In our latest Members Spotlight Interview, we spoke with Kris Kean, Head of Real Estate and Retail at Esri UK, geographic information systems (GIS) with the single largest pool of GIS expertise in the UK.
 
Kris shares insight into technology behind their location intelligence, his views on the future of location data in the real estate industry and how they re-invest over 30% of their annual revenue each year in R&D…
 

 
Q: Esri is the global provider of location intelligence, can you tell us more about the technology behind your software and what problem(s) you are solving?
 
A: ArcGIS offers a unique set of capabilities for applying location-based analytics to business practices. The platform enables our customers to gain greater insights using contextual tools to visualise and analyse their data. It also provides powerful collaboration tools enabling our customers to share their insights via maps, apps and reports.
 
Q: What are your views on the future of location data in the real estate industry?
 
A: The services provided by Real Estate businesses are inherently focussed around location and we find that location data is at the heart of most business transformation projects in the industry. While location data and analytics are currently most often used for planning and investment, there are potentially transformational applications in advertising and marketing. I anticipate seeing an expansion in that area going into 2021 as businesses innovate in how they promote locations.
 
Q: You recently launched ArcGIS Field Maps, can you share insights into how organisations can benefit from the use of this product?
 
A: The release of ArcGIS Field Maps is an exciting product development, taking our existing suite of separate mobile apps and combining the capabilities into one app that combines map viewing and mark-up with high-accuracy field data collection capabilities, job scheduling and battery-optimised location tracking. ArcGIS Field Maps now provides entire mobile workforces access to multiple capabilities through one managed application.
 
Q: Can we expect to see any more exciting developments from Esri in 2021?
 
A: Esri re-invests over 30% of its annual revenue each year in R&D – a very significant annual investment which drives rapid innovation. As a result, our real estate customers will see a lot of exciting new product enhancements as we move into 2021. I’m really looking forward to showcasing how Esri are bringing ready to use tools for working with 3D, AI and VR all through our hosted platform, delivering the ability to access, analyse and share data differently and driving competitive advantage for our customers.
 
Q: Lastly, where do you see the industry headed in 2-5 years?
 
A: It will come as no surprise to hear that I see rapidly increasing technology adoption in the year ahead. I have seen first-hand how real estate businesses have responded to the pandemic and how some innovative temporary solutions are now emerging as longer term solutions that transform business practices and deliver significant return on investment. Examples include virtual tours, user friendly apps to track people, and the collection, sharing and reporting of market insight information to senior stakeholders.