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Esri Map Book

A Letter from Jack Dangermond


Inside this book, you will find a small sampling of geographic information system (GIS) maps created by Esri® users and shared at our annual user conference in 2022. 

“Mapping Common Ground” was the theme of this conference. These words were chosen carefully to describe the amazing efforts of GIS professionals in applying geographic information to help find solutions to problems affecting us all. 

Our current lack of environmental understanding, together with our failure to collaborate, signals the need for broadly practicing the concepts of mapping common ground—to work on solutions that benefit all sectors. 

Each of the maps included in this volume of Esri Map Book tells a story and, in many cases, illustrates how organizations have created a better understanding that helps them find creative solutions to complex problems. 

These maps also clearly provide the evidence that GIS is expanding rapidly and delivering value to almost every discipline and type of organization. At the center of this expansion is the growing awareness of the power of maps and GIS for integrating and analyzing geographic data as a kind of enterprise platform. Implementations at the enterprise scale are impacting and transforming workflows and organizations everywhere. And they are bringing together solutions with a common purpose.

Part of the power of GIS involves the ability to easily integrate multiple types and layers of map information, including environmental factors, economic layers, and cultural and social information. 

Beyond analytics and visualization, this platform is also providing a framework for people to design, collaborate, and find solutions—a foundation for positive action. We like to refer to this as “The Geographic Approach.”

As more and more people use our software and The Geographic Approach becomes embedded in daily activities and business operations, I am hopeful we can continue to make progress in creating a smarter and more sustainable future.

Warm regards,

Jack Dangermond