📢 I attended the 1st India France & Space Geospatial Summit organized by the Geospatial World at the 🇮🇳 Indian Embassy in Paris in December.
There were very interesting panels on market insights and dynamics of the Indian space industry, the collaboration between France 🇨🇵 & India 🇮🇳.
Main highlights & inspirations
1️⃣ There’s an upcoming remote sensing satellite, Trishna, 🛰️ a joint thermal infrared mission (60m resolution) of Centre National d’Études Spatiales /ISRO – Indian Space Research Organization expected in 2026. Several Indian delegates suggested more data exchange between the two countries to develop common use cases.
2️⃣ The defense market is the first application market. However, we can’t ignore the growing potential of two civilian industries: location-based services and infrastructure & engineering (See slides). These customers need end-to-end solutions, not just the space data.
3️⃣ We ended our day with an interactive exchange between to brainstorm ideas on how to promote the space and geospatial market between both countries with the following outcomes:
🎯 Opportunity/strength🎯
✅ Both countries are considered as leading space program countries with very good capacity building in space technology, i.e. many engineering schools and universities, talented generation and skilled workforce.
✅Both countries have strong institutions that support the development of the space industry. In France, there are also a significant number of funding mechanisms for startups.
✅ India has a large scale of skilled labor considering the size of the country. The manufacturing cost is much lower!
⚠️Market barriers⚠️
📌 India is undoubtedly a large market with high potential. But it’s not so easy for non-Indian companies to do business in India due to the size of the industry – don’t know who does what! Similar in France where it is so difficult for a non-French speaking person to settle in France.
📌Huge cultural difference and sense of doing business. I would like to share a book I read during my EMBA class at ESSEC Executive Education – Cultural Map, written by Erin Meyer.
See photo: France & India are both low context countries BUT in terms of indirect/direct feedback culture – they are the opposite!
💡Some suggestions shared by the participants 💡
🧑🏫We can encourage more young generation of Indian aerospace engineers to study in France who can understand both cultures to bridge the cultural gap
🎤An event with more direct exchange involving the local country was an excellent idea.
🌟 The Embassy is at the perfect position to create a kind of databases with which can link (mix & match) those French companies who are doing business in India and in reverse case.
💯 In conclusion, it was a great and frankly sharing event – well done and great job Geospatial World ! Thanks again to the Embassy for hosting us!
😻Ps: Thanks for the delicious Indian food 🍛and sparkling wine 🍾
Sanjay Kumar Euroconsult Pacome Revillon Rupesh Kumar
#geospatial #GIS
