News
Falklands Maritime Heritage Trust (FMHT) has been shortlisted for a 2026 Esri UK Customer Success Award in the Delivering Innovation category, recognising exceptional use of GIS technology at a national level.
The nomination reflects FMHT’s pioneering work following the discovery of Sir Ernest Shackleton’s ship Endurance, using advanced spatial technologies to build a lasting digital record of one of the world’s most significant deep-ocean heritage sites.
Deep ocean heritage sites are among the most difficult, risky and expensive places to access. Once an expedition ends, opportunities to return can be limited, meaning the data captured in that moment must remain valuable for years to come. Following the Endurance22 expedition, FMHT’s challenge was not only how to document the wreck accurately, but how to ensure the data remained usable, accessible and meaningful long after the expedition ended.
Working in partnership with Deep Ocean Search and Esri, the team have been developing a shared digital research environment using ArcGIS Online, bringing together high-resolution sonar, multibeam bathymetry, photogrammetry, lidar laser imagery, archaeology and environmental data into a single spatial platform. The digital Endurance site is now approaching completion and will provide a permanent resource that researchers can revisit repeatedly, enabling new questions to be explored, fresh analysis to be undertaken and the wreck to be studied and protected over time.
FMHT would like to thank Deep Ocean Search Ltd., Esri, and the entire Endurance22 team, whose expertise, innovation and collaborative spirit made this work possible. We would also like to offer special acknowledgement to Pierre Le Gall, who masterminded the GIS solution developed for Endurance on behalf of FMHT.
The Esri UK Customer Success Awards celebrate organisations using GIS technology to deliver real-world impact, innovation and insight. Winners will be announced at the 2026 Esri UK Annual Conference.
