Two years after the previous Business Models Workshop (February 2024, Leuven, Belgium), National Mapping and Cadastral Agencies (NMCAs) reconvened to evaluate the impact of the European regulation on High-Value Datasets (HVD), which had been identified at the time as a potential game changer for their business models. Since February 2025, the regulation has been fully applicable, requiring all EU NMCAs to make designated geospatial datasets available free of charge and with minimal technical and legal restrictions.

This time, the workshop took place in Brussels, bringing together representatives from NMCAs, researchers, and policymakers to assess the practical consequences of this major regulatory shift and exchange experiences of adaptation. Presentations from agencies across Europe and beyond illustrated a diverse landscape of business models, reflecting different levels of preparedness and a range of strategies for ensuring long-term sustainability.

While the implementation of the HVD regulation remained the central focus, discussions also explored broader strategic challenges and opportunities, including Digital Twins, data federation, the integration of artificial intelligence, and digital sovereignty. Participants agreed that, although the transition to open geospatial data enjoys strong political support, it continues to present significant financial and operational challenges, demanding sustained innovation, collaboration, and policy commitment.

The opening keynote featured a live survey that revealed a markedly more optimistic outlook than at the Leuven workshop two years earlier. Nevertheless, the closing presentation by IGN France captured the enduring challenge facing many agencies: despite significant progress and successful adaptation, many NMCAs are “still looking for a sustainable business model”.