Case Study — Geoprofessionals Data Management Report

6th Edition — Seequent
Role: Manager, Customer Insights
Regions: EMEA, NAM, LAM, APAC
Respondents: 13,000+ across English, Spanish, Russian, Portuguese

Context

The geoscience industry lacked a reliable, globally representative benchmark on data management practices. This left leaders making high-value tech investment decisions based on fragmented, region-specific anecdotes rather than clear evidence.

Seequent wanted to change that — positioning itself as the global thought leader by delivering a report that combined credibility, scale, and actionable insights.

Challenge

  • Capture accurate, comparable data across multiple sectors and regions.

  • Represent voices from mining, civil infrastructure, energy, and environmental sectors.

  • Deliver insights in a format that sales, marketing, and product teams could act on.

  • Build a repeatable research framework for future editions.

My Role & Key Decisions

I led end-to-end research design, execution, and delivery, including:

  • Survey Design: Balanced depth with completion rates; optimised for 4 languages and multi-device access.

  • Recruitment Strategy: Partnered with internal teams, external industry bodies, and digital channels to reach 13,000+ respondents across 4 continents.

  • Stakeholder Engagement: Aligned product, marketing, and SME teams early to ensure the report addressed cross-business priorities.

  • Analysis Approach: Combined statistical segmentation with qualitative follow-ups to explain the “why” behind the numbers.

Research Process

  • Method Purpose Example Output Global Online Survey Capture quantitative benchmarks on tool adoption, workflow challenges, satisfaction. Sector & region-specific adoption ra

  • Qualitative Interviews Explore context behind survey patterns; validate emerging trends. Quotes & narratives for report

  • Cross-Regional Analysis Compare practices between EMEA, NAM, LAM, APAC. Heatmaps & comparative charts

  • Stakeholder Workshops Translate findings into product & marketing actions. Feature prioritisation, campaign angles

Key Insights (examples)

  1. Data silos remain the #1 barrier to collaboration, especially in multi-site projects.

  2. Adoption of cloud-based tools varies drastically — 72% in APAC vs. 38% in LAM.

  3. Many teams lack clear governance policies, impacting data quality and regulatory compliance.

From Insight → Action → Result

  • Insight: High dissatisfaction with cross-team collaboration tools in mining sector.

  • Action: Product roadmap shifted to prioritise integration with industry-standard platforms.

  • Result: Feature launch within 9 months; early adopter retention rate up 15% YoY in mining customers.

Impact

For the Industry:

  • Created the first multi-language, multi-region benchmark for geoscience data management.

  • Cited in industry conferences, media publications, and sector whitepapers.

For Seequent:

  • Strengthened brand authority as a thought leader.

  • Equipped sales with data-backed talking points, used in 100+ enterprise pitches.

  • Provided product teams with a clear, prioritised roadmap based on customer-validated needs.

  • Report downloads exceeded 10,000 in the first 3 months.

Stakeholder Feedback

“This is the first time I’ve seen our industry’s challenges laid out so clearly — it’s already changing the way we approach data strategy.” – Senior Mining Executive