As Michigan’s IT department starts moving its geospatial imagery data to the cloud, GIS leaders are hoping to capitalize on the change to give state workers more flexibility and cut storage costs.
The state’s Department of Technology, Management and Budget struck a deal with GIS software provider Esri late last month to move 25 terabytes of image data into the company’s cloud. The department’s Center for Shared Solutions currently maintains the data, which covers aerial photographs adjusted to a uniform scale and survey data collected by technology that measures distance by illuminating a target with a laser light (known as “LiDAR”).
