Esri’s Marc Goldman on the Future of Geospatial Technology in Architecture, Engineering, and Construction

As the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) industries undergo a period of rapid digital transformation, geographic information systems (GIS) have moved from supporting roles to becoming essential infrastructure. At the forefront of this evolution is Esri, the global leader in GIS technology, which is working to seamlessly integrate high-resolution imagery, digital twins, Building Information Modeling (BIM), Computer-Aided Design (CAD), and artificial intelligence (AI) into AEC workflows.

Marc Goldman, Director of Industry Solutions at Esri, recently spoke with AECCafe about the company’s strategic efforts to modernize and enhance AEC processes with geospatial technology. In a wide-ranging conversation, Goldman shared insights on the latest innovations, real-world applications, and the future trajectory of GIS in the built environment.

Transforming AEC with High-Resolution Imagery

According to Goldman, imagery has become a foundational element in modern AEC workflows. Esri has invested heavily in expanding the capabilities of its ArcGIS platform to integrate high-resolution satellite, aerial, and drone imagery, bringing vital visual context to infrastructure planning, design, and operations.

“We have a very strong position at the intersection of imagery and GIS,” Goldman said. “Through ArcGIS Pro, ArcGIS Online, and other solutions, we help users visualize, analyze, and act on geospatial data at a scale that was previously unimaginable.”

At recent industry events like Geo Week, Esri has showcased its ArcGIS Reality Suite, a suite of tools designed to process and manage large-scale data such as LiDAR, photogrammetry, and drone imagery. These tools support everything from flight planning to 3D data distribution. Additionally, partnerships with satellite imagery providers like Maxar, and aerial imagery companies like Nearmap, Aerometric, and Bluesky, help ensure that users have access to the most current and high-quality basemaps through Esri’s Living Atlas of the World.

“Imagery is no longer just a backdrop,” Goldman said. “It’s the starting point for making informed engineering and infrastructure design decisions.”

Digital Twins: A System of Systems

Digital twins have emerged as a key concept in infrastructure management, offering a dynamic virtual representation of physical assets. Goldman describes Esri’s role in digital twin technology as being “foundational,” particularly when understanding the spatial aspects of assets and environments.

“At Esri, we see digital twins as a system of systems, and GIS itself as a critical component,” Goldman said. “Many digital twin use cases rely on understanding where things are — whether it’s tracking assets, monitoring sensors, or enabling wayfinding. When you pair that spatial awareness with real-time data and IoT integration, you create digital twins that are not only accurate but also actionable.”

Goldman emphasized that digital twins powered by GIS go beyond static 3D models by incorporating live data feeds, environmental context, and historical trends. This level of integration provides deeper insights into infrastructure performance and enables better decision-making throughout the asset lifecycle.

Bridging the Gap Between BIM, CAD, and GIS

The integration of BIM, CAD, and GIS has been an ongoing industry goal for decades. Today, Esri is helping to turn that aspiration into reality. Through ArcGIS Pro, Esri provides native support for formats like Revit, DWG, Civil 3D, and IFC, making it easier than ever to bring engineering designs into a geospatial context.

“ArcGIS Pro is designed to sit alongside any BIM or CAD authoring tool,” Goldman said. “We’ve built support for dozens of file formats, allowing users to incorporate their engineering data into web-based scenes and maps, seamlessly integrating them into GIS workflows.”

Goldman also highlighted Esri’s collaboration with Autodesk, particularly through ArcGIS GeoBIM, which connects data from Autodesk Construction Cloud with GIS maps. This integration provides project teams with a single, cloud-based environment to view geospatial information alongside detailed project documentation, designs, and operational data.

Further collaborations with Autodesk’s new Forma platform are underway, enabling designers to pull live GIS maps into their CAD and BIM environments, enhancing project context and supporting more informed decision-making.

The Expanding Role of AI in AEC

Artificial intelligence is becoming increasingly embedded in Esri’s products, transforming how users interact with geospatial data. Esri’s Living Atlas of the World now hosts more than 100 pre-trained machine learning models that can be used to automatically extract features and insights from imagery and video data, supporting tasks like object detection, site monitoring, and change analysis.

“We’re making it easier to create smarter maps and analyze complex datasets with AI,” Goldman said. “Whether it’s automating map generation, identifying key data layers, or enhancing field data collection with tools like Survey123, AI is streamlining processes across the board.”

Esri is also exploring generative AI capabilities within ArcGIS Pro, aimed at simplifying and accelerating the creation of sophisticated maps and applications by analyzing large amounts of geospatial data and suggesting meaningful patterns or configurations.

Real-World Impact: Vietnam’s Port Infrastructure

One compelling example of Esri’s impact comes from Vietnam, where engineering firm Portcoast has applied Esri’s GIS technology to manage critical port infrastructure. By combining underwater scanning, reality capture, and BIM data within ArcGIS, Portcoast has built comprehensive digital models of ports, enabling better operations management, maintenance, and planning.

“Portcoast is a great example of taking complex engineering data and making it accessible to a broader team,” Goldman said. “By visualizing this information geospatially, they’ve been able to support decisions that impact not only the immediate infrastructure but also the surrounding environment and regional logistics.”

Looking to the Future

When asked about the trends shaping the future of GIS in AEC, Goldman pointed to several key areas. High-frequency, high-resolution imagery will continue to enhance site planning and construction logistics. New photogrammetry techniques, such as Gaussian Splats, are poised to revolutionize how 3D models are created from everyday video or smartphone footage, delivering high-accuracy representations with unprecedented speed.

Goldman also emphasized a broader industry shift from file-based to data-based workflows. As cloud platforms become more interconnected, the ability to work directly with geospatial objects and datasets — rather than transferring massive files — will lead to greater efficiency and collaboration.

“As we move forward, GIS will continue to be central to how we plan, design, build, and operate our infrastructure,” Goldman said. “The possibilities are only limited by our imagination.”

Getting Involved

For those interested in learning more about Esri’s work in the AEC space, Goldman recommends visiting esri.com, where case studies, product information, and updates on ongoing innovations are available.

“We’re always eager to hear from users who are applying GIS in new and exciting ways,” Goldman said. “If you’re working on projects that bring together GIS and traditional AEC tools, we’d love to learn about them.”

When not driving geospatial innovation, Goldman has been reconnecting with his passion for cycling and hopes to embark on cross-country bikepacking adventures once warmer weather arrives.

Until then, Esri continues to map out the future of AEC, one dataset at a time.

Tags: AI, BIM Integration, CAD, Digital Twins, GIS, Imagery

Category: Esri

This entry was posted on Tuesday, March 4th, 2025 at 8:51 am. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.