Geographic Information Science

The original "science behind the systems," also known as geospatial data science

The original "science behind the systems" continues to advance on several fronts. It intersects with computer science, analytical cartography, remote sensing, and imagery science. Some of the most important work is in developing and documenting useful datasets for science, and interoperating between these datasets and various approaches. Paramount here are effective and open analysis, modeling, and replicability and reproducibility of approaches.

Geographic information science is in our DNA

Geographic information science, also known as GIScience or geospatial data science, has been in Esri's DNA since our founding in 1969. Many of our key staff and leaders trained with legends in the field. "Father of GIScience" Mike Goodchild is a long-standing, trusted consultant to further guide and critique us, as is remote-sensing and education pioneer Dave Cowen. Chief scientist Dawn Wright is on the editorial boards of the International Journal of Geographical Information Science and Transactions in GIS.

Advancing an evolving field

Many of our staff serve on a range of other GIScience journal editorial boards or contribute to outlets such as the Cartography and Geographic Information Science (CaGIS) Journal, the Cartographic Journal, Journal of Geography in Higher Education, and the Annals of the American Association of Geographers.

Esri database of peer-reviewed research

Search for and discover peer-reviewed publications by Esri staff.

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Explore the GIS&T Body of Knowledge

Nine Esri staff have authored chapters or edited sections in the Geographic Information Science & Technology Body of Knowledge (GIS&T Bok).

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GIScience research papers at Esri UC

Present your peer-reviewed paper at the Esri User Conference.

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Theory and applications in a post-GISystems world

Read this research article by Dawn Wright in the International Journal of Geographical Information Science.

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Featured Collaboration

Esri and the Space and Time for Knowledge Organization (STKO) Lab of Professor Krzysztof Janowicz and his students are pursuing joint research projects of mutual benefit and interest in the areas of Linked Data, semantic search, data-mining-based metadata enrichment, and geo-ontology. This includes experimenting with the ArcGIS ingestion of ontologies and Linked Data for data queries and the associated issues of user experience (UX), semantic search, automatic interpretation, web analytics, and more.

Visit the STKO Lab website

Imagery

Imagery as data and remote sensing as science power today's modern GIS. Rapidly changing developments that combine imagery and spatial analyses are opening up new chapters in the history of GIS, as society awakens to the power of geography and the intuitive understanding that imagery helps us "see" in all its forms. As we like to say, "the map of the future is an intelligent image."

Learn more about imagery The ArcGIS Imagery Book

Cartography

Inspiration, resources, training, and fascinating reads on cartographic science

Maps We Love

A map can change the world, and so can you! Maps We Love is an ongoing project to find and share inspiring examples of what's possible with ArcGIS.

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Cartography MOOC training

Once, only cartographers made maps. Today anyone can. Cartographers teach how to make better maps in this free massive open online course (MOOC).

Adventures in mapping

fascinating mapping blog by Esri's John Nelson.

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Esri Community Maps Program

Contribute your own data to Esri's beautiful basemaps, which are freely available to ArcGIS users as part of ArcGIS Living Atlas of the World.

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Applied Data Science Initiative

Data Science and Python

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Applied Data Science Initiative

Spatial Analysis and Data Science

Spatial analysis and data science using ArcGIS are advanced and scalable. Learn new and improved capabilities of ArcGIS for data-driven analysis.

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Applied Data Science Initiative

EPA AirNow Use Case

With ArcGIS Notebooks, you can now bring spatial analysis and data science into an integrated Python notebook with server-backed analytics.

Applied Data Science Initiative

Esri Developer Summit Tech Sessions 2018

Explore the full video playlist of 2018 tech sessions to learn the latest in developer tools.

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Applied Data Science Initiative

Esri Developer Summit Tech Sessions 2019

Explore the full video playlist of 2019 tech sessions to learn the latest in developer tools.

Watch the playlist

Cartography books

Esri Press

Cartography.

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Esri Press

Mapping with Altitude: Designing 3D Maps

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Esri Press

Map Use: Reading Analysis, Interpretation

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