The international forum brings leading scientists and experts to the capital to explore technological solutions for smarter urban management and a better urban environment
What will cities look like when artificial intelligence becomes part of the way we plan and manage them? How can data help optimize traffic, create a more sustainable urban environment, and enable more timely responses to natural disasters? Why is it important to test an urban solution virtually before implementing it in the real world?
These and other questions will be among the key topics of GeoSofia 2026 – an international scientific forum that will turn Sofia into a meeting point for global expertise in geoinformatics, spatial modelling, big data, artificial intelligence, and smart cities.
The event will take place from 28 September to 2 October 2026, hosted by the GATE Institute at Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”. Sofia Municipality is a partner of the forum.
Over five days, Sofia will bring together leading international scientists and researchers, experts in geoinformatics and geospatial technologies, specialists in artificial intelligence and data processing at different temporal and spatial resolutions, as well as representatives of universities, research organizations, technology companies, and the public sector.
Today, cities have access to enormous amounts of data – about the movement of people and vehicles, infrastructure, the environment, buildings, land use…
The next major step is to turn this data into knowledge through simulations of possible solutions and real-time visualizations.
This is precisely the focus of GeoSofia 2026 – exploring how modern technologies can help us not only monitor cities, but also better understand how they function and plan their development based on data.
Key technologies include 3D and 4D modelling, spatial analysis, artificial intelligence, digital twins, 3D cadastral solutions, and smart city platforms.
Sofia already has a concrete example of this approach. The GATE Institute is developing a digital twin of the capital in partnership with Sofia Municipality and SofiaPlan – a digital environment that brings together and visualizes information about the city and enables analysis, simulations, and the study of different urban processes and scenarios.
The question addressed by a digital twin is therefore no longer simply what is happening in the city, but what would happen if we made a particular change.
How would a new traffic organization affect the city? How would an infrastructure project change the surrounding environment? Where are the most vulnerable areas during periods of high temperatures? How can the city be better prepared for natural disasters?
Technology makes it possible to explore some of these scenarios in advance.
Three International Forums – One Common Theme
GeoSofia 2026 brings together three prestigious international scientific conferences:
21st International 3D GeoInfo Conference – 28–29 September, dedicated to the development of 3D geoinformation science and technologies and their application in urban planning, infrastructure management, disaster response, and climate change adaptation.
10th International Smart Data and Smart Cities Conference – 29 September – 1 October, focusing on urban innovation, smart technologies, geospatial data analysis, digital twins, and sustainable urban development.
International FIG Workshop on LADM & 3D LA – 1–2 October, supported by the International Federation of Surveyors (FIG), focusing on land administration, 3D modelling of territories, and the development of standards and practical solutions for spatial data.
The three conferences bring together diverse scientific and professional communities around one of the most important questions facing modern cities: how can we use technology to make better decisions for people and the environments in which they live?
Behind the scientific terminology are issues that increasingly affect everyday life:
How will we move around the cities of the future?
How will we adapt to climate change?
How will we plan infrastructure in a rapidly changing urban environment?
How can artificial intelligence and data support decision-making by city authorities?
And how can we use data in a way that ensures technology leads to a genuinely better quality of life?
The connection between scientific research and its real-world application will be one of the highlights of GeoSofia 2026. For five days, Sofia will be a place where science, technology, and real urban challenges come together in a shared conversation – about the cities in which we will live tomorrow.