Dawn Wright

As Chief Scientist of Esri, Dawn Wright aids in strengthening the scientific foundation for Esri software and services, while also representing Esri to the scientific community. A specialist in marine geology, Dawn has authored and contributed to some of the most definitive literature on marine GIS. Dawn is an elected member of the National Academy of Sciences and the American Academy of Arts & Sciences, as well as a Fellow of the American Association of Geographers, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the Geological Society of America, the California Academy of Sciences, and the Oceanography Society. She maintains an affiliated faculty appointment as Professor of Geography and Oceanography in the College of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences at Oregon State University. Dawn holds an Interdisciplinary Ph.D. in Physical Geography and Marine Geology from UC Santa Barbara.

Posts by this author

NASA JPL Sends the First GIS Map to Mars to Navigate Treacherous Terrain

The Mars 2020 mission marked the first time that a map left Earth to be read by a robot to land autonomously amid hazards.

The Map of the Future

Imagery unlocks the mysteries of how earth operates. Cloud-native software makes GIS scalable to nearly every kind of image and workflow.

Drones Key to Mapping Massive Barrel Dump Site Off Southern California Coast

A map of dumped barrels off the coast of Southern California provides alarming evidence of ongoing environmental harm.

Mapping America’s Land and Sea: A Time for ‘Precision Conservation’

The ambitious goal of 30x30 requires a reevaluation of places, with an eye on maximizing biodiversity and mitigating carbon emissions.

The Face of Our Earth

One way to cope with climate change on a global scale is by continuous, near real-time mapping and monitoring of the face of the Earth.

How an Atlas of San Francisco Bay is Helping Deal with Sea Level Rise

The San Francisco Estuary Institute’s longtime use of GIS has built knowledge that guides daily operations and long-term resilience strategies.

A Busy Event Season for the Esri Science Team

Even with many canceled events being rescheduled in 2020, the Esri science team still virtually contributed to scientific ideas and research.

Open Science Is Good Science

Open science is a global movement to make scientific research open and accessible. Organizations can use ArcGIS Hub to increase engagement.

Burning Man: An Ideal Lab for Microclimate Research and Climate Modeling

Micrometeorologists at San Francisco State University used GIS to investigate and model the climate impacts of Burning Man.

Student-Led Mapping Locates Areas in Los Angeles in Need of Shade Equity

Armed with the understanding that trees and shade improve health, Los Angeles works with partners to plant new trees equitably.

Equity and Inclusion: A Publisher’s Journey with GIS

Publisher of Black Voice News finds ways to use GIS mapping to advocate for the voiceless while promoting corporate social responsibility.

How Esri Contributes to—and Advances—Science

Science is part of Esri’s DNA, and what the world needs now is the power of deep, integrative geographic science.

Earth Day, Nature, and COVID-19: What We’re Learning

The scientific community will tap data about reduced human impact on the earth to provide perspective on the value of more sustainable choices.

On 50th Anniversary of Earth Day, New App Engages Citizen Scientists

Earth Challenge 2020 involves map-based citizen science apps to collect key metrics for the fiftieth anniversary of Earth Day.

Citizen Scientists Help Home In on Sea Turtle Home Ranges

Scientists gain new insight into sea turtle behavior by tracking and monitoring the animals, with input from citizen scientists.

Innovasea Applies Location Intelligence to Optimize Aquaculture

The combination of GIS, remote sensing, and networks of sensors in pens has introduced the concept of precision aquaculture.

XPRIZE Partners with Esri on Ocean Mapping Challenge

The Shell Ocean Discovery XPRIZE has ushered in a new era of autonomous seafloor mapping.

Global Citizen Science Effort Marks the Fiftieth Anniversary of Earth Day

For the fiftieth anniversary of Earth Day, Earth Challenge 2020 aims to collect location-specific data to inform public policy.

Esri, USGS Release First Truly 3D Map of World’s Oceans

The Ecological Marine Units (EMUs), composed of a point mesh framework of 52 million global ocean measurements.

Mapping the World’s Ecosystems

Using environmental data and sophisticated geospatial technologies, scientists are developing first-of-their-kind maps of global ecosystems

What’s Killing Sea Grass on the West Coast?

Researchers use GIS to collect data from drones and other means to better understand eelgrass wasting disease.

Deoxygenation of the Ocean Affects Everyone, So Act Now

The decline of oxygen in the ocean concerns absolutely everyone, no matter where we live.

Downed Airliner Search Mission Yields Map with Lasting Purpose

Geoscience Australia deployed location technology to search methodically for the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 aircraft.

Reporters, Scientists, and Citizens Team to Map Virginia’s Highest Tide

Journalists sponsored the ‘Catch the King’ crowdsourcing event that rallied citizens to capture sea level rise data using an app on their phones.

Spatial Analysis Ties Valley Fever Increase to Sea Temperature Rise

NOAA scientists use geography to integrate data and insight from five different disciplines to understand the rise of this fungal infection.