The partnership will provide customers with drone hardware, pilot training and flying services from Heliguy, adding to Esri’s existing drone flight planning, data capture, data processing and GIS software.
Current Esri drone software customers include Skanska Norway, Arcadis and PCL Construction in North America. Meanwhile, Heliguy, an unmanned aerial vehicle specialist, manages some of Europe’s largest drone programmes, working with construction firms such as Balfour Beatty and Atkins.
Esri UK and Heliguy will work on joint projects to introduce new and more efficient workflows by bringing together customers’ GIS and Survey teams who have traditionally worked separately on drone-related projects. The goal is to streamline processes, from drone management and data capture, through to data analysis and better sharing of outputs across a business, including integration with BIM and CAD workflows.
“By providing a single source of hardware and software, the partnership will help customers maximise their investment in drones and GIS,” said Craig Evenden, head of construction and BIM at Esri UK. “As drone usage grows, accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic, the [construction] community is demanding more integrated programmes that can easily grow across their business. Heliguy’s vast experience and training capabilities, coupled with Esri’s cloud-based drone and GIS software are a perfect match for the AEC industry’s new enterprise requirements.”
Esri UK customers include Arcadis, Mott MacDonald, Costain, Crossrail, the Skanska, Costain and STRABAG Joint Venture and Highways England. Formed in 2006, Heliguy is based in the UK with an office in Dallas in the US state of Texas.
