ESRI in the News

By integrating information into a common spatial language, GIS connects people and their work worldwide. Its success as a powerful decision making tool is illustrated in the following articles.

• Contact ESRI press relations for more information about ESRI or our products, for written materials or artwork, or to set up an interview with ESRI clients or ESRI management staff.

Growing, Changing Workplace: Dulles, Virginia, Slows Down
Years of rapid commercial growth along Northern Virginia’s Dulles Corridor is slowing. Demographic data from ESRI illustrates how employment in that area’s largest industries has changed from 2000 to today.
The Washington Post, November 12, 2007—by Alejandro Lazo

It's All in the Book
GIS students from Alexander High School, North Carolina, have created a 160-page map book that contains detailed maps and data in seven categories: geography, history, government, education, economy, retail, and arts and recreation.
Hickory Record, November 12, 2007—by Sarah Newell

ZIP Code 14051 has Economic Zip
ESRI names ZIP Code 14051, East Amherst, New York, as the most affluent ZIP Code in western New York State. Tops in median net worth, home value, and income – three reasons why the area is a desirable place to live.
Buffalo Business First, November 8, 2007—by G. Scott Thomas

Mapping out Safeguards
Attendees of the ESRI Homeland Security GIS Summit were shown demonstrations using GIS as a tool for providing security for high-profile events such as a national convention. The event, held November 5-7, was attended by more than 250 security and public safety officials.
Denver Post, November 8, 2007—by Chuck Plunket

Lightning Notes from the ESRI Homeland Security Conference
Author Glenn Letham gives an overview of the conference held November 5-7, in Denver, Colorado.
GISuser.com, November 7, 2007—by Glenn Letham

In the Middle of a Firestorm – Literally ... The Southern California Fires, and Support from ESRI
Joe Francica, Editor-in-Chief and Vice Publisher, Directions Magazine, writes about the role ESRI's GIS technology played in supporting firefighting efforts such as informing citizens, routing emergency vehicles, determining shelter locations, and deploying resources.
Directions Magazine, November 1, 2007—by Joe Francica

How ESRI Helped Fight the Fires
ESRI helped in creating maps that tracked the fires that burned through hundreds of thousands of acres in Southern California. Support will continue as FEMA and other agencies begin to assess the damage and impact of the firestorm.
Redlands Daily Facts, November 1, 2007—by Jesse B. Gil

Bridging the Economic Divide in Africa
Jim Baumann describes how GIS and remote sensing help manage agricultural and health challenges in Cameroon and Ethiopia.
GEOConnexion, November 2007—by Jim Baumann, ESRI

INSPIRE: The Importance of Being Interoperable
The INfrastructure for SPatial InfoRmation in Europe (INSPIRE) is an intiative to meet the need to develop interoperable architecture and provide standardized interfaces between geospatial implementations throughout Europe because of common environmental concerns.
GEOConnexion, November 2007—by Jim Baumann, ESRI

ArcGIS Business Analyst Helps Norwegian Group
ESRI's ArcGIS Business Analyst helps the Norwegian retail group Coop Norge AS to refine their marketing strategies.
Geo:Connexion, October 29, 2007—by Jim Baumann, ESRI

Minority Report for the Majority
Information Builders advances the integration of enterprise data to geospatial data for predicting criminal activity.
Cadalyst Online, October 16, 2007, 2007—by Kenneth Wong

Software to Help State Find Abducted Children
The statewide Child Abduction Response Team in Utah recently started using aerial mapping software called ArcGIS. The geographic information systems software will allow them to use more detailed strategies and better organization during searches for abducted children or other missing people.
Daily Herald, October 8, 2007, 2007—by Jeremy Duda

Traffic Flow Application Helps After Minneapolis Bridge Disaster
Software developer ESRI created and deployed a Web application that allows Minnesota commuters to navigate new routes, despite frequent changes in barriers in the area.
Information Week, October 3, 2007—by K.C. Jones

Bridge Reroute Application Helps Minneapolis Cope with Disaster
Using the ArcWeb Services Flex API, ESRI quickly put together a dynamic Web application that allowed city planners to define barriers and allowed commuters to see updates and create new routes with an option to print.
Government Technology, October 1, 2007—by Barbara Shields, ESRI

Book Review: Arc Marine—GIS for a Blue Planet
Geo:Connexion's Editor reviews the latest from ESRI Press, refering to the book as "a valuable resource for the marine community."
Geo:Connexion, October 2007—by Roger Longhorn

ModelBuilder Extends GIS Capabilities
At the De Beers Marine in Namibia, ESRI's ModelBuilder is streamlining GIS work in an efficient time-saving and productive manner.
GEOconnexion International, October 2007, 2007—by Felix Muyoba, GIS Coordinator, De Beers Marine

Product Review: BusinessMAP, ver. 4.5
Hal Reid, Senior Technical Editor, Directions Magazine & Private Consultant, reviews the latest release of BusinessMap. He writes "this version puts BusinessMap in a new league; it is now a full-featured business product."
Directions Magazine, September 14, 2007—by Hal Reid

Easing Air Traffic at LAX is a Plan with a Few Glitches
The Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) has the second highest number of people living within a 25-mile radius, according to ESRI. As one of the busiest airports in southern California, the area is looking to ease air traffic by expanding other airports.
Los Angeles Times, September 10, 2007—by Steve Hymon

Mapping the Ayles Ice Shelf
Carla Wheeler, ESRI ArcWatch editor, describes how researchers use GIS to map the ayles ice shelf break in the canadian arctic.
GEOconnexion, September, 2007—by Carla Wheeler, ESRI

Call and Response
After the bridge collapse in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the city's fledgling Wi-Fi network allowed rescuers to access the city's geographic information system, which uses ESRI tools. That access was crucial in getting maps to the command center set up along the Mississippi River banks.
GCN, August 27, 2007—by Trudy Walsh

Imaging Program to Offer Natural Resources Snapshot
The U.S. government has announced a plan for a long-term land-imaging program that would strengthen the country's leadership in moderate-resolution, satellite-based imagery that is adept at monitoring the world's natural resources. A global record of such land-imaging is important for managing territorial possessions and agricultural resources, and for tracking global land change.
Executive Government.com, August 16, 2007—by Aliya Sternstein

New Orleans: The State of the City
2005 and 2007 population data from ESRI for New Orleans was used as one of the sources to create this map for the August 13, 2007 issue of Time magazine. The map illustrated an article about population changes in New Orleans since Hurricane Katrina.
Time Magazine, August 13, 2007

Technology Reveals New Worlds to Map
The Bureau of Labor Statistics lists GIS-related jobs as among the fastest-growing new or emerging fields, and according to Richard Serby, a founder of GeoSearch, there are not enough people to fill all the openings.
New York Times, August 12, 2007—by Barbara Whitaker

ArcGIS Image Server 9.2 Delivers Dynamic Image Distribution and Processing
A review of the new release shows that the software expedites cataloging, processing, and distributing imagery and raster datasets via Image Services that can be modified on-the-fly with advanced server-side processing and more functionality than a typical Web mapping system.
Earth Imaging Journal, August, 2007— R. Brian Culpepper, University of Arkansas Center for Advanced Spatial Technologies

On the Job: Oklahoma City's Watershed Moment
The city's public works department integrates GIS and maintenance management data to support its water and wastewater infrastructure.
Cadalyst, July 26, 2007—by Michelle Nicolson

Taking it to the Streets
Emerging geoWeb tools give agencies new ways to put their data to use.
GCN, July 23, 2007—by Patrick Marshall

Local Governments Move to Integrate Business Intelligence with GIS
The Northern Kentucky Area Planning Commission (NKAPC) used their existing GIS technology to develop a strong reporting solution to keep track of applications for permits, zoning and land development as well as to be a watchdog for code enforcement.
Directions Magazine, July 19, 2007—by Joe Francica , Editor-in-Chief and Vice Publisher

Computer Modeling Smoothes a Dam Hard Job
Civil engineers and planners are using computer modeling techniques to determine the best methods to demolish dams and to plan for the rush of water and silt by building levees, bridges, and footings in advance. They can also plan to protect historic sites and keep invasive species of plants from spreading with the mud.
Wired, July 13, 2007—by Marty Graham

GIS Integration
CIOs see big potential in integrating GIS with enterprise software applications. How it's done is another matter.
Government Technology, July 9, 2007—by David Raths

Editorial: Where Did all the People Go?
The latest government numbers offer no indication that immigration impacts population or school enrollment, but may influence wealth. A list of the top wealthiest ZIP codes in upstate New York, compiled by ESRI, was looked at to evaluate that premise.
The Independent, July 6, 2007

Market Facts 2007
Interactive maps produced by Crain Communications, Inc. and ePublishing, Inc. with ESRI demographic data provide a detailed profile of the population of Chicago's six-county area.
Chicago Business, July, 2007

Interview with Jack Dangermond,, President of ESRI
In the June 2007 issue, Dr. Nitin Tripathi, Editor-in-Chief, International Journal of Geoinformatics, speaks with Jack Dangermond, president, ESRI.
International Journal of Geoinformaticsw, June 2007, 2007—by Dr. Nitin Tripathi, Editor-in-Chief

Top ZIP Codes
In North Carolina, the Triangle Community's most valued homes are found among the Raleigh, Morrisville, and Chapel Hill neighborhoods. According to ESRI, Raleigh ZIP Code 27608 ranks the highest—with a median home value of more than $335,000.
Triangle Business Journal, Spring, 2007

Clint Brown Shares 10 Cool Things about the 2007 ESRI User Conference
Clint Brown, ESRI's Director of Software Products, shares his version of "10 Cool Things" you'll find at this year's International ESRI User Conference in San Diego, California, June 18-22.
GIS User, June 1, 2007—by Clint Brown

ZIP Codes Paint Portrait of Dallas
ESRI demographers combined and analyzed a variety of data to provide The Dallas Morning News and people in the Dallas-Fort Worth area valuable insights about how the area is likely to change in the next five years. They also received a detailed portrait of six counties that included information such as median income and spending habits.
Dallas Morning News, May 27, 2007—by Cheryl Hall

Patching Potholes with Data
By making GIS the center of a pavement management system, road evaluation is easier.
Public Works Magazine, May 15, 2007—by Jeffrey Allen

Apollo Teng | A Place for Everything
County GIS manager Apollo Teng has many career highlights, such as improving the efficiency and data accuracy of 60 GIS data layers, updated quarterly for the county's public safety systems.
GCN.com, May 7, 2007—by Sami Lais

Conference Report: ESRI Business GeoInfo Summit
More than 200 ESRI GIS business users convened in Dallas, Texas, for a week in April to share their experiences. ESRI unveiled exciting new technology for helping organizations succeed in using GIS in their business practices.
Directions Magazine, May 3, 2007—by Hal Reid

Smart GIS / IT
Learn how the City of Cape Town in the Republic South Africa is using GIS to achieve seamless enterprise information management capabilities within an integrated and service-oriented IT architecture.
GeoConnexion, May, 2007—by Jim Baumann, ESRI

San Jose: Power Market
Specialty Retail Reports’ Spring 2007 issue describes San Jose, California, as a trendy, ideal place to launch and test new retail products. According to ESRI’s demographic data, residents are young, diverse, and upscale. Retail MarketPlace 2006 data depicts annual retail sales totaling more than $29 billion. Free login required.
Specialty Retail Reports, Spring, 2007

India Revealed
It’s big, contentious, and crowded, but doing business in India isn’t as easy as one may think. This map illustrates an article in Crains Chicago Business that describes how Chicago companies are overcoming these challenges.
Crains Chicago Business, April, 2007

Race Tracking
Twice a year, the small city of Dover, Delaware, is overrun by approximately 250,000 NASCAR fans. The city turned to GIS to more efficiently manage resources and improve emergency response.
Government Technology, April 25, 2007—by Chad Vander Veen

Officials Demonstrate Pilot Geographical Data Sharing System
The Federated Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Pilot Project demonstration was held to show county-level GIS professionals and others how new technology will soon allow counties to share geographic information updated in real time. The event was hosted by ESRI, the non-profit think tank the Pennsylvania GIS Consortium, and Union County.
Williamsport Sun-Gazette, April 25, 2007—by David Thompson

Geospatial and the Elite
Old-school geographic information systems still dig deep on mapping and analyses.
GNC, April 16, 2007—by Patrick Marshall

GPS and GIS: On the Corporate Radar
GPS and GIS are not just for mapmakers, navigators, and military analysts anymore. These technologies are becoming strategic components in a diverse array of industries, from construction and trucking to marketing and health care.
Computer World, April 2, 2007—by Suzanne Hildreth

Solving a Weighty Issue
Kristen Kurland, a Carnegie Mellon faculty member and a nationally known expert on GIS, is using the technology to tackle obesity and other health issues.
Carnegie Mellon Today, April, 2007—by Susan Cosgrove

ESRI Receives Export Achievement Award
ESRI received an award today at California State Polytechnic University in Pomona from the U.S. Commercial Service, an agency from the U.S. Department of Commerce, for expanding its geographic information systems (GIS) market in Latin America.
Redlands Daily Facts, March 29, 2007

Colorado Combines GIS, Weather Data
Colorado is deploying a Web service called "WeatherBug" that allows emergency management workers to view weather data overlaid on geographic information.
FCW.com, March 22, 2007—by John Moore

Richmond, Virginia Police Department Wins Gartner's 2007 BI Excellence Award
Incident and aggregate crime data is mapped by location and sector with GIS software from ESRI, helping to create "a new way of fighting crime."
Yahoo News, March 20, 2007

Demographic Data from ESRI Identifies Wealthiest ZIP Code in East Bay, California
According to demographic data from ESRI, ZIP Code 94507 is depicted as the wealthiest ZIP Code in the East Bay, California area. For more information about East Bay and the other wealthy ZIP Codes on the list, read the March 16th issue of the East Bay Business Times.
East Bay Business Times, March 16, 2007

The Value of Where
Telephony Editor Dan O'Shea talks about the benefits of using geocoding technology and geocoding analysis in conjunction with network map visualization solutions.
Telephony's Technology Update, March 15, 2007

Indiana Circle Believed to be Ancient Site
The county GIS team found a circular formation discovered in a wooded area next to a highway slated for widening that is likely an earthen enclosure built by prehistoric Indians, Ball State University archaeologists say.
Yahoo News, March 12, 2007

From ArcGIS 9.1 to Version 9.2—A Small Step for ESRI but a Big Step for the User Community
Florian Fischer, editor of GIS-Magazine, reviews many of the significant changes in ArcGIS 9.2 and why it is definitely worth looking at.
GeoInformatics, March 3, 2007—by Florian Fischer

Taking a Closer Look at Greater Indianapolis
In the March, 2007 issue of Heartland Real Estate Business, ESRI demographics and Retail MarketPlace data are used to describe the Greater Indianapolis, Indiana metro area. Key demographic variables include a population of 1.6 million and median income values of nearly $60,000.
Heartland Real Estate Business , March, 2007

ESRI Maps Out GIS Platform for SOA
ESRI is charting a new direction for GIS by integrating its applications into a service-oriented architecture (SOA) and is taking its existing spatial design tools and coupling them with an application development framework (ADF) for .NET and Java.
Software Development Times, March 1, 2007—by David Worthington

PhillyHistory.org Provides Geographic Search Capabilities for Thousands of Historic Photos
The Philadelphia Department of Records is using an innovative Web-based GIS application so PhillyHistory.org users can search for historic photographs based on locations and keywords. The archive includes over 2 million images.
Huliq.com, February 28, 2007

How to Visualize a Business Ecosystem
The power of service-oriented architectures (SOA) is apparent in a new field, enterprise ecosystem visualization. Innovative mash-ups allow users to visualize business information, such as regional sales for a particular product, on a map in three dimensions.
SAP Info, February 21, 2007—by Krishna Kumar

High-Tech Innovations Drive Success
Finding the routing solution that matches your needs means asking the right questions such as "What kind of real-time data is available?" and "How often are routes updated?"
Food Logistics, February 12, 2007—by April Terreri

Painting the Big Picture
Data visualization can produce dramatic insights from rows and columns and numbers. Today, leading organizations are making their Business Intelligence truly intelligent by displaying it in images that convey meaning—meaning that the business can use.
IT World Canada, February 1, 2007—by Richard Bray

GIS’ Multidiscipline Retail Value Proposition
Understanding the benefits explain why the retail vertical has become a hotly competitive and lucrative arena for GIS solution providers.
Integrated Solutions for Retailers, February, 2007—by Matt Pillar

Energy With GIS
The pursuit of oil and natural gas continues around the world. See how Pakistan is developing its full potential of natural gas resources with GIS.
GeoConnexion, February, 2007—by Jim Baumann, ESRI

Taking a Different Route
A new proprietary program puts STDBonline on the map.
Commercial Investment Real Estate, January/February 2007—by Simon Thompson, ESRI

Kit and Caboodle
NGA leads the effort to encourage Defense-wide use of a mapping toolkit. At the core of the toolkit, which complies with the Common Operating Environment and the emerging Network-Centric Enterprise Services initiative, is ArcGIS from ESRI.
Defense Systems, January/February 2007—by Greg Slabodkin

Monumental Improvement
Nampa, Idaho, is using a GIS-based Web application to help genealogists find detailed information on grave sites such as exact location, burial date, facts on the individual, and photos. The searchable, online database allows city workers to focus on other tasks.
Government Technology , January 27, 2007—by Merrill Douglas

Mapping Backcountry's Dangerous Slopes
Former ski patroller Douglas Scott uses GIS data to create a database of dangerous routes. He is also using GIS for avalanche risk assessment and provides the data to whoever might need it for better avalanche preparedness and remediation.
The Boulder County Business Review, January 19, 2007—by Barbara Hey

Conventional Wisdom
A recap of the 2007 ESRI Federal User Conference attending by 1,900 GIS users, CIOs, and IT managers in Washington, D. C.
Washington City Paper, January 19, 2007—by Rob Tierney

Border Patrol Seizures Up With Help of Mapping Device
A user-friendly map system provides agents with a real-time picture of data that streams into the "Border Intelligence Center" through global positioning systems, tripped sensors, and reports called in from agents in the field.
The Daily News, Galveston County, January 12, 2007—by Lynn Brezosky, The Associated Press

Techno-cop
Kurt Smith, community analysis and technology director for the Redlands, California, Police Department, helps fight crime through technology. Says Smith, "Through mapping crime, we can understand it in a community context, whether it is centered around schools, the business community or some other interests."
Redlands Daily Facts, January, 9 2007—by Jennifer M. Dobbs

Map System Adds New Contour to Crises
GIS software and satellites give rescuers a key tool to help manage relief efforts when disaster strikes.
The Globe and Mail , January 2, 2007—by Grant Buckler

Global Model
A modern energy database often contains tens of millions of pieces of electronic information, presenting oil and gas managers with a formidable challenge. However, an enterprise-wide GIS solution for managing information not only integrates data visually, but also allows users to query, edit, search, and analyze data.
DOB Magazine, January, 2007—by Mike Byfield

Location, Location, Location...
Geographic information systems are powerful tools for visualizing complex problems. But, despite widespread interest, the technology is stalled at state.
Foreign Service Journal , January, 2007—by Carol Christian

When a Hurricane Hits—Lessons from Katrina
The lessons learned from the catastrophe of Hurricane Katrina boil down to one circumstance: the need for a standard, unified way of communicating, sharing data, and disaster preparation.
Officer.com, January 2007—by Jennifer Mertens

ESRI in the News 2006

The Latest News