Watch the interview
Patrick Gill, Eagleview’s VP & General Manager of Commercial Imagery & Data, sat down with James Slifierz, CEO of SkyWatch, to explore how integrating Eagleview’s high‑resolution aerial imagery with SkyWatch’s multi‑sensor platform makes geospatial data easier to find, buy, and use, right inside the tools teams already rely on.
The conversation, centers on themes of data accessibility, satellite–aerial complementarity, workflow integration (including Esri’s ArcGIS Content Store), cross‑industry use cases, and an AI‑driven future for imagery procurement.
Highlights from the vodcast with corresponding time cues
- 00:20 — Opening & context: Setting the stage for the discussion: making high‑value imagery accessible where people work.
- 01:05 — What is SkyWatch: A single endpoint to access data from many sensors and platforms—space to stratosphere to aerial—so customers can monitor any location with just a few clicks.
- 03:10 — Origin story: From building open‑source tools for astrophysicists to “turning the cameras toward Earth” and launching Skywatch’s Earth observation focus.
- 05:40 — Why Eagleview aerial: Customers needed higher resolution, cloud‑free captures and flexible angles; bringing capture altitude down unlocks quality and reliability that complement satellites.
- 08:15 — Complementary, not competitive: Satellites, high‑altitude platforms, and aerial each solve different constraints. Together, they complete more use cases than any single source can.
- 10:30 — Priority verticals: Insurance, state & local government, and AEC benefit from higher resolution orthos; Eagleview augments SkyWatch’s satellite‑first reach to better serve these users.
- 13:10 — Media, film, and gaming: Adoption is expanding beyond GIS: location scouting, set planning, and 3D digital twins without costly travel; remote assets deliver the needed perspectives and meshes.
- 15:45 — Remote assessment wins: Fewer site visits, faster cycles, greater safety, and the ability to do more appraisals or inspections per day by “knowing before you go.”
- 18:00 — Inside ArcGIS via the Esri Content Store: Users move from base‑map “problem aware” to pulling in the latest Eagleview imagery in minutes—no friction from buying, downloading, or GIS importing.
- 21:30 — Looking ahead: AI buys the pixels: By decade’s end, most imagery queries and purchases may be done by AI agents; an API‑first platform ensures those agents can discover and use Eagleview imagery instantly.
Watch the interview to hear how teams combine satellite and aerial data—plus measurements and 3D products—to prepare for field work, accelerate decisions, and keep projects moving inside their day‑to‑day tools.
“Our job is to let customers get information about some location on the planet as fast and as simply as possible.” — James Slifierz, CEO, SkyWatch
The interview was recorded in 2025.