Our Pick of GEO Expo 2026

With just two weeks to go until we showcase Compass: Terra for ground engineering and geotechnical workflow automation at GEO Expo 2026, here's our pick of what to expect from the ground engineering community's largest showcase event.

Three clear themes emerge from the keynote programme.

01 The Impact of Climate and the Environment

In terms of number of keynotes, climate and the environment is the dominant theme. David Bradley (British Drilling Association), Fiona Eady (Severn Trent), and Nick Ethelstone and Riwilo Masulani (both of the Mining Remediation Authority) will be talking about the transition from a coal mining past to a low-carbon future, with increasing demand for solar farms, data centres, and more.

Dan Cooper and John Curtin (both of Adler and Allan) will discuss climate resilience and how to protect operations in an era of extremes, while their colleague Chris Ramsbottom, in collaboration with Gregor Neeve (Thomson Environmental Consultants), will look at some of the challenges of contaminated land remediation.

Ryan William-Barrett closes out the keynotes on this theme, talking about climate resilience and adaptation in the rail sector from a Network Rail perspective.

02 Accelerating Housing Delivery and Regeneration

With aggressive targets for new housing and economic growth a key priority, expected to be boosted further by increased regional autonomy, Daniel Berriman from Cornwall Mining Consultants will talk about the challenges of non-coal mining subsidence as a widespread and hidden threat to new developments.

David Civil brings a procurement perspective from National Highways, discussing how public procurement can be used as a strategic tool to deliver meaningful social impact alongside value for money.

03 Developments in Supporting Best Practices, Data and Technology

Underpinning the ability to deliver development and regeneration in the face of these challenges are the best practices and emergent technologies that support the profession: developing competent drillers with the British Drilling Association, as discussed by Paul McMann; new methods of non-intrusive monitoring introduced by Jim Whiteley of AtkinsRéalis; and, through data integration and interpretation, how sub-surface data can be used more effectively to improve decision-making in planning, design, and environmental management, covered by Judith Nathanail of LQM Consulting and Roberta McAlister of AtkinsRéalis.

Of the nine core areas of geotechnics, two focus specifically on digital tools and simulation, and on the impact of AI and automation. That's why we're there.

Whether you're able to attend or not, take a look at how Compass: Terra is bringing the latest advances in data and digital solutions to the ground engineering profession, helping teams deliver more climate-resilient, environmental developments at the pace the economy and housing demand require, while adhering to industry best practices for data security, sovereignty, and governance.