Esri and Microsoft to Provide Online Maps and Applications During Disasters

Esri announced a strategic alliance with Microsoft to assist public and private agencies and communities around the world during disasters. Microsoft will display Esri public information maps on its cloud-based Disaster Response Incident Portal, as well as point citizens to the maps via its online outlets, such as MSN and Bing. Esri's ArcGIS integration within a number of Microsoft's disaster response management solutions will provide governments and leading aid organizations with a more comprehensive set of tools to address key challenges.

Esri and Microsoft unveiled the alliance during the Esri International User Conference at the San Diego Convention Center in California.

"Esri is excited to work with Microsoft because of its world-leading software and services," says Russ Johnson, global director of disaster response for Esri. "This alliance leverages the strengths of both companies. The first phase involves using our technologies to support affected organizations and provide public information faster and in a more intuitive web map format during crises."

"The ability to include Esri intelligent, interactive web maps with Microsoft's suite of disaster response offerings increases our ability to assist government agencies and private citizens," says Harmony Mabrey, senior operations manager, Microsoft Disaster Response. "Both responders and citizens will have access to a more detailed level of knowledge about the impacts of a disaster, enabling them to make more informed decisions."                        

Accordinging to the announcement, these growing efforts will exponentially increase situational awareness and information sharing during disasters.

Benefits include the following:

• Rapid data dissemination to targeted audiences and the general public during a disaster
• Better situational awareness through Esri and Microsoft technologies for critical decision support
• More information management resource availability for governments and leading response organizations through the combined efforts of Esri and Microsoft