14 DAY TRIAL // Back in November 2007, Microsoft introduced its Simulation Platform built on top of the Flight Simulator technology, as a solution designed to enable the creation of sophisticated simulations replicating real life scenarios and environments. Microsoft ESP, according to the company, comes to fill in a gap on the market, by delivering a platform with support for the development of simulation solutions. Since January 1, 2008, when Microsoft ESP became available, companies such as Lockheed Martin and FlightSafety International have adopted the platform.
"We think what we're bringing to this market will ease the development of simulation training solutions. Access to this kind of software platform should greatly expand the ecosystem of people who can create rich immersive applications that previously might have been too expensive. Companies are excited to see Microsoft enter this arena, and the fact that we've chosen to enter with a platform expands the potential opportunities for industry partners and customers to develop truly compelling solutions, which we hope will help grow the simulation market overall," stated Shawn Firminger, Manager of Microsoft's ACES Studio, that oversees ESP.
In order to emphasize the initial success of Microsoft ESP, the company invited representatives from both Lockheed Martin and FlightSafety International to describe their experiences with the platform. Microsoft does by no means reinvent the wheel with ESP, however it is simplifying the entire process of deploying simulation solutions, scrapping the need for proprietary technology hardware and software. With Microsoft ESP, customers no longer need to tap a variety of licenses for tools, content and the engine, as well as to develop the simulation from scratch spending up to $3 million. The Redmond company is offering rich simulation capabilities, comprehensive scenery data, customization tools and even environment controls.
"Microsoft ESP will also provide pre-built flight simulation logic and graphical components that can be used as-is, in combination with existing simulation software or with new simulation components. The Microsoft ESP platform provides simulation capabilities enabling training, learning management and configuration management tools and applications to be integrated into a robust solution for our customers. This solution can then be tailored to the specific training application," revealed Chris Weinberg, Director of Business Development for FlightSafety International.
"Immersive technologies are of particular interest to us and to our customer base. As we improve our capability to gather increasingly large amounts of data, and as that data grows increasingly complex, we need to be able to simplify the way the end user can view, analyze and assess it. Presenting a warfighter or an analyst with a never-ending spreadsheet of numbers and text doesn't do much for their situational awareness. But overlaying that same data on to a three-dimensional, immersive map can help them quickly and intuitively ascertain what's most important to them. And that begins to deliver real value for the mission. Technologies like Microsoft ESP can help us accomplish that goal," added Charlie Hargraves, 3D Immersive Virtual Environment Technologies Program Manager for Lockheed Martin.