Monday, August 7. 2006

ESRI UC - First Day Impressions

Vision is not something that is lacking at the ESRI UC. All of the keynote speakers come with a vision. In some respects it is a variation on the same theme: GIS is the tool that is reshaping the world…in environmental management, politics, business, social sciences, etc. And although the theme is repeated, you are never bored; each presentation inundates the audience with a kaleidoscope of not just images and ideas, but accomplishments by the many people who use GIS everyday.

Each year, Jack Dangermond begins the opening session by reviewing the many achievements of users through a series of slides, each more impressive than the next because it shows just how far reaching the applications can extend in complexity.

The demonstrations of new product features are necessary to acquaint the audience with the progress of each suite. But it was good to see that more emphasis was place on the application of each feature rather than just a demo of the feature itself. And to support that emphasis is the focus that ESRI is placing on its technical support and documentation. Mr. Dangermond announced how the documentation for ArcGIS 9.2 will not just show the user how to work the function, but why you use it in the first place. That will be a remarkable step forward in the way documentation is published because users expect software to be intuitive to use. To go the extra step of instructing the user in the reasons for performing a particular workflow would be extraordinary.

Although Mr. Dangermond repeated themes he has used in past keynote addresses, he always puts the audience in a state of heightened awareness that each is making a difference in using GIS technology for the betterment of their respective organizations and the constituents they serve. You leave these first sessions at least ready to tackle the next day and perhaps the next big project back at the office.

Podcast: ESRI UC Exeuctive Seminar

Joe Francica shares his take on the speakers at the ESRI User Conference Senior Executive Leadership Seminar, an invitation only event for C-level users. Among the organizations presenting were the Ordnance Survey, the city of Denver, General Motors, Harvard University, and others.

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Directions Media on ESRI Exeuctive Seminar

Smarr on Environmental Genomics

Jack Dangermond presented the Lifetime Achievement Award to Dr. Larry Smarr, Director of the University of California San Diego's Institute for Telecommunications and Information Technology. Smarr proceeded to discuss the relatively new field of environmental genomics, or adding the genetic diversity of life to geographic information systems. Smarr, who in the past worked with Marc Andressen to launch Mosaic, is now working on the National LambdaRail project which is comprised of a consortium of universities developing an advanced nationwide network infrastructure for streaming terrabytes of data to a single location. He envisions a time when high definition data will be streamed in to an elementary school classroom. He challenged the audience this way: "As you begin to tell us the nature of the planet of where you are, this is how collectively we are going to come to shepherd the planet."

Quotes of the Day: ESRI Senior Executive Seminar

"Geography is increasingly at the center of a wide range of intellectual concerns." - Larry Summers, President of Harvard Univeristy in remarks made at the opening of Harvard's Center for Geographic Analysis, in a video clip presented by Dr. Peter Bol, director of the new center.

"GIS is a technology and also a way of thinking."- Dr. Peter Bol, Harvard.

"As someone new to government, when I look at an overview of the city, I can’t understand how anyone operated without it." - John Hickenlooper, Mayor of the city and county of Denver, USA, speaking about the use of GIS in his organization.

"The “wow” factor for the average underwriter was the ability to show information on a map." Graham Heale, Underwriting General of the Royal & SunAlliance Insurance company, United Kingdom.

"When I started in 2000, it was important that OS went through change. I was fortunate to be a customer of OS and had written them nine complaint letters... (It was) necessary to articulate to the entire staff why we are doing it (going through organizational change). "It’s about getting that vision to everybody." - Vanessa Lawrence, Director General and CEO, Ordance Survey, United Kingdom speaking about cultural change in an organization.

"Harvard is finally catching up! They feel that geography is important. That they have not been doing something for a long time is significant." Roger Tomlinson referring to the new Center for Geographic Analysis at Harvard, recently opened in March.

John Hickenlooper: Another GIS Visionary at the Helm of City Government

In 2005, Time Magazine named John Hickenlooper one of the top five large city mayors in the United States. It is easy to see why from the vision he espouses in using GIS to manage city government, an endeavor he admits is a fundamentally geographic phenomenon. Presenting at the ESRI Senior Executive Seminar yesterday, [Denver Colorado Mayor] Hickelooper landed in government to find the proverbial islands of automation. He promptly hired a CIO, and proceded to create an enterprisewide geospatial database from which the islands became what he calls "centralized/de-centralized" or a means whereby city departments, responsible for their own needs, can share a central data store of geographic information. I had a chance to speak with Hickenlooper who admitted that it was easier for him to work with the various departments to deliver his vision because as a self-described "recovering geologist" they new of his appreciation for mapping technology. I asked him if he saw other mayors who understood the potential of managing a city with GIS and his unfortunate reply was that there weren't many who did. Luckily there are a few like Hickenlooper who "get it" as their city's will reap the benefits from a geospatial visionary.

San Diego Mayor Points to Major Economic Boon from ESRI UC

San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders briefly addressed the Senior Executive Seminar, which precedes the ESRI UC, to thank ESRI for the economic boon that befalls the city during the week that the user conference is held in the city. "o us it means $46 million in economic activity and $1 million in tax revenue...thanks!" He mentioned that ESRI had committed to hosting the UC at the convention center through 2015. He expressed his personal thoughts to the audience that he appreciates their attendance and that he did not want them to think that he took them for granted. The mayor said that 62 people at the city are using ESRI technology for a variety of applications including an electronic alert system for citizens who can automatically receive information on crime activity.