Esri Adds Airbus Global Elevation Data to Online Maps

Redlands, California—July 10, 2017—Esri, the global leader in spatial analytics, today announced that Airbus Defence and Space WorldDEM4Ortho elevation data is soon to be part of the growing ArcGIS Online Living Atlas of the World.

Covering the entire earth's land surface, this is the most consistent and accurate elevation model for ensuring that imagery is properly calibrated to geographic standards on a global scale. This data will be available for online end-user applications and developers creating apps with a specific need for elevation information. Navigation systems, for instance, can use 3D road data to give drivers better estimates of fuel costs based on the terrain.

"Our collaboration with Esri will provide millions of geographic information system users around the world with access to our WorldDEM4Ortho within their Web GIS environment," said François Lombard, head of the Intelligence Business Cluster at Airbus Defence and Space. "Enabling end users to easily access this layer within ArcGIS empowers them to not only improve their existing applications but also create new business opportunities."

The applications for these new elevation layers include analytics like slope, aspect, rugosity, watershed delineation, and visibility studies. The data will also be used extensively to improve basemap cartography with beautiful multidirectional hillshading and better 3D views.

"The addition of this elevation data to Esri's Living Atlas will enhance users' understanding of regional, national, continental, and global earth science," said Sean Breyer, Esri program manager for ArcGIS content. "One important aspect of this new dataset is that it standardizes the scale of imagery, removing distortions from satellite photographs such as perspective and tilt. This improves accuracy in any kind of geographic measurement."

This new Airbus data will be added to the more than 5,000 maps available to over four million users of the Esri platform worldwide, and included in Esri's existing multiple elevation layers.