Four Takeaways from Esri User Conference for Enterprises Leveraging Location Intelligence
Every year, an ever-increasing number of geospatial professionals descend on San Diego for the Annual Esri User Conference. This year was no exception – over 20K professionals focused on various aspects of geographic information systems (GIS), which include location intelligence, came from all parts of the world to talk shop. The weeklong conference is designed not only for ESRI to showcase their own products, new features and roadmaps but their users also contribute to the conference in form of user-submitted presentations, panels, map gallery and special interest groups. The opening day plenary on Monday is meant to inspire – there are amazing inspirational speakers. There was something for everyone – from public sector GIS professionals to enterprise business leaders. The week also included the Business Leadership Summit, a one-day event focused on evangelizing the value of location in businesses. Some exciting takeaways and announcements included:
Increased location data enables untapped location intelligence for sustainability
In today’s world, the availability of more data than ever plays a crucial role to quench our thirst for a more sustainable future. Location data (static and real-time), coupled with advanced analytics and AI empowers individuals, enterprises and institutions to make informed decisions. Mobile devices and IoT sensors on homes and cars make individuals and systems both creators and consumers of a constant stream of data tied to location, making location intelligence even more important. They unleash the untapped potential for more precise strategies to understand consumer behavior, market real-time, call for environmental action, plan future cities, and manage our resources optimally. It underscores the necessity for geographically-enabled decisions and initiatives that can lead to a greener, more sustainable future for all. However, the promise of location has so far not yielded the kind of wide-scale adoption in the commercial sector as it did in public sector. AI opens up another aperture to make this a reality for reasons discussed next.
Not surprising that AI made centerstage at the plenary in the form of AI assistants
Esri is leveraging generative AI (genAI) to make their knowledge base and software easier to use. What sets them apart is the use of genAI to open a very skilled art of map-making and geospatial analysis to non-skilled people through AI assistants. Using AI assistants, users can use natural language prompts to ask geospatial software to create a map of median housing prices, home sales, or any other demographic information. Behind the scenes, the assistant converts the prompt to code, retrieves the right datasets and the right fields to make a thematic map! How is that for democratization of knowledge! They even demonstrated combining these maps with computer vision techniques to geo-located photos to take the multi-modal experience to a new dimension – an area Esri must leverage and one that can contribute the wider adoption of location in businesses.
GeoAI has been around for a while, so why now?
What is truly unique about Esri’s AI, is the concept of geoAI which can create geo-objects like roof, trees, cars, roads etc. and allow insurance companies better assess damage from hurricanes, utility companies manage overhanging vegetation on utility corridors, or search and rescue teams rescue lives post hurricane and earthquake. The promise of big data (real-time) from sensors, combined with cloud processing and now genAI, will lead to a whole new dimension of AI commonly referred to as sensoryAI. Multi-modal AI will not only integrate language and visual content, but rather unlock 3D real-world objects that can be visualized, rendered with physical properties to create a living digital twin. How far Esri pushes this remains to be seen. In the short-term, the combination of GeoAI and AI assistants, is set to expand the user base, making sophisticated analysis and decision-making tools accessible to a much wider audience.
Indoor mapping, BIMs and drones, expanded through strategic partnerships
Enterprises managing assets, be it buildings, campuses or infrastructure, know the importance of indoor maps, and building information management (BIM) systems. Strategic partnerships with giants like Autodesk and Microsoft are designed to grow this area of significant importance. Particularly the partnership with Autodesk is a natural one and can be symbiotically useful for both companies to go beyond system integrations. At a press only event, leaders from the two talked about their co-creation plans and the trust that this partnership is built on. For consumers and enterprises, it means a seamless integration of two critical platforms removing the need to convert complex data back and forth. With the partnership with Microsoft and its Azure Fabric, Esri positions itself at the core of Microsoft’s ecosystem, leveraging cloud capabilities to enhance geospatial analytics and AI-driven insights. This collaboration not only extends the reach of ESRI’s cutting-edge GIS technology but also reinforces the importance of geospatial data in driving innovation across various sectors, facilitating a more connected, efficient, and sustainable world.