Industry Predictions 2024 – ESRI

By Dr. Konrad Wenzel, Director Director of the Esri R&D Center, ESRI Stuttgart

Dr. Konrad Wenzel

1 – AI for Data Understanding and Co-piloting Workflows: AI will continue to play an increasingly important role in the geospatial industry. AI algorithms can analyze large volumes of geospatial data, extract valuable insights, and automate repetitive tasks. This will lead to more efficient and accurate decision-making processes.

2 – Digital Twins and Access to GIS: Digital twins, which are virtual replicas of real-world objects or processes, are becoming a commoditized access to GIS for a larger user community. Digital twins provide a powerful tool for visualizing and analyzing geospatial data in a user-friendly manner. This democratization of GIS technology will enable more people to leverage spatial data for various applications.

3 – Continuous Mapping Workflows with Autonomous Sensors and AI: Autonomous sensors and AI technologies are transforming mapping workflows. Drones, satellites, and other autonomous platforms equipped with sensors can collect data in real-time, while AI algorithms process and analyze this data to generate up-to-date and accurate maps. This continuous mapping workflow will enable organizations to monitor changes in the environment, infrastructure, and urban areas more effectively.

4 – 3D Reality Mapping for Smart Cities, Smart Countries, Infrastructure and Intelligence: Reality mapping technology, which enables the creation of 3D models of real-world environments, is becoming more accessible and scalable. This technology, combined with AI, can be applied at scale for smart city and country applications. It can help urban planners, policymakers, and decision-makers visualize and analyze complex urban landscapes, optimize resource allocation, and improve urban development strategies.

5 – Importance of Enterprise Geospatial IT Infrastructure: Enterprise geospatial IT infrastructure, such as Geographic Information Systems (GIS), will continue to be essential as the foundation of the geospatial industry. GIS provides a centralized platform for managing, analyzing, and sharing geospatial data across organizations. Robust IT infrastructure will be crucial to support the storage, processing, and integration of spatial information as the volume and complexity of geospatial data grow.

These trends indicate that the geospatial industry is embracing AI, digital twins, autonomous sensors, reality mapping technology, and enterprise geospatial IT infrastructure to unlock new possibilities and drive innovation. The future of the geospatial industry is exciting, with AI playing a pivotal role in data understanding and workflow optimization, digital twins enabling broader access to GIS, continuous mapping workflows becoming more efficient, 3D reality mapping technology transforming the way we ingest data, and enterprise geospatial IT infrastructure serving as the foundation for spatial data management and analysis.

About Author:

Konrad Wenzel is Director of the Esri R&D Center in Stuttgart, Germany focusing on reality capture and Photogrammetry technology. The technology turns imagery and LiDAR into 3D and 2D products and is well known for its market leading precision. It is worldwide for drone and aerial imagery for sites, cities, and entire countries. Konrad studied Geodesy and Geoinformatics and received a PhD in Photogrammetry from the University of Stuttgart in 2016. In 2013 he co-founded nFrames which joined Esri through an acquisition in 2020. Konrad is passionate about applying Reality Capture and GIS for Digital Twins to support informed decision making on complex problems.

Category: Industry Predictions

This entry was posted on Tuesday, December 19th, 2023 at 11:52 am. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.