Innovators, Scholars, and Storytellers Celebrated at the Esri Awards

Redlands, California—June 30, 2016—Innovation and excellence in the application of geographic information system (GIS) technology were recognized with assorted geospatial awards as GIS provider Esri acknowledged recipients from across globe at their annual User Conference in San Diego, California on June 29th. Honors presented included the Special Achievement in GIS (SAG) Award, the Storytelling with Maps Award, and the Esri Young Scholars Award.

"This year's winners have all demonstrated exemplary use of GIS technology to visualize geospatial data and deliver intelligence about the interconnecting relationships of their geography," Esri president Jack Dangermond said. "Through their hard work, we're able to shine light on best practices for implementing technology to change the world. Highlighting good footprints of work conveys the recipient's insight to the entire GIS community."

SAG Awards are presented to organizations around the world in recognition of their innovative use of GIS to collect data, extrapolate it, make informed decisions, and exact change. 180 institutions were acknowledged in 2016 in fields such as local government, agriculture, environmental analysis, emergency response, retail, and water management.

Storytelling with Maps Awards were given to the top entries from the Esri Storytelling with Maps Contest. Participants submit dynamic maps laden with descriptive text, compelling images, and rich multimedia, otherwise known as Story Maps, to convey engaging narrative. Recipients are selected based on the effectiveness in which they present subject matter; including clarity of message, quality of user experience, use of design and creativity, and how interesting they make their information.

The focus of the Esri Young Scholars Awards is on international students. Esri's global partners nominate 25 university students from around the world for excellence in relation to a GIS project. These projects include comprehensive research papers, software development, impactful maps, and apps that promote education, conservation, disaster response, and urban planning.