What is ArcGIS Reality Server?

Note:

ArcGIS Reality Server is a beta feature at ArcGIS Enterprise 12.0. While in beta, this capability may not be feature complete and, as such, may have known performance or quality issues and will not be supported by Esri Technical Support.

Feedback on this feature can be provided in the ArcGIS Enterprise 12.0 Beta Features Early Adopter Community.

ArcGIS Reality Server provides distributed computing and storage systems that powers reality mapping capabilities for large collections of drones, digital aerial and satellite images. It allows you to manage and process a large collection of overlapping images from different platforms and sensors and generate high-fidelity 2D and 3D products in a scalable and self-hosted environment. This extensive capability can be further expanded by leveraging cloud computing capabilities and resources. As a result, reality mapping tasks that used to take days or weeks can now be done in hours, and jobs that were too large or extensive can now be handled.

Key capabilities

ArcGIS Reality Server provides a comprehensive toolset for reality mapping workflows, including image management, adjustment, and generation of 2D and 3D products. These tools are based on the same proven technology available in ArcGIS Pro, but optimized for enterprise scalability through distributed processing and project-based workflows.

Reality mapping workflow management

ArcGIS Reality Server organizes projects using a portal-based structure that includes project items and associated missions.

Projects serve as containers for all related data and outputs.
Missions manage image collections as image services, supporting imagery from drones, crewed aircraft, and satellites.

This structure ensures consistency, traceability, and collaboration across teams.

Image adjustment

ArcGIS Reality Server includes includes advanced tools for image adjustment, which is essential for accurate geospatial products.

Tie Point Computation: Detects and matches common points across overlapping images.
Triangulation: Calculates precise camera positions and orientations.
Orthorectification: Corrects distortions caused by terrain and sensor geometry.

These processes use sensor-specific algorithms to ensure accuracy for different platforms, from UAVs to high-resolution satellites.

Generating products

ArcGIS Reality Server supports the creation of various 2D and 3D products from drone, digital aerial and satellite images. The possible products are described below:

DSM — A Digital Surface Model (DSM) of the earth and features above the surface. This is generated from a collection of overlapping images.
DTM — Digital Terrain Model (DTM) of the earth with above ground objects such as trees, buildings, vehicles, and so on, removed. A DTM is also referred to as bare earth elevation.
Orthomosaic — A composite image where distortions caused by camera tilt, terrain, and lens distortion have been removed. This correction ensures that the scale is uniform across the image, It provides accurate locations for features on the ground, while above-ground features such as buildings and trees will appear to lean away from the camera and may not be in their correct horizontal location.
True Ortho — An orthorectified image without perspective distortion so that above-ground features do not lean and obscure other features.
DSM Mesh — A 2.5D textured model in which the adjusted images are draped on a triangulated irregular network (TIN) version of the DSM extracted from overlapping images.
Point Cloud —3D points representing the ground surface and features above the ground, derived from overlapping imagery.
Mesh —A 3D textured model in which the ground and above-ground feature facades are densely and accurately reconstructed.

Distributed processing

ArcGIS Reality Server leverages parallel processing across multiple machines and distributed storage to handle many large-scale reality mapping tasks efficiently. This architecture significantly reduces processing time, enabling organizations to complete projects in hours instead of days.

ArcGIS Reality Server is designed for enterprise collaboration.

Users across your organization can contribute data, share expertise, and publish results securely.
All source data and generated products are stored and shared through your ArcGIS Enterprise portal, ensuring controlled access and governance.

Deployment

ArcGIS Reality Server can be deployed:

On-premises, for organizations with strict data governance requirements.
In the cloud, using AWS or Microsoft Azure. Deployment is streamlined with ArcGIS Enterprise Cloud Builder tools, which simplify site creation and configuration.

The installation follows the standard ArcGIS Enterprise pattern:

Install the portal, hosting ArcGIS Server site, and relational ArcGIS Data Store.
Install ArcGIS Server on additional machines and assign the Reality Server role to the site.

Refer to additional information on this page for deployment details and system requirements.

Summary

ArcGIS Reality Server transforms massive imagery collections into high-fidelity 2D and 3D products quickly and securely. By combining:

Distributed processing for speed,
Enterprise collaboration for efficiency, and
Enterprise collaboration for efficiency,

it enables organizations to scale reality mapping workflows and deliver accurate, actionable geospatial intelligence for decision-making, planning, and digital twin initiatives.