With Virtualization, Esri and NVIDIA GRID bring GIS data to users in the field

Life just got easier to get access to GIS data from companies like Esri that has over 300,000 users.

That’s because the Esri ArcGIS Desktop Virtualization Appliance with NVIDIA GRID graphics virtualization technology is here. Now, geographic information systems (GIS) applications, like Esri ArcGIS Pro, can be delivered to users in the field, on any connected device.

At one point you could only use ArcGIS Pro on high-end workstations. With NVIDIA GRID, users out in the field or in other locations can get the same experience once limited to desktop computing, but the application stays hosted in the data center giving access remotely to many types of professionals in field and remote from the office.

Esri’s new hardware visualization device can exist in the data center, providing remote access to GIS information to users in the field (image: Esri. All rights reserved)

Whether for city planning, military operations, facilities management or natural resource conservation, all sorts of organizations use ArcGIS Pro. Schools, governments and businesses use it to analyze data, create maps, visualize scenarios and share information, in both 2D and 3D environments. This is an incredible time saver that gives professionals real time feedback.

The Ability to Work Outside

GIS is about understanding information about the outside. But without virtualization, its use has largely been stuck inside office walls. Limiting accessibility to people on site. Now professionals in the field can map out the environment to see what they are dealing with.

The Esri ArcGIS Desktop Virtualization Appliance makes it easy to virtualize ArcGIS Pro, so those in the field can be just as productive as people back at the office. It’s based on the Dell Precision Appliance for Wyse, and uses VMware vSphere 6.0 and Horizon View. NVIDIA GRID vGPU technology divides and shares the GPU, so up to 16 concurrent users can enjoy a high-end workstation-class experience.

The Esri ArcGIS Desktop Virtualization Appliance makes it simple for IT managers interested in virtualizing ArcGIS Pro to spin up a proof of concept or deployment. They can integrate it into an established virtualization environment within a matter of hours. And set-up is a snap using Dell’s Quick Start Tool to install and configure the VMware desktop virtualization instances.

Architosh Analysis

Ersi and NVIDIA are teaming up to give professionals who rely on ArcGISPro the ability to work in the office or on site without the limitations of hardware. Virtualization creates mobility in the field so professionals can use the data in a 2D or 3D application to map out geographic environments. You can visualize your data in both 2D and 3D. You can store as many maps as you need in the same project, and you can open multiple maps at once and view them side by side. You can visualize the layers you’re editing in both 2D and 3D so you can see features from all perspectives. Editing involves creating, updating, and maintaining geospatial information that is stored and organized in layers. Geoprocessing provides a rich suite of tools for performing spatial analysis and managing GIS data in an automated way. You can share everything from whole projects to maps, layers, tasks, and other components of your work on site.