As Esri’s User Conference unfolded between July 12-15, 2021, thousands of GIS users and enthusiasts took a chance to learn more about new ArcGIS-related products and capabilities. Here are six prime examples.
ArcGIS Velocity is helping users monitor operations in real-time by taking in a continuous feed of cloud-hosted information from IoT and asset tracking systems, now includes dynamic geofencing. The new beta capability, which enables users to perform spatial enrichment, joins and distance calculations between two data streams in real-time, was demonstrated with Telluride Ski & Golf resort in Colorado (see above). Esri showed how the destination could create virtual boundaries around its moving snowmobiles and snowcats in order to alert drivers when they were near one another, in order to avoid collisions on the mountainside.
Site Scan for ArcGIS now incorporates 3D Terrain which allows users to implement automatic “terrain following” flights that keep a drone at a constant altitude above ground, resulting in higher, more consistent data collection quality. The incorporated SURE for ArcGIS mesh engine allows the captured data to be turned into extremely high-quality, high-resolution 3D meshes. New flight planning mode Corridor Scan efficiently maps assets like roads, pipelines, electric transmission lines and other similar linear features. All flights are recorded, and the information is sent to a new Fleet Management Dashboard for administrators to track drone maintenance, pilot currency and flight history for the organization.
Reality Capture has made ArcGIS-generated 3D meshes of city scenes and landscapes into realistic, immersive experiences that can take city planners, architects, and even the entertainment industry to virtual locations, based on very real details of a person’s surroundings, around the world. With new spatial analysis tools in ArcGIS Urban, proposed developments can be evaluated in real-world context, too. Using extended reality (XR) and 3D meshes, users can also see what the view is from inside a proposed building. With the combination of drones and artificial intelligence, organizations can also expediate inspection processes that previously took hundreds of hours to complete in-person.
ArcGIS Image for ArcGIS Online now offers advanced hosting, visualization and raster analytics in the cloud, making it easier to share data and workflows, and uses both tiled and dynamic imagery layers for different visualization and analysis. A collection of raster analysis tools is available, including tools to perform Deep Learning, multidimensional analysis and terrain analysis. The raster function editor has access to over 150 raster functions that can be chained together to create advanced models.
ArcGIS GeoBIM links AEC projects and workflows by interconnecting ArcGIS with the Autodesk Construction Cloud, bringing together project development data that is spread across multiple systems. It searches Autodesk Construction Cloud projects and creates boundary features linked to BIM to bring these isolated worlds together. GIS Professionals can build ArcGIS GeoBIM apps that enable collaboration across teams and improves project coordination and delivery. The new product reduces the manual effort necessary to link GIS and BIM data, saves time and enables access to projects through interactive web apps, and simplifies team collaboration to improve project coordination and delivery.
ArcGIS Maps SDK for Unity and ArcGIS Maps SDK for Unreal Engine plug-ins allow users to create simulations and urban scenarios for situational awareness, advanced planning, and collaboration. With the ArcGIS CityEngine SDK, generate data directly inside the game engines to visualize different scenarios and develop a digital twin. Visual effects and animations can be added, including characters and cars so viewers can understand how a new space may be used. Experiences can be shared on a large stage (like the one at the UC), through virtual reality glasses, on a tablet, or on a phone.