Virtual Geoscience Conference 2016: where geomatics meets geoscience [Editorial]

We are currently witnessing an exciting period for the geomatics sector as the fundamental role of spatial data is increasingly recognised in our society. Driven by hardware developments, software innovations and a general convergence of previously unconnected disciplines, geomatics methods are being rapidly adopted in novel ways, both within the scientific community, as well as by industry and the public sector. Geoscience is one broad field that is currently benefitting from developments in geomatics acquisition, processing and data exploitation methods made over the last decade. It is here, at the confluence between geomatics, computer science, visualisation and the broad arms of the geosciences, where the Virtual Geoscience conference series has been established. The second Virtual Geoscience Conference 2016 (VGC 2016) was characterised by consolidation and growth following an earlier event in 2014, as explored in this Editorial.