In the future releases of ArcGIS, ESRI will introduce the results of many ongoing development themes including

• GIS and Science Trends—GIS can help us to understand complex systems that have a significant spatial component.
• GIS and CAD—Users of these two complementary technologies will benefit from improved data interoperability, streamlined workflows, and the integration of geoprocessing tools within the CAD environment.
• Enterprise GIS Trends—Provides common infrastructure to build and deploy GIS solutions, robust framework that easily integrates data from multiple disconnected departments, and one seamless view of all your information.
• Server GIS Trends—Evolving a robust server GIS platform to deliver comprehensive geographic information services through a wide variety of clients and client platforms.
• Mobile GIS Trends—Advancing mobile GIS via wireless technology to make organizations and their mobile workforce more efficient and productive.
• Cartography Trends in GIS—Improving GIS desktop applications through additional cartographic mapping, analysis, and editing tools and providing user-driven usability enhancements.

ESRI has been involved in the development and application of geographic information since it was founded in 1969 as a private consulting firm specializing in land use analysis projects. In the 1980s, ESRI evolved to devote its resources to developing and applying GIS software and has since become the largest research and development organization dedicated to GIS.

ESRI and GIS have grown from solving relatively simple tasks with simple building blocks—points, lines, and polygons—to solving complex tasks with enhanced analysis tools and data models.

Through these and other onging research and development efforts, ESRI will continue to evolve GIS technology to serve the needs of many applications and industries.