Redlands, California—Jack Dangermond, president and cofounder of Esri, will be a featured speaker at the eighty-first National Association of Counties (NACo) Annual Conference and Exposition, to be held July 22–25, 2016, in Long Beach, California. Dangermond is an entrepreneur and a recognized thought leader in the development of technologies for planning built and natural environments. He will discuss how advancements in spatial technologies are systematically creating county governments that are well run, healthy, safe, livable, sustainable, and increasingly prosperous.
"We’re grateful that Jack accepted our invitation to deliver keynote remarks at the National Association of Counties Annual Conference," said Brian Namey, NACo’s public affairs director. "Working with Esri to build smarter communities and deliver better services to residents, counties across the country benefit from Jack’s leadership and vision."
For years, Dangermond and his team have spent their time cultivating ideas for the advancement of counties. One vision was the development of the concept of geodesign that is leading to more livable and sustainable counties. His latest vision, GeoHub, supports innovation by connecting all the ecosystems of stakeholders to tackle the challenges that governments face each day. As a result, users save time and money while improving performance (how)—and transforming their bottom line.
A prime example of a smart county is Pinellas County, Florida, which recently won the Enterprise GIS Award from Esri. Pinellas County used open data and geospatial models to save county residents approximately $5.3 million annually on National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) premiums. Additional jurisdictions that were recognized as smart community leaders included Ascension Parish, Louisiana, and the counties of Maricopa, Arizona; Sonoma, California; Kent, Delaware; Maui, Hawaii; Marion, Indiana; Riley, Kansas; Garret, Maryland; Allegheny and Fairfax, Virginia; and Harrison and Racine, West Virginia.
NACo’s conference will feature county officials, experts from private and nonprofit sectors, and leaders from Los Angeles County. They and others will discuss contemporary ideas and exchange crucial information regarding NACo’s policy agenda for the upcoming year. Among those will be notable featured speakers like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, six-time NBA champion, author, filmmaker, and columnist; Jon Meacham, presidential historian and author; and Diana Nyad, record-breaking athlete, sports broadcaster, and author.
For more information on the future of smart, visit www.esri.com/smart-communities.