Esri announced the acquisition of nFrames, a technology company that develops SURETM, which is an imagery and lidar 3D surface reconstruction software. This acquisition is anticipated to modify the fusion of imagery with 3D GIS, which will allow nFrames and Esri users to seamlessly capture and analyze 3D data in an automated end-to-end process. The data will be derived from aerial, drone, and ground-based sensors.
Esri will procure a vigorous production engine that transforms imagery and lidar data into point clouds, phototextured 3D meshes, and true orthos through this acquisition. SURE software will become a part of the company’s already established ArcGIS platform. In the future, Esri will make SURE capabilities available in ArcGIS Drone2Map and Site Scan for ArcGIS which will enable users to create better meshes, point clouds, and true orthos from their drone imagery.
This acquisition enhances Esri’s ability to create extremely high-quality 3D data from imagery, which is vital for their customers in the municipal, planning, and AEC industries.
