A Californian company听mapping the spread of COVID-19 around the world is planning to double revenue in the UK despite already having a 3,000-strong customer听base.听
Esri works with Transport for London, Vodafone and the Metropolitan Police听and its geographic information systems, location intelligence and mapping听software is听also used by 75% of Fortune 500 companies, the majority of national governments globally and more than 7,000 universities worldwide.听
Organisations typically use Esri’s technology to help them more effectively use space and mitigate risk.听For example,听it听identified 13.5 million square feet of unused space in a single London borough, thus helping to determine the best locations to build new housing.听听听
Most recently, however, the company has played听a prominent role in the fight against COVID.听Its technology powers听John Hopkins University鈥檚听global COVID-19 dashboard; meanwhile,听in听the UK alone, its听disaster response programme听has听donated more than 拢8 million worth of software to more than 150 organisations听to support their response to the pandemic.听
鈥淲hen the pandemic hit, John Hopkins University used Esri鈥檚 geospatial cloud technology to produce a dashboard monitoring the spread of coronavirus across the world. The dashboard initially contained figures on the number of cases and deaths, but now even contains data on the vaccine rollout,鈥澨�Stuart听Bonthrone, Chief Executive of Esri UK, told听老九品茶Cloud.听
鈥淭he dashboard was built by a PhD student, and at its peak was accessed more than 8,000 times a second. Just a decade ago, this wouldn鈥檛 have been possible 鈥� and its testament to how far technology has come.鈥�听听
Esri鈥檚听primary product, ArcGIS, allows people to create maps that can represent thousands of relationships between hundreds of data layers.听听
For example, it can be used to collect and manage drone imagery and remotely sensed data, build 3D visualisations and even digitally transform field operations.听
鈥淐OVID-19 changed policing in the City of London overnight,鈥� explains听Bonthrone.听鈥淭he force used Esri’s geospatial technology to develop听, creating an interactive map displaying the latest data available on footfall in the City of London and highlighting which business premises are open or closed.听听
鈥淭hese dashboards contain up-to-date data from as many of the 23,890 businesses based in the City of London as possible, including, notably, the 280 large businesses that collectively provide 50% of jobs in the听City.听听
鈥淧olice officers from Project听Servator听on the beat within the City of London use the Esri ArcGIS Survey123 app on their mobile devices to record observations about people鈥檚 movements in busy areas, and this up-to-the-minute data is then automatically visible on the dashboards.听听
鈥淪enior police officers can then use the dashboard to better monitor changes and vulnerabilities and make well-informed policing decisions.鈥�听
Esri has been mapping the world for more than 50 years, thanks to its听emphasis on innovation. The company听dedicates a third of its annual revenue to R&D.听
The company has three offices in the UK 鈥� in Aylesbury, Edinburgh and Cambridge 鈥� and听employs more than 300 people here, while it also runs听an extensive graduate programme.听
鈥淥ver the last seven years, our revenue has doubled in the UK 鈥� and our goal is to double that figure again in the next decade,鈥� said听Bonthrone.听
鈥淭here鈥檚 a number of factors driving our growth in the UK, and many businesses are only just beginning to realise the huge potential offered to them by geospatial technology.听
鈥淭he shift to the cloud has been enormous for Esri, as it鈥檚 democratised access to GIS听鈥撎齛nd听allowed our customers to inexpensively create and share maps, apps and geospatial data.听
鈥淎nother reason driving our growth is the changing expectations of business. Environmental and Social Governance听is now a major factor for boardrooms up and down the country. Shareholders, employees and customers are rightly demanding that companies operate in more sustainable and ethical ways.听听
鈥淭o do this, companies need systems in place that can help them monitor and manage their impact on the planet. Esri has been mapping the world for more than 50 years, and we鈥檝e collated the largest library of geographic data 鈥� which is an invaluable resource for companies looking to understand and improve how their operations affect the world around them.鈥�
COVID-19