New Image Analysis Services for the Cloud

Exelis Visual Information Solutions subsidiary of ITT Exelis, has released new technology that makes it possible for organisations to easily extend image analysis capabilities to an entire user base through a cloud or enterprise framework. The new product, ENVI Services Engine, is based on the scientific algorithms in ENVI image analysis software.

ENVI Services Engines was developed in response to the growing adoption of cloud computing in government agencies as shrinking budgets and massive amounts of geospatial data necessitate more efficient systems.

The product allows agencies to quickly and easily create, publish and deploy advanced image analytics as Web services. These services are then made available from a server on thin and mobile clients so that data from airborne and satellite imagery can be used for more informed and faster decision-making.

The cloud implementation of ENVI offers organisations a host of efficiencies that are always welcome, especially during a time when streamlining resources and processes is essential, said Jaye Lampe, president of Exelis Visual Information Solutions. Deployment of ENVI Services Engine provides critical image analysis services across an entire enterprise, still providing the complex, proven image analysis methods decision-makers need in order to use data as actionable intelligence, she added.

The area of intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance data analytics is a strategic growth area for Exelis and ENVI image analysis products are already widely used in the military and intelligence sector, allowing the forward deployed to use imagery to detect targets, locate threats, coordinate safe troop movement, and identify important terrain conditions. The new cloud-based ENVI product delivers significant benefits, including cost savings through lower capital investment and ease of management, quality control and the flexibility to scale up or down to meet demand.

The ENVI Services Engine architecture is easily deployed into nearly any existing enterprise, including the popular Esri ArcGIS Server environment and requires little additional training for users. A cloud-based solution is also easy to manage, allowing administrators to perform faster, more frequent updates to the system as opposed to pushing updates to a network of desktops.