The PLACE Team is delighted to welcome Dr. Simon Musaeus to our Board of Trustees.
With more than 25 years of international leadership across Europe, Latin America, Africa, India and beyond, Simon has built a distinguished career at the intersection of geospatial technology, engineering, business and organisational leadership. His work has helped governments and organisations harness the power of geospatial information to make better decisions, strengthen institutions and improve lives.
As PLACE continues to build trusted geospatial infrastructure for governments and communities around the world, Simon’s global perspective and strategic leadership will be invaluable.
We recently spoke with Simon about why he chose to join PLACE, the importance of trusted geospatial information in an AI-driven world, and his vision for the organisation’s future.
“Reliable geospatial information is fundamental infrastructure.”
What motivated you to join the Board of Trustees at PLACE, and what aspects of its mission resonate most with you?
Throughout my career, I have seen that reliable geospatial information is not simply a technical resource—it is fundamental infrastructure for economic development, good governance and resilient societies.
Whether working with governments in Latin America, Africa, Europe or Asia, the same challenge appeared repeatedly: important decisions were being made using outdated or incomplete spatial information.
What attracted me to PLACE is that it approaches this challenge differently.
It combines technical excellence with a genuinely public-interest mission. Rather than creating another commercial data platform, PLACE is building trusted, open and sustainable mapping infrastructure that enables governments to make better decisions while ensuring that the data ultimately serves citizens.
That combination of innovation, trust and long-term stewardship strongly aligns with my own values.
“AI is only as good as the data on which it is built.”
What aspects of PLACE’s work feel most urgent or important to you right now?
Artificial intelligence is rapidly transforming the way governments, businesses and communities make decisions.
Yet AI is only as good as the data on which it is built.
In many parts of the world—particularly across emerging economies—high-quality mapping simply does not exist, is decades out of date, or is too expensive to access. Without trustworthy spatial data, countries risk being excluded from the next wave of digital transformation. At the same time, access to AI is becoming more convenient every day. Outputs are often used unquestioned and might be based on wrong and outdated (geospatial) assumptions.
I believe PLACE has an opportunity to change that.
By creating reliable and accessible mapping infrastructure today, PLACE is enabling countless future applications that we may not even be able to imagine yet.
For me, that is what makes this work so exciting. Building trusted geospatial infrastructure today creates opportunities for innovation, resilience and better decision-making for decades to come.
“Turning great ideas into lasting impact”
What experience or perspective are you hoping to bring to PLACE as a Trustee?
My background combines engineering, international business and organisational leadership.
While I have spent much of my career in the geospatial industry, I believe my greatest experience has been helping organisations move from good ideas to successful execution.
As a Trustee, I hope to contribute by helping PLACE build strong partnerships, strengthen its long-term strategy, and ensure that its remarkable technical capabilities translate into measurable and sustainable impact for governments and communities around the world.
Organisations create real change when they combine technical excellence with strategic partnerships, clear governance and a long-term vision. I look forward to helping PLACE continue building on all of these strengths.
“A vision for the future of PLACE”
What opportunities do you see for PLACE to make an even bigger impact in the coming years?
I believe PLACE is still only at the beginning of its journey.
The organisation has the opportunity to become one of the world’s most trusted providers of public-interest geospatial infrastructure.
As governments increasingly adopt digital services and AI-driven decision-making, the need for authoritative, neutral and accessible mapping will only continue to grow.
Beyond expanding geographically, I see tremendous opportunities in developing stronger partnerships with governments, development banks, universities, NGOs and the private sector.
If these communities collaborate around a common and trusted data foundation, the value created will be far greater than any single organisation could achieve alone.
Ultimately, I would like to see PLACE become recognised not simply as a mapping organisation, but as an enabling platform for better public policy and sustainable development.
That is an ambitious vision, but I believe it is entirely achievable.
“PLACE is building much more than maps.”
Is there a message you would like to share with the PLACE community and those who are yet to join?
One lesson I have learned throughout my career is that lasting progress rarely comes from one organisation acting alone.
It comes from people who are willing to collaborate around a shared purpose.
PLACE is building much more than maps.
It is building trust, partnerships and opportunities that can benefit generations to come.
To everyone already involved, thank you for contributing your expertise and commitment.
To those considering joining us, I would encourage you to think beyond what mapping is today and imagine what becomes possible when every community has access to accurate, trustworthy geospatial information.
The challenges facing our cities and societies are too large for any one organisation to solve.
But together, we can create the digital foundations that help governments make better decisions, strengthen communities and improve lives.
Looking Ahead
Simon joins PLACE at a pivotal moment for the geospatial sector. As countries around the world accelerate digital transformation and embrace artificial intelligence, trusted geospatial infrastructure has never been more important.
His international experience, strategic perspective and commitment to collaboration reflect the values that PLACE seeks to embody.
We are delighted to welcome Simon to the PLACE Board of Trustees and look forward to working together to build the trusted geospatial foundations that enable better decisions, stronger communities and more resilient societies.