The geospatial infrastructure is swiftly evolving with the integration of AI, which enables automated data analysis, pattern recognition, and predictive modelling. Into this rapidly evolving landscape steps in Esri (the Environmental Systems Research Institute), a company that has become synonymous with the advancement of geospatial technology.

Established in 1996, Esri India Technologies Pvt Ltd (Esri India) is an end-to-end Geographic Information Systems (GIS) solutions provider, which has successfully delivered GIS solutions to more than 350,000 organisations globally with over 5,000 customers in India.

“Esri offers GeoAI within ArcGIS, providing ready-to-use models for working with various data types, including vector, tabular, imagery, and text. This combination of AI and spatial analysis enables industries to simulate outcomes in diverse scenarios,” Agendra Kumar, managing director, Esri India, told AIM.

GIS to benefit significantly from generative AI

According to Kumar, the industry also stands to benefit significantly from the integration of generative AI. “With generative AI we can enhance terrain modelling, land classification, and natural disaster prediction, improving urban planning and precision agriculture. It empowers us to generate detailed urban development plans, optimise transportation networks, and simulate urban expansion,” Kumar said.

Moreover, it aids in data augmentation, providing synthetic geospatial data for better machine learning models, enhances infrastructure asset management, and supports real-time geospatial insights through IoT data analysis.

“With generative AI, we’re better equipped to tackle climate change modelling, crisis mapping, and complex indoor mapping. It’s a pivotal tool for our field, elevating our capabilities and enabling more informed decision-making across various sectors.”

Tying-up with Governments

Under Kumar’s leadership, Esri India has partnered with numerous government and private organisations to execute critical and transformative projects using Esri’s GIS technology. Esri India has been working closely with many government departments and agencies over the years. “In India, government organisations have been using our software since the 1980s,” Kumar said.

Esri was founded in Redlands, California in 1969. Today, with a fairly large customer base, Esri India works with national mapping organisations like the Survey of India, Geological Survey of India, and National Thematic Mapping Organisation, which prepare authoritative maps of a country for the use of its citizens.

“Many divisions operating under the department of science and technology, DRDO, defence organisations, Forest Survey of India, and several statistics organisations are using Esri’s software. In fact, we work closely with Rajasthan, Jharkhand, Odisha, Punjab, Haryana and West Bengal,” Kumar added.

Esri India has provided state governments with GIS software for managing water resources, forests, road transportation, electricity distribution, and much more. For instance, under the Smart Cities Mission, around 45 smart cities use Esri’s ArcGIS for everything from city management to providing high-quality citizen-centric services.

“From aiding in solid waste management to improving the traffic situation; from managing road conditions and drainage systems to supervising intelligent water distribution, our software platforms have been helping in all aspects.”

Municipal corporations like Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA), and Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (MCGM) have also been using Esri’s software for quite some time.

Indo ArcGIS

Esri’s GIS Solutions are powered by ArcGIS, which is a comprehensive software suite for mapping, analysing, and managing geographic information. However, to better serve its long list of clientele in India, the company developed Indo ArcGIS, which specifically aims to help Indian organisations solve the most pressing social and business challenges of the country.

“It includes more than 750 data layers, including data layers about road networks, railway stations, railway tracks, etc. We’ve also put together accurate information about the boundaries at different levels by working with various government organisations,” Kumar said.

Some of these data sets are important for a variety of geospatial applications, not only in the government sector but also in the private sector.

Indo ArcGIS includes solutions and data products in the areas of air quality index, burnt area assessment, disaster management, forest fire management, forest incidents, Jal Jeevan Mission, land records management, locust watch, water connection management, water quality index and more.

“We recently launched ArcGIS Business Analyst, which is a location intelligence solution suite designed to aid organisations in making data-driven smart decisions.”

Some of the target markets for this solution include banking and financial services companies, retail, manufacturing, real estate companies, insurance, transportation and logistics, and healthcare companies, among others.

The Indian Geospatial Economy

The Indian geospatial economy is expected to reach INR 63,100 crore by 2025, growing at an impressive rate of about 13-14%. To keep up with the changing scenario, the government of India last year, introduced the New National Geospatial Policy 2022, replacing the National Map Policy 2005.

Kumar believes the new policy is extremely progressive, well-structured, and enabling for the geospatial industry and user segments. “With its focus on innovation, public-private partnership, and strengthening the geospatial infrastructure with new data sets and technologies, it offers a complete bouquet that establishes geospatial as the key enabler of India’s ‘$5 trillion economy’ vision,” Kumar said.

The new policy has covered the overall geospatial spectrum, be it geospatial education and skill development, formation of the Geospatial Industrial Development Board, incubation centres, or surveyors’ registration and certification.

“In fact, the democratisation of data has not only increased the adoption of technology within the government sector but is also allowing the industry and academia to adopt GIS to innovate and develop solutions for various purposes,” he concluded.