Middle East and North Africa Spatial Analysis and Data Science Market

Overview

Middle East and North Africa Spatial Analysis and Data Science Market reached US$ 3.6 billion in 2023 and is expected to reach US$ 8.0 billion by 2031, growing with a CAGR of 10.5% during the forecast period 2024-2031.

One of the major trends that has emerged in recent years, especially in the middle east, is the deployment of spatial analytical tools for public safety applications. During the 2022 FIFA world cup, Qatar utilized a spatial analytics-based sytem to analyse data from an extensive network of CCTV cameras to deploy police and security at potentially troubled areas.

The future growth of the spatial analysis and data science market could be challenged by the shortfall of skilled personnel. Most of the workforce in this industry, barring military applications, is expatriate and the training of a local workforce is bound to take a few years, thus constraining market growth over that time period.

Dynamics

Growing Concern About Climate Change Impact

Africa is projected to be among the hardest hit region due to the impact of climate change. Extreme heat waves, droughts, desertification and floods are increasingly becoming more intense and frequent. The middle east is also witnessing an increase in abnormal weather events such as heavy snowfall, flash flooding and increasing desertification.

Geospatial analytics is being increasingly deployed to track and monitor the impact of climate change. During the 2023 Climate Change Conference in Dubai, the topic of using advanced technological tools such as spatial analysis was at the forefront of discussions. The increasing adoption of advanced tools to fight climate change impact will be key in raising demand for spatial analytics in the middle east during the forecast period.

Increasing Adoption of Agritech

As new industries such as oil and gas, trade, tourism and aviation emerged, agriculture was neglected by many middle eastern governments. Most countries become heavily reliant on food imports, which were afforded by strong currencies backed by large oil and gas sales revenues. However, changing global dynamics have forced countries to focus on food security and hence a revitalization of the agricultural industry is taking place.

Geospatial analytical tools are being leveraged to identify agricultural process inefficiences and strategize new solutions. For instance, AgriEdge, a Moroccan-Egyptian startup, uses a precision agriculture platform, which utilizes spatial analytics, to determine the optimum level of fertilizer and water for each type of crop by taking into account variables like weather and soil condition.

High Cost and Infrastructure Requirements

The effective adoption of spatial analytics requires extensive capital investment for acquiring and maintaining hardware and software licenses. It also requires the development of computational infrastructure including high-capacity data storage facilities and networking equipment. The enormous costs involved means that only organization with major financial backing are able to undertake spatial analytics.

The high cost of equipment and infrastructure hampers the wider adoption of spatial analytics. In the middle east, most of the geospatial analytics systems and services are concentrated in richer countries such as Saudi Arabia, UAE and Israel. Poor and backward countries such as Iraq, which are expected to be hit hard by climate change, are unlikely to invest in acquiring geospatial capabilities.

Segment Analysis

The Middle East and north Africa spatial analysis and data science market is segmented based on component, deployment, application, end-user and country.

Growing Popularity of Cloud-based Deployment Gives it a Major Market Share

Many organizations utilizing geospatial analytical tools and services are adopting hybrid and multi-cloud environments to leverage the benefits of different cloud platforms and reduce operational costs. Cloud-based deployment allows for remote access from anywhere, without the need for complex hardware support. Furthemore, cloud-based deployment ensures easy availability of data to all major stakeholders.

Comparatively, on-premise deployment is more expensive, requiring the usage of extensive hardware. Only military applications, which process sensitive data pertaining to national security use heavily secured hardware for the on-premise deployment of geospatial analytical tools at a military facility.

Geographical Penetration

Israel is Expected to Have the Largest Market Share

Israel has always leveraged its technological prowess in military applications to offset the conventional numerical advantage enjoyed by its adversaries. The Israeli military has been at the forefront of adopting emerging spatial analytical tools for combat operations, something other militaries in the region are belatedly catching up upon.

For instance, in December 2023, Israel's military intelligence directorate announced that it was using an advanced AI-based geospatial analytical tool, codenamed the 'Gospel' to acquire airstrike targeting information during the ongoing conflict against Hamas in Gaza. Most of Israel's spatial analytical technology is dual-use, which means that civilian sectors such as healthcare, public infrastructure and agriculture also benefit from deployed military technology.

COVID-19 Impact Analysis

The COVID-19 pandemic created various opportunities for the MENA spatial analysis and data science market. The pandemic led to a major migration to cloud-based services as tech businesses scrambled to ensure continuity. The demand for spatial analysis increased significantly from the public healthcare sector, as countries such as UAE deployed these tools to undertake epidemiological surveys and map the spread of the pandemic.

The deteriorating security situation in the middle east in the post-pandemic period has led to a spurt in investment in geospatial analytical tools and services. Although military applications are likely to dominate in the medium term, the long-term focus will eventually shift towards climate change mitigation, agriculture and healthcare and public services.

Russia-Ukraine War Impact Analysis

The Russia-Ukraine war has led to a major influx of wealthy Russian citizens into middle eastern countries, especially UAE. Banking and financial service institutions in UAE and other middle eastern are now deploying geospatial analytical tools to gauge the demand for wealth management and other banking services from the Russian expatriate community.

The military usage of geospatial analytical tools has also increased, in wake of the deteriorating security situation in the middle east, especially in Iraq, Syria, Israel and Yemen. The tools are mainly being deploying for monitoring the developing situations in order to gauge adversary response and plan military strategy accordingly.

By Component

• Itsatic Mapping & Spatial Analysis
• Data Integration & ETL
• Geocoding & Reverse Geocoding
• Reporting & Geovisualization
• Others

By Deployment

• Cloud
• On-Premise

By Application

• Disaster Management & Risk Reduction
• Public Safety
• Surveying
• Climate Change Adaption
• Others

By End-User

• Defence & Security
• Retail & Logistics
• Government Subsidies
• BFSI
• Energy & Power
• Agriculture
• Healthcare & Lifesciences
• Infrastructure Development
• Others

By Country

• Saudi Arabia
• UAE
• Oman
• Bahrain
• Qatar
• Kuwait
• Egypt
• Iran
• Iraq
• Israel
• Rest of Middle East and North Africa

Key Developments

• In January 2023, the Saudi Arabian signed a contract with Esri Global to provide geospatial information and analytics in support of the country's Vision 2031 policy.
• In January 2024, YahSat and Bayanat, two UAE-based satellite communication companies announced a merger to form a new entity focused on leveraging emerging technologies such as AI to build new geospatial analytics tools.

Competitive Landscape

The major global players in the market include Trimble Inc., Hexagon AB, Bentley Systems, Incorporated, Esri Global, Locana, EOS Data Analytics, Inc., Autodesk Inc., L3Harris Technologies, Inc. and Alteryx Fugro.

Why Purchase the Report?

• To visualize the MENA spatial analysis and data science market segmentation based on component, deployment, application, end-user and country, as well as understand key commercial assets and players.
• Identify commercial opportunities by analyzing trends and co-development.
• Excel data sheet with numerous data points of pouch tapes market-level with all segments.
• PDF report consists of a comprehensive analysis after exhaustive qualitative interviews and an in-depth study.
• Product mapping available as excel consisting of key products of all the major players.

The Middle East and North Africa Spatial Analysis and Data Science Market report would provide approximately 45 tables, 48 figures and 178 Pages.

Target Audience 2024

• Satellite Imaging Companies
• Military Contractors
• Health Service Providers
• Infrastructure Engineers
• Government Agencies
• Industry Investors/Investment Bankers
• Research Professionals