What do Tesla, Google Maps, and Swiggy have in common? The answer lies in geospatial technology. This was the question that set the stage for the 16th edition of First Friday, a monthly meetup by Goa’s Creative Community, held at FiiRE in Margao. Organised by the Creative Community of Goa in collaboration with the Association of Designers of India – Goa Chapter and supported by the Startup & IT Promotion Cell, Department of Information Technology, Electronics and Communications, Government of Goa, the session drew creative professionals, entrepreneurs, and innovators into a conversation about the hidden force that powers our everyday world: location.
Architect and entrepreneur Vikrant Karandikar led the session, tracing the journey of geospatial technology from its military origins to its present-day ubiquity in apps and tools that shape modern life. He explained how GPS, healthcare diagnostics, and delivery services all rely on location data to function seamlessly. More than just physical maps, location has become a core driver of decision-making and innovation. Businesses like Airbnb and CouchSurfing have leveraged it to scale, while platforms such as Swiggy and Google Maps thrive on real-time, crowd-sourced updates from their users.
Karandikar also drew examples from urban mobility, pointing to Tesla’s autonomous systems and the ACES model—Autonomous, Connected, Electric, Shared—that is transforming the way we think of transport in cities. On the conservation front, he cited drones monitoring rhino habitats in Karnataka and 3D mapping tools preserving India’s cultural heritage. Even sports are being revolutionised, with smart bats equipped with gyroscopes to analyse swing dynamics and offer instant feedback.
Through vivid examples, he showed how location-aware strategies have been shaping industries for decades, recalling how consumer goods companies once adapted packaging sizes to local markets based on purchasing power. Today, location intelligence goes even deeper, from flood warning systems to GIS-driven architectural design.
The session was not just about technology but also about Goa’s place in this emerging landscape. Addressing the gathering, Shri DS Prashant, CEO of Startup and IT Promotion Cell, reminded the audience that Goa is evolving beyond its reputation as a beach destination into a hub for creativity and premium tech innovation. “Goa is where talent comes together to build products, because it nourishes creativity and offers ample space and freedom one needs to innovate,” he said, urging the community to work towards making Goa India’s Creative Capital.
By the end of the evening, the audience was left with a deeper appreciation for the unseen role of geospatial data in everyday life. From the delivery on your doorstep to the car you choose to ride, from protecting wildlife to responding to natural disasters, location remains the quiet constant behind innovation. First Friday once again lived up to its reputation as a hub where design, technology, and creativity meet to spark new ideas and possibilities for the future.
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