San Diego: Much is talked and heard about the annual Esri User Conference but attending it and getting lost in the sea of geospatialists and geospatial enthusiasts is altogether a different experience! One just has to be there and open mind’s floodgates to get overwhelmed with the spectacular innovations, amazing user experiences, and the latest app-talk.
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Post by Geospatial Media and Communications.
Jack Dangermond, President, Esri set the stage for the week-long carnival with his forward-looking statements and latest initiatives from Esri. Stressing that “GIS is creating our future”, Dangermond said that humans are living in a world that is facing challenges like rapid urbanisation, increasing population and climate change, all affecting the physical and social happenings on the planet. “At this point in time, geography is more important than everything, providing us the context and content, a framework to understand our work, bringing measurements, analyses and visualisation to our world. GIS is integrating geography into ecology, economics, sociology, demographics, and everything else we do, changing the way we think and act at organisational and planetary level,” he said.
“Geography provides the science, web GIS the technology and geodesign the process. Only GIS professionals can integrate, exploit and share these capabilities, creating a better future. My challenge to you, starting from this week, is be the architects of the future,” called on Dangermond.
Watch the Vision video where Jack Dangermond speaks about a hopeful vision of the future shaped by GIS
Latest from Esri ensemble: Informing the 15,000-strong audience about the latest and forthcoming initiatives, Jack said that Esri is adding additional tools, improved modelling, more migration and analytic tools into the online environment to support better understanding and advancing the fundamental science of geography. “In the real-time space, we are supporting, monitoring and alerting more integration of big data. On the imagery side, Esri is serving intelligent imagery for scientific formats, segmentation and classification tools, visualisation and analytics. Esri is also adding ready-to-use living atlas that includes data on scores of contextual data including demographics, landscape, hydrology, geology, urban systems, 2D and 3D data and traffic in real time,” he said.
Talking about the exciting world of ‘apps’, Dangermond informed that apps are providing simple mapping and location analytics for both GIS and non-GIS professionals. A demo of the latest app, ‘The Web App Builder’ introduced the cross-platform framework which allows non-programmers to develop an app and deploy it across the enterprise.
Dangermond also informed the audience about the latest enhancements in the existing ensemble of Esri stressing on the improved functionality of ArcGIS Online, ArcGIS Server and ArcGIS Solution templates and products. Esri has also launched EsriGeoNet, a social network for Esri users and a new way for the company to support its community.
Video: About GeoNet – The Esri Community
Special Achievement Awards: The occasion also witnessed the acknowledgement and announcement of the Special Achievement Awards (SAG). The Enterprise GIS Award was conferred on the Royal Dutch Shell for using the Web GIS platform of Esri. The President’s Award was given to the City of Rancho Cucamonga, for making GIS a critical element of the city’s infrastructure and functioning.
The five-day event is engaging the visitors with hundreds of sessions, live demos, map gallery, social engagements, awards ceremony and several social events.
Guiding philosophy: Noting that Esri is clearly about serving its users, advancing GIS and spatial literacy, Dangermond exhorted that, “Esri is strong and growing, we continue to make a difference, integrating context and contributing to society, advancing maps and advancing support.”
Source: Our Correspondent
