Aero-TV: Checking Out Microsoft's ESP

New Military and Defense Flight Simulations Are Being Built on Microsoft ESP

Throughout last fall's I/ITSEC convention (Interservice/Industry Training, Simulation and Education Conference), one sign in particular became a familiar one... adorning a number of high-tech flight simulation displays -- Microsoft ESP.
The talented team behind Microsoft’s longest continuously shipping product, Flight Simulator, has begun offering a new visual simulation development platform for defense, civil aviation and other industries to use in creating immersive training simulations.

Dubbed Microsoft ESP, the platform consists of the underlying PC-based simulation “engine” that powers Flight Simulator, along with development tools and the rich worldwide content that models the entire Earth. Adding to the realism are the high-fidelity 3D visual imagery, a configurable user-adjustable weather system, accurate vector data and geography which can be tailored for custom solutions. To help make the Microsoft ESP a more effective training tool, the After Action Review (AAR) feature lets you record and review every action made during a session to review later, and custom missions can be created to help tailor simulations to specific training goals.

Microsoft ESP’s launch marked Microsoft’s entry into the growing market for so-called “serious games” and games-based learning tools which are now used around the world in a variety of industries to train everything from helicopter pilots to emergency responders and soldiers. To date, interest in the market has been solid and prompted Microsoft to participate in the most recent I/ITSEC gathering.

Among the benefits of Microsoft ESP touted by I/ITSEC attendees, was the versatility of the platform and its ability to interact with other technologies and data, allowing for a range of situations as well as integration with a variety of different systems. ESP can simulate large Airbus jets down to smaller aircrafts and integrate those with a variety of ...