Rethinking how GIS users work with data: Spatial Analytics in Microsoft Fabric

Microsoft Fabric is Microsoft and Azure Data’s new unified data analytics platform, responsible for gathering a range of data toolsets (some of which already exist in the Azure product set) under a single umbrella. This article asks data users to “think of it as a single solution to crunch numbers and deliver insights.” The goal of Microsoft Fabric is to enable business and data professionals to unlock the potential of their data for the era of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Fabric has been revolutionizing the way data is interpreted and has been making analytics accessible to everyone, not just those with deep expertise. Microsoft Fabric covers everything from data movement to data science, real-time analytics, and business intelligence, and brings it all to a SaaS foundation, “OneLake”.

Why should this matter to the readers of this blog? Increasingly, the needs of data analysts extend beyond the traditional ways of gathering and analyzing data in a GIS environment. Recently, Esri and Microsoft announced that they have combined expertise by integrating spatial insights into Microsoft Fabric. Within Fabric’s unified analytics platform, analysts will have access to a range of reliable spatial functions and tools that reveal spatial patterns and trends. They will be able to seamlessly deliver results into Microsoft 365 and across the Fabric environment. They can conduct deeper exploration by using interactive mapping capabilities and software as a service (SaaS) offerings in Esri’s ArcGIS technology stack.

In Fabric, a unified collection and coordination of data assets will pair sophisticated spatial analysis tools with an intuitive UI/UX, including the following:

• The ability to perform visual analytics within the context of location
• 140+ spatial functions and tools (as of December 2023)
• Native integration with Power BI and M365 apps
• An interactive mapping experience via ArcGIS
• A unified platform to share and access your organization’s data

For more information, see: https://www.esri.com/en-us/c/product/spatial-analytics-in-microsoft-fabric.

These developments merit attention and will no doubt transform the way data analysts interact with GIS tools, and also impact the volume and variety of data that can be analyzed.

–Joseph Kerski