We are excited for you to join us at this year’s 2026 Esri User Conference, July 13-17 in San Diego, California. As you plan your attendance for the mappiest week of the year either in person or virtually, check out the following resources to find all things ArcGIS Living Atlas and Ready-to-Use Content.
If you’re new to ArcGIS Living Atlas, it is the largest digital repository of spatial content in the world, and it is built directly into ArcGIS. This massive collection of ready-to-use content is designed to kickstart your workflows and provide trusted layers, maps, apps, and tools. There are many beginner technical sessions and demo theaters at the UC designed to help get you started with Living Atlas.
If you’re already familiar with Living Atlas, there are intermediate sessions, new resources, new content, and updates valuable to your workflows. There are also demo theaters containing tips and tricks that you won’t want to miss.
This year’s theme for the conference is GIS – Creating a more intelligent world. GIS technology creates a more intelligent world by turning the science of “where” into shared understanding and coordinated action—at the scale of communities, enterprises, and the planet. This is at the core of what Living Atlas has to offer, containing spatial content BY the GIS community FOR the GIS community.
Find Living Atlas in the UC Expo
Visit us at the showcase to learn more, ask questions, talk with subject matter experts, or see demos of the latest content available within Living Atlas. Esri curators are available to discuss how you can nominate your own content, making your information more accessible to GIS communities worldwide. Find us near Demo Theater 11 in the back near Tech Support. We are nearby to related products like ArcGIS Online, ArcGIS Apps, and ArcGIS Data. If need help finding us, the Info booth is in the center of the Expo and someone can help you navigate the room.
Showcase Hours
- Tuesday, July 14, 9 am – 5:30 pm PT
- Wednesday, July 15, 9 am – 5:30 pm PT
- Thursday, July 16, 9 am – 4 pm PT
Attend Living Atlas Sessions
As you plan your busy week, check out the sessions highlighting ArcGIS Living Atlas. There are Beginner and Intermediate sessions to help you learn more about topics like Imagery, Basemaps, Sustainability, Open Data, Demographics, Community Maps, Policy, and so much more. These sessions presented by subject matter experts provide best practices and technical demonstrations of the latest content within Living Atlas.
Tip: easily find all sessions that cover Living Atlas and Ready-to-Use Content at https://esriurl.com/LivingAtlasUC2026.
ArcGIS Living Atlas of the World: An Overview
Tuesday, July 14 – 8:30 AM – 9:30 AM PDT
Tuesday, July 14 – 2:30 PM – 3:30 PM PDT
Discover the world’s foremost collection of geospatial information. ArcGIS Living Atlas of the World curates ready-to-use maps, apps, and layers from Esri and the global GIS user community. Find out how to use this content—and contribute to it—to support work across the ArcGIS system. Speakers will also showcase recent additions and updates to ArcGIS Living Atlas.
ArcGIS Living Atlas of the World: An Overview of Imagery Content
Tuesday, July 14 – 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM PDT
Are you new to imagery or looking for ways to use raster analysis? This presentation discusses the fundamentals of ready-to-use imagery in ArcGIS as well as the various types of available imagery and how to access them. Learn about a variety of available sources and best practices for using imagery in various workflows, custom apps, Map Viewer, ArcGIS Pro, and ArcGIS Notebooks.
Map Lounge Fireside Chat: Maps that Inform
Tuesday, July 14 – 11:30 AM – 12:30 PM PDT
Maps can transform complex data into stories that people immediately understand. By revealing where things happen, why they occur, and how places are connected, maps help audiences make sense of the world. In this session, we’ll explore how map-based storytelling can inform audiences to care about pressing issues facing our world.
ArcGIS Living Atlas of the World: Basemaps Are Not Just the Background
Tuesday, July 14 – 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM PDT
Wednesday, July 15 – 8:30 AM – 9:30 AM PDT
Basemaps are the foundation for your maps and apps, but they are also part of the story that you are telling. Discover the integral role that basemaps play in developing your maps, and learn about available options through ArcGIS Living Atlas of the World and how to choose appropriate basemaps. Explore how to use tools in ArcGIS Pro and Map Viewer to build your own basemap versions with the ArcGIS Vector Tile Style Editor.
ArcGIS: Maximizing the Value of Demographic Content
Tuesday, July 14 – 2:30 PM – 3:15 PM PDT
Whether you work in ArcGIS Online or ArcGIS Pro as a GIS expert or novice, there is something for everyone in this presentation. Get tips and tricks for bringing a demographic perspective into your projects. Learn how to find, apply, visualize, and share ready-to-use demographic content from Esri Demographics, the U.S. Census Bureau, and global statistical agencies in your analyses and workflows.
Climate Action: Data, Tools, and Workflows
Tuesday, July 14 – 4:00 PM – 4:45 PM PDT
Join us as we bring together climate thought leaders and GIS professional who are using the geographic approach to unite people, empower positive change, and build a more sustainable future for all. In this demo theater presentation, speakers showcase some of the most useful climate data, tools, and workflows that are available as well as discuss use cases and capabilities from the government space.
ArcGIS Living Atlas of the World: Storytelling with Maps
Wednesday, July 15 – 8:30 AM – 9:30 AM PDT
Every map tells a story—but making sure that story is clear and resonates with its audience requires thought and effort. Get tips on how to set your maps and GIS work up for success when it comes to getting your message across, and also find out how you can use ArcGIS StoryMaps to support your maps and make their stories come to life.
Map Viewer: Creating Beautiful Web Maps
Wednesday, July 15 – 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM PDT
Wednesday, July 15 – 2:30 PM – 3:30 PM PDT
Want to make high-quality web maps with Map Viewer? In this presentation, speakers teach skills related to layer symbology, basemaps, pop-ups, labeling, visual hierarchy, data attribution, blend modes, effects, and other design concepts.
ArcGIS Living Atlas of the World: Best Practices for Transforming Data into Insights
Wednesday, July 15 – 11:30 AM – 12:15 PM PDT
Have you ever struggled to communicate the value of your GIS products to audiences? In this presentation, learn the best practices to bring more meaning and clarity to layers, maps, stories, and applications. Speakers demonstrate how to start with a geographic approach to analyze and integrate datasets and then use visualization techniques for specific audiences to improve engagement.
Map Lounge Fireside Chat: Maps that Inspire
Wednesday, July 15 – 11:30 AM – 12:30 PM PDT
In a world filled with information, attention is precious. Maps have a unique ability to stop us, draw us in, and make us look twice. But what makes a map captivating? Why do some maps fade into the background while others spark curiosity, wonder, or even awe? In this session Esri cartographers showcase how they use thoughtful design—composition, contrast, hierarchy, and storytelling—to transform data into compelling stories that engage viewers.
Wednesday, July 15 – 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM PDT
Thursday, July 16 – 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM PDT
Friday, July 17 – 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM PDT
Sit back and enjoy this inspiring cartographic ride! In this presentation, speakers share some truly mesmerizing maps to demonstrate the cartographic power and flexibility of the ArcGIS system. Go beyond the defaults and discover how you can bend ArcGIS to your every cartographic whim to bring data to life using innovative and imaginative techniques. See maps that you maybe have not even considered, let alone thought possible, and learn ideas and workflows that you can use creatively in your own work. Get inspired to create compelling maps and make them sing and dance in new and exciting ways.
ArcGIS Living Atlas of the World: Ready-to-Use Imagery for GeoAI
Wednesday, July 15 – 4:00 PM – 4:45 PM PDT
Acquiring, hosting, and managing aerial and satellite imagery might not be feasible for many organizations. Manually extracting information from imagery can be time-consuming and expensive. AI and deep learning can help save time and money through automation, but not everyone can train their own models. With ready-to-use imagery layers and pretrained deep learning models, ArcGIS Living Atlas of the World provides everything that you need to extract information and insights from imagery.
ArcGIS Living Atlas of the World: Tips and Tricks
Wednesday, July 15 – 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM PDT
Are you using ArcGIS Living Atlas of the World to its full potential? With ArcGIS Living Atlas, you have access to spatial content that is available for use in ArcGIS Online and ArcGIS Pro, among other common GIS workflows. Join us to learn some tips and tricks to implement in your work when using ArcGIS Living Atlas. Go beyond the basics to customize layers, maps, and apps for your needs. Gain best practices for improving your existing workflows, both analytically and cartographically. Save time and kick-start your GIS workflows by using the power of ArcGIS Living Atlas and the Geographic Approach.
ArcGIS: Designing Thematic Maps
Wednesday, July 15 – 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM PDT
Thursday, Jul 16 – 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM PDT
There is rarely a right or wrong way to map empirical data, but thematic maps can look very different as a result of your design decisions. Join us to learn how thematic map types can shape the message of your map. This presentation conveys how well-known maps and map types can be reinvented by using alternative thematic techniques. Learn how to use ArcGIS Pro mapping renderers effectively and explore workflows using ArcGIS Maps for Adobe Creative Cloud.
ArcGIS Living Atlas of the World: Simplify Your Workflows with Environmental Content
Thursday, July 16 – 10:00 AM – 10:45 AM PDT
Enrich your own data with ready-to-use global environmental content available in ArcGIS Living Atlas. Learn how to access and explore content, use the latest analysis tools to address critical environmental issues, and apply cartographic and visualization best practices to produce clear, understandable, and sharable maps for your audience.
Improving ASCE Grades for U.S. Infrastructure
Thursday, July 16 – 10:00 AM – 10:20 AM PDT
The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) assesses and grades the condition and performance of U.S. infrastructure networks every four years. Join us to explore what the latest ASCE report card (presented with ArcGIS StoryMaps) means for your community, learn actionable steps to improve local infrastructure, and discover how GIS can accelerate progress. This brief presentation features expert insights and practical strategies for decision makers on how GIS can help improve infrastructure grades.
ArcGIS Living Atlas of the World: An Overview of Open Data Content
Thursday, July 16 – 11:30 AM – 12:15 PM PDT
Get acquainted with some of ArcGIS Living Atlas’s most useful datasets, including global data sources such as OpenStreetMap and Overture Maps. ArcGIS Living Atlas includes a large and growing collection of open data layers that can be easily accessed in ArcGIS and used to create maps and apps, perform analysis, and generate derivative datasets and services. Learn how to access and work with this content in ArcGIS, as well as how to contribute your own authoritative data to open data projects.
Map Lounge Fireside Chat: Maps that Influence
Thursday, July 16 – 11:30 AM – 12:30 PM PDT
From land protection to policy decisions, maps influence what people believe and what they decide to do. A well-crafted map can transform data into powerful visual stories that feel immediate and personal. Design choices like color, scale, symbols, and data selection can subtly guide interpretation, highlight urgency, or build empathy. Through real world examples, we’ll see how maps can shift public opinion, influence policy, and mobilize communities.
Policy Map Portfolios: Improving Dialog with Government Executives
Thursday, July 16 – 12:10 PM – 12:30 PM PDT
Every leader must understand the community’s people, housing, infrastructure, and issues. Policy maps are powerful tools for state and local government executives to visualize and analyze these topics for informed decision-making. These maps provide a spatial representation of policy-related information, such as demographic trends, infrastructure development, and service accessibility. In this brief presentation, learn how to enhance policy development, monitor implementation progress, and ensure equitable service delivery for communities through geospatial analysis.
Esri U.S. Demographics: What’s New
Thursday, July 16 – 1:00 PM – 1:45 PM PDT
Learn what’s new in the latest U.S. update for Esri Demographics. Speakers introduce new data, measures, and tutorials for the latest data release and show how you can get started working with it in both ArcGIS Online and ArcGIS Pro.
ArcGIS Living Atlas of the World: Analyzing Urban Heat Effects
Thursday, July 16 – 2:30 PM – 3:15 PM PDT
Analyze the heat island effect on urban populations around the world. Learn how you can process, analyze, and derive insights using imagery and raster data from ArcGIS Living Atlas—all within a single secure system. Discover the power of combining ArcGIS raster analysis capabilities with more than 40 years of Landsat data. Speakers also discuss how to create derivative maps and distribute insights with information products in ArcGIS Online.
ArcGIS: Using Pretrained Deep Learning Models for Feature Extraction and Classification
Thursday, July 16 – 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM PDT
Learn how ArcGIS simplifies end-to-end deep learning workflows for imagery. Discover how to use pretrained models for fast feature extraction and classification, as well as how deep learning tools work across ArcGIS Pro, ArcGIS Enterprise, and ArcGIS Online. Find out how AI-powered apps and new capabilities make advanced analysis easier and help you apply deep learning projects.
Need Living Atlas support before or after the UC?
Visit the Living Atlas website for the latest updates on what’s new.
See if your question is answered in this blog: Your Living Atlas Questions Answered.
Join the conversation and ask your question at the Living Atlas Esri Community page.
It’s Not Too Late to Register for UC 2026
Register today to attend in-person, virtually with digital access, or for the plenary only. We look forward to seeing you in-person in San Diego or online and wish you a wonderful User Conference 2026!
Join the plenary session on Monday July 13, 2026 to explore why a holistic, location-based understanding of our world can both unite and empower us to affect positive change. You’ll see Living Atlas in many of the plenary demos, by both Esri users and Esri staff. Try to count how many times you see or hear Living Atlas referenced on stage this year!
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