Cloud-Hosted Geospatial Technology Will Bring Customers Easy-to-Consume Imagery Data

Redlands, Calif.: Satellites now provide huge datasets that require complex processing, data routing, and storage. To satisfy the growing demand for this data, Microsoft has teamed with Esri, the global leader in location intelligence, to rapidly analyze imagery data captured by satellite providers in space orbit. Esri’s ArcGIS Image technology will provide processing and analysis on imagery hosted in Azure Orbital, Microsoft’s Satellite Ground Station As a Service. 

Organizations in virtually all industries now depend on location intelligence derived from satellite imagery to enhance operations, set policy, and make informed business decisions. For instance, the devastating 2021 wildfire season has broken records worldwide, and satellites have been instrumental in providing vital information for wildland fire responders. By reducing the time from collection to delivery, disaster responders can now have faster access to analysis that shows where massive, fast burning fires are moving and growing. 

“The need to accelerate the delivery of insights from satellite imagery has grown as we continue to see increased urgency to respond to environmental, logistical, and natural resource challenges,” said Richard Cooke, Co-Director of Global Business Development, Esri. “ArcGIS Image, combined with Azure Orbital, will significantly reduce the latency from data collection to the delivery of mission critical insights.” 

With Azure Orbital, data from satellite providers is directly ingested in Microsoft’s Azure cloud. This enables seamless application and use of Azure services such as compute, storage, and AI fast data processing. 

“No one is better suited to host and analyze the next generation of earth imagery products than Microsoft and Esri,” said Yves Pitsch, Partner Director of Connectivity Products, Azure Space, Microsoft. “ArcGIS Image and Azure Orbital, working in concert with satellite data and ground station partners, will provide accessible, focused imagery products designed for immediate use to address our customers’ mission critical use cases.” 

Esri has worked together with Microsoft for over 20 years and is its leading geospatial technology partner. The ArcGIS product suite is deeply integrated into many Microsoft applications and services that are deployed on the Azure cloud platform. 

About Esri:

Esri, the global market leader in geographic information system (GIS) software, location intelligence, and mapping, helps customers unlock the full potential of data to improve operational and business results. Founded in 1969 in Redlands, California, USA, Esri software is deployed in more than 350,000 organizations globally and in over 200,000 institutions in the Americas, Asia and the Pacific, Europe, Africa, and the Middle East, including Fortune 500 companies, government agencies, nonprofits, and universities. Esri has regional offices, international distributors, and partners providing local support in over 100 countries on six continents. With its pioneering commitment to geospatial information technology, Esri engineers the most innovative solutions for digital transformation, the Internet of Things (IoT), and advanced analytics.