A Major Moment
ArcGIS is arguably the most widely used GIS platform in the world, serving millions of users across a vast array of industries. Beyond users and developers that use the software itself, the quiet impact of ArcGIS is felt daily by millions more. Chances are it’s been instrumental in aspects of your own daily life—from the water that flows from your tap, the food you eat, or even how the city you live in was designed.
“We’re proud to build on the momentum from 2023, when 3D Tiles became part of ArcGIS,” said Patty Mims, Director of Business Development, Global National Government at Esri. “Since then, we’ve seen 3D take off—and adoption of the standard continues to grow. We’re excited to see how our Intelligence, Defense, Public Safety, and NGO partners put this new cache of interoperable data to work, powering fresh insights and next-generation visualization and analysis workflows.”
Esri’s vast userbase, at work in industries like utilities, urban planning, agriculture, transportation, and defense, will now have greater access to accurate, foundational, real-world 3D content that covers more than 2,500 cities across 49 countries. By putting this data into the hands of those who need it, Esri and Google are accelerating the pace of innovation in these industries and more.
Why It Matters Now
The geospatial ecosystem is evolving rapidly. Users need data that’s not only accessible and high-quality—but also easy to combine, visualize, and trust.
By embracing 3D tiles, Esri is helping ensure a consistent community standard for sharing and streaming 3D geospatial content. That means more powerful workflows, better situational awareness, and faster innovation across sectors that rely on geospatial insight.
This also signals a growing recognition: open standards aren’t a niche concern—they’re a foundation for the next wave of capability in everything from AI and simulation to emergency response and urban design.
3D Tiles: Real-World Impact
3D Tiles delivers real-world impact by making 3D geospatial data—once considered too massive and unwieldy for streaming and analysis—more shareable, accessible, and useful.
A decade ago, a 3D scan of a construction site collected by a drone would be difficult to share, store, and analyze. Today, thanks to 3D Tiles, that same dataset could not only be accessible in near real-time, but also easy to seamlessly combine with global data to add crucial geospatial context. The result? More accurate planning, safer working conditions, and greater cost efficiency.
And that’s just the construction industry. 3D Tiles are streamed into applications designed for disparate use cases worldwide—from commercial real estate and infrastructure planning to aerospace and defense.
3D Tiles at Work
- DroneDeploy uses 3D Tiles to stream high-resolution photogrammetry captured by drones, supporting construction teams with accurate data for planning, tracking progress, and coordinating work.
- Pennoni, an engineering firm, leverages 3D Tiles to visualize infrastructure projects in geographic context, helping stakeholders better understand proposals and streamline approvals.
- Lockheed Martin integrates 3D Tiles into a wildfire monitoring platform that fuses real-time sensor data with AI-powered analysis and 3D visualization to support faster, more informed emergency response.
A Decade of 3D Tiles
3D Tiles was first introduced by Cesium (now part of Bentley Systems), in 2015. Created by applying techniques from the world of computer graphics, 3D Tiles solved a problem that was growing as rapidly as the rate of 3D data collection: how to stream and render massive, heterogeneous 3D geospatial datasets.
Without compromising performance or accuracy, 3D Tiles made it possible to render photogrammetry, point clouds, and city-scale 3D models on the web and in real time. At the time, workarounds involved fragmented formats and proprietary limits, but there was only one way to unleash the true potential of the technology for the benefit of all: make it open.
In 2019, we adopted 3D Tiles as an OGC Community Standard. Since then, 3D Tiles has steadily gained adoption—powered by community contributions, commercial implementations, and support across platforms.
In 2023, Google chose 3D Tiles as the foundation for Photorealistic 3D Tiles, an alignment that allows developers using platforms like Cesium, Unreal Engine, and now ArcGIS, to integrate this content seamlessly into their solutions.
“3D Tiles demonstrates how the OGC Community Standard process supports scalable, interoperable implementations. By aligning with real-world data and platform needs, it ensures that innovations developed by the community can integrate across diverse systems and power operational geospatial solutions at scale.”
— Scott Simmons, Chief Standards Officer, OGC
Let’s Keep Going
When industry leaders like Esri and Google embrace open standards, it’s a reinforcement of what OGC and its members have long advocated: that openness and interoperability drive value and accelerate innovation. But even more importantly, it’s a win—not just for the tech community, but for everyone.
If you’re working with 3D Tiles—or want to help shape what comes next—now is an exciting time to get involved.
More than 450 OGC member organizations are collaborating on the next generation of solutions and tools built on foundational standards like 3D Tiles.
Become a member of OGC and be a part of making the world work better—together.
About This Series
This article is the fourth in our “10 Ideas in 10 Weeks” series, highlighting bold ideas and real-world innovation across the OGC community.
If you missed the earlier posts, you can catch up here:
Navigating the Era of Synthetic Imagery: Why Trust in Geospatial Data Matters — why integrity and provenance are essential in today’s data landscape.
From Data to Decisions: Aligning for the Space Economy — how we can prepare for a more connected, competitive, and collaborative future in orbit.
From Wildfires to Water Scarcity: OGC’s Open Science Demonstrator Is Turning Research into Real-World Impact — how open science is driving practical solutions to global challenges.
Stay tuned for more stories about the people, projects, and standards shaping the future of geospatial.