skills and mindsets will matter most as geospatial continues to integrate with the broader data and AI ecosystem. If you’re a GIS professional, data engineer, architect, product manager, or leader trying to understand how spatial fits into modern systems, this episode will help you frame what’s next, and how to prepare for it. --- 🚀 Ready to move beyond desktop GIS?Step into the Spatial Lab: a global community for ambitious geospatial professionals who want to break out of outdated workflows and join the top 5% of the field.👉 Join Spatial Lab: https://forrest.nyc/spatial-lab/ 🎓 Want structured, career-changing learning? 🚀 Modern GIS Accelerator: https://forrest.nyc/accelerator/ — master Python, Spatial SQL & cloud workflows in 2 weeks 🧭 Career Compass: https://forrest.nyc/career-compass/ — fast, practical steps to land the GIS role you want 🪄 AI Copilot for GIS: https://forrest.nyc/ai-copilot-for-gis/ — learn to integrate AI into your geospatial workflows & boost your productivity 📰 Weekly modern GIS insights: https://forrest.nyc ⚡️ Spots for the next live cohort and mentorship cycle are closing soon,  join now to lock in your place and momentum. CONNECT WITH ME📸 Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/matt_forrest/💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mbforr/📧 Newsletter: https://forrest.nyc🌐 Website: https://forrest.nyc

    26 min
  3. GeoPandas Is Amazing (But Not for Everything) (Bonus #33)

    2025-12-10 · BONUS

    GeoPandas Is Amazing (But Not for Everything) (Bonus #33)

    GeoPandas is one of the most important tools in modern GIS, but many people still aren’t sure when to use it, why it matters, or where it fits alongside tools like PostGIS, DuckDB, Apache Sedona, and cloud-native data formats. In this video, I break down GeoPandas from the ground up: what it is, how it works under the hood, its strengths and limitations, and when to choose something else. If you’ve ever worked in ArcGIS or QGIS and wondered how to bring those same workflows into Python, this is the perfect place to start. What we cover in this video: - What GeoPandas actually does (How it extends Pandas, adds geometry types, reads vector formats, and integrates tools like Shapely, Fiona, PyProj, GeoArrow, and GeoParquet)- Why GeoPandas matters in modern GIS- When GeoPandas is the right tool- When NOT to use GeoPandas- How GeoPandas fits into the modern stack (How it pairs with DuckDB, SedonaDB, PostGIS, Apache Sedona (Spark), data lakes, Iceberg, and cloud-native geospatial)- How to actually get started This video is for you if you are a: • GIS professionals moving into Python• Data scientists adding spatial capabilities• Engineers exploring geospatial data stacks• Anyone who wants a modern alternative to desktop GIS workflows Resources from the video - My GeoPandas Course: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0mWgVVH_dos- GeoPandas Documentation: https://geopandas.org/en/stable/getting_started/introduction.html- Dr. Qiusheng Wu's New Book on Geospatial Python: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FFW34LL3 --- 🚀 Ready to move beyond desktop GIS?Step into the Spatial Lab: a global community for ambitious geospatial professionals who want to break out of outdated workflows and join the top 5% of the field.👉 Join Spatial Lab: https://forrest.nyc/spatial-lab/ 🎓 Want structured, career-changing learning? 🚀 Modern GIS Accelerator: https://forrest.nyc/accelerator/ — master Python, Spatial SQL & cloud workflows in 2 weeks 🧭 Career Compass: https://forrest.nyc/career-compass/ — fast, practical steps to land the GIS role you want 🪄 AI Copilot for GIS: https://forrest.nyc/ai-copilot-for-gis/ — learn to integrate AI into your geospatial workflows & boost your productivity 📰 Weekly modern GIS insights: https://forrest.nyc ⚡️ Spots for the next live cohort and mentorship cycle are closing soon,  join now to lock in your place and momentum. 0:00 Intro to GeoPandas0:35 What is GeoPandas2:54 Why should you care about GeoPandas?5:12 Do you need to use GeoPandas?8:22 How do you use GeoPandas?10:59 Pitfalls of GeoPandas13:06 When NOT to use GeoPandas?14:50 Where to learn about GeoPandas? CONNECT WITH ME📸 Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/matt_forrest/💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mbforr/📧 Newsletter: https://forrest.nyc🌐 Website: https://forrest.nyc

    18 min
  4. #32: Why Meta Is Betting Big on Open Maps

    2025-12-04

    #32: Why Meta Is Betting Big on Open Maps

    Meta has more than 3 billion users across Instagram, WhatsApp, and even its new AR glasses. Behind the scenes, all of them are powered by one thing: maps. But instead of relying on closed systems, Meta is betting big on open data—and building its own global map. In this episode, I talk with Said Turksever from Meta, who leads their open mapping strategy. We dive into: 🌍 Why Meta cares so much about maps🛠 The tools they’re building with AI and open source🏙 How cities from Phoenix to Naples are being transformed by open data🚶 The future of pedestrian mapping and accessibility🤝 The role of communities in shaping the next generation of maps From disaster response to daily navigation, the impact of open mapping stretches far beyond social media. This is a conversation about technology, community, and the future of how we navigate the world. 🚀 Ready to move beyond desktop GIS?Step into the Spatial Lab: a global community for ambitious geospatial professionals who want to break out of outdated workflows and join the top 5% of the field.👉 Join Spatial Lab: https://forrest.nyc/spatial-lab/ 🎓 Want structured, career-changing learning? 🚀 Modern GIS Accelerator: https://forrest.nyc/accelerator/ — master Python, Spatial SQL & cloud workflows in 6 weeks 🧭 Career Compass: https://forrest.nyc/career-compass/ — fast, practical steps to land the GIS role you want 🪄 AI Copilot for GIS: https://forrest.nyc/ai-copilot-for-gis/ — learn to integrate AI into your geospatial workflows & boost your productivity 📰 Weekly modern GIS insights: https://forrest.nyc ⚡️ Spots for the next live cohort and mentorship cycle are closing soon,  join now to lock in your place and momentum. CONNECT WITH ME📸 Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/matt_forrest/💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mbforr/📧 Newsletter: https://forrest.nyc🌐 Website: https://forrest.nyc

    46 min
  5. ArcGIS Pro: Still the Best GIS?

    2025-11-25 · BONUS

    ArcGIS Pro: Still the Best GIS?

    ArcGIS Pro has been the center of GIS workflows for decades but how does it hold up in a world moving toward open, cloud-native, and AI-powered geospatial tools? In this video, I break down what ArcGIS Pro actually is, where it shines, where it struggles, and how it fits into the modern GIS ecosystem. Whether you’re doing personal GIS projects, running a small team, or architecting enterprise-scale systems, this deep dive will help you understand when ArcGIS Pro is the right choice and when alternatives like QGIS, GeoPandas, DuckDB, PostGIS, Sedona, or cloud-native stacks might serve you better. What You’ll Learn - What ArcGIS Pro is and how it fits into Esri’s ecosystem- Its strengths in cartography, desktop analysis, 3D tools, enterprise integration, and data management- Newer support for modern formats like GeoParquet, COGs, STAC, and DuckDB- Where ArcGIS Pro begins to struggle (big data, cloud workflows, Python lock-in, cost/licensing)- How it compares to open tools like QGIS, GeoPandas, and modern geospatial data platforms- My honest assessment of whether YOU should be using ArcGIS Pro across personal, team, and enterprise use cases --- 🚀 Ready to move beyond desktop GIS?Step into the Spatial Lab: a global community for ambitious geospatial professionals who want to break out of outdated workflows and join the top 5% of the field.👉 Join Spatial Lab: https://forrest.nyc/spatial-lab/ 🎓 Want structured, career-changing learning? 🚀 Modern GIS Accelerator: https://forrest.nyc/accelerator/ — master Python, Spatial SQL & cloud workflows in 2 weeks 🧭 Career Compass: https://forrest.nyc/career-compass/ — fast, practical steps to land the GIS role you want 🪄 AI Copilot for GIS: https://forrest.nyc/ai-copilot-for-gis/ — learn to integrate AI into your geospatial workflows & boost your productivity 📰 Weekly modern GIS insights: https://forrest.nyc ⚡️ Spots for the next live cohort and mentorship cycle are closing soon,  join now to lock in your place and momentum. 0:00 Intro to ArcGIS Pro0:31 My background with Esri1:16 What is ArcGIS 4:02 Why does ArcGIS Pro matter?7:11 Do you need to use ArcGIS Pro?12:54 How do you use ArcGIS Pro?14:50 Pitfalls of ArcGIS Pro17:47 When to use ArcGIS Pro?20:15 Where to learn about ArcGIS Pro? CONNECT WITH ME📸 Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/matt_forrest/💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mbforr/📧 Newsletter: https://forrest.nyc🌐 Website: https://forrest.nyc

    25 min
  6. #30: A5: The Global Grid System Changing How We Map the World with Felix Palmer

    2025-11-06

    #30: A5: The Global Grid System Changing How We Map the World with Felix Palmer

    In this episode, I sit down with Felix Palmer, creator of A5, a new global grid system that’s redefining how we represent and analyze the Earth.Felix shares how a 1980s math paper led him to build a pentagon-based global grid, one that fixes the distortions found in systems like H3 and S2, achieving true equal-area cells across the entire planet. We discuss the geometry behind A5, the trade-offs of global gridding, and why visual design and spatial computation are deeply connected.If you’ve ever worked with spatial indexes or wondered how we might rebuild the geometry of the globe itself, this episode will change the way you see maps. We cover: The origins of A5 and how it compares to H3Why equal-area grids matter for accurate analysisThe visual and geometric challenges of mapping a sphere A5 Website: https://a5geo.org/A5 on GitHub: https://github.com/felixpalmer/a5 🚀 Ready to move beyond desktop GIS?Step into the Spatial Lab: a global community for ambitious geospatial professionals who want to break out of outdated workflows and join the top 5% of the field.👉 Join Spatial Lab: https://forrest.nyc/spatial-lab/ 🎓 Want structured, career-changing learning? 🚀 Modern GIS Accelerator: https://forrest.nyc/accelerator/ — master Python, Spatial SQL & cloud workflows in 2 weeks 🧭 Career Compass: https://forrest.nyc/career-compass/ — fast, practical steps to land the GIS role you want 🪄 AI Copilot for GIS: https://forrest.nyc/ai-copilot-for-gis/ — learn to integrate AI into your geospatial workflows & boost your productivity 📰 Weekly modern GIS insights: https://forrest.nyc ⚡️ Spots for the next live cohort and mentorship cycle are closing soon,  join now to lock in your place and momentum. CONNECT WITH ME📸 Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/matt_forrest/💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mbforr/📧 Newsletter: https://forrest.nyc🌐 Website: https://forrest.nyc

    54 min
  7. Beyond the Hype: Embeddings, Foundation Models, and the Future of Earth Observation with Isaac Corley and Christopher Ren

    2025-10-23

    Beyond the Hype: Embeddings, Foundation Models, and the Future of Earth Observation with Isaac Corley and Christopher Ren

    What does it really take to teach AI to understand our planet? In this episode, Matt sits down with Isaac Corley, Senior Machine Learning Engineer at Wherobots and maintainer of TorchGeo, and Christopher Ren, Data Scientist and writer behind some of the most thought-provoking essays on Earth observation and AI. They dive deep into the state of Geospatial AI from embeddings and foundation models to how these tools are reshaping Earth observation and remote sensing. You’ll hear real-world perspectives on what’s working, what’s not, and where the hype outpaces reality. Key topics covered: What "embeddings" actually mean for geospatial and remote sensingHow foundation models like AlphaEarth and Tessera are trainedThe challenges of applying ML at global scaleThe future of Earth observation data pipelinesWhy geospatial AI is still the "wild west" If you’ve ever wondered how AI models are built to map, monitor, and understand the Earth, this conversation breaks it down without the buzzwords. LINKS: ISAAC CORLEY Website: https://isaacc.dev/LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/isaaccorleyX: @isaaccorley_GitHub: @isaaccorleyI’m active in TorchGeo slack: free to join https://join.slack.com/t/torchgeo/shared_invite/zt-22rse667m-eqtCeNW0yI000Tl4B~2PIw CHRISTOPHER REN Blog: https://christopherren.substack.com/Podcast: Spotify | Apple | YoutubeLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christopherren/Geovibes/Github: https://github.com/cr458/geovibes 🚀 Ready to move beyond desktop GIS?Step into the Spatial Lab: a global community for ambitious geospatial professionals who want to break out of outdated workflows and join the top 5% of the field.👉 Join Spatial Lab: https://forrest.nyc/spatial-lab/ 🎓 Want structured, career-changing learning? 🚀 Modern GIS Accelerator: https://forrest.nyc/accelerator/ — master Python, Spatial SQL & cloud workflows in 2 weeks 🧭 Career Compass: https://forrest.nyc/career-compass/ — fast, practical steps to land the GIS role you want 🪄 AI Copilot for GIS: https://forrest.nyc/ai-copilot-for-gis/ — learn to integrate AI into your geospatial workflows & boost your productivity 📰 Weekly modern GIS insights: https://forrest.nyc ⚡️ Spots for the next live cohort and mentorship cycle are closing soon,  join now to lock in your place and momentum. CONNECT WITH ME📸 Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/matt_forrest/💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mbforr/📧 Newsletter: https://forrest.nyc🌐 Website: https://forrest.nyc

    54 min
  8. How Mapbox is Quietly Powering the AI Map Revolution with Kieran McCann

    2025-10-16

    How Mapbox is Quietly Powering the AI Map Revolution with Kieran McCann

    AI can answer almost anything, except “where.” That gap is huge, and  Kieran McCann from Mapbox is working to close it. In this episode of The Spatial Stack, Matt sits down with Kieran, who’s spent six years helping Mapbox quietly power some of the most widely used maps and location services in the world. From his early days doing grunt map edits at Apple Maps to shaping Mapbox’s next big bet: AI-native mapping. Kieran shares what it takes to bring true spatial understanding into artificial intelligence. You’ll hear how Mapbox is experimenting with ways for AI to finally reason about place and direction, what’s still missing for models to “get” geography, and how anyone, even those just starting out, can build powerful AI + geospatial tools today. Kieran also breaks down how showing prototypes can change your career trajectory and why now is the perfect time to jump into this space. If you’re curious about where mapping and AI collide and what that means for your work, your career, and the apps we all use every day, this conversation is a must-listen. 🚀 Ready to move beyond desktop GIS?Step into the Spatial Lab: a global community for ambitious geospatial professionals who want to break out of outdated workflows and join the top 5% of the field.👉 Join Spatial Lab: https://forrest.nyc/spatial-lab/ 🎓 Want structured, career-changing learning? 🚀 Modern GIS Accelerator: https://forrest.nyc/accelerator/ — master Python, Spatial SQL & cloud workflows in 2 weeks 🧭 Career Compass: https://forrest.nyc/career-compass/ — fast, practical steps to land the GIS role you want 🪄 AI Copilot for GIS: https://forrest.nyc/ai-copilot-for-gis/ — learn to integrate AI into your geospatial workflows & boost your productivity 📰 Weekly modern GIS insights: https://forrest.nyc ⚡️ Spots for the next live cohort and mentorship cycle are closing soon,  join now to lock in your place and momentum. CONNECT WITH ME📸 Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/matt_forrest/💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mbforr/📧 Newsletter: https://forrest.nyc🌐 Website: https://forrest.nyc

    41 min
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About

Welcome to The Spatial Stack, where modern geospatial technology takes center stage. Our episodes feature interviews with leading experts, insightful discussions on the integration of AI and big data in spatial tech, and case studies on groundbreaking projects worldwide. Tune in to stay ahead in the rapidly evolving world of geospatial technology!

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