Esri today announced that the International Geographical Union (IGU) has awarded Jack Dangermond the Planet and Humanity Medal. The award recognizes individuals who have made outstanding contributions to peace, well-being or sustainability. The UGI is an international non-governmental professional organization dedicated to the promotion and development of the discipline of geography by initiating and coordinating research and teaching on a global scale.

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This award is only awarded every four years and normally to leaders in the public sector or with a background in scientific leadership. Past laureates included Al Gore, Nelson Mandela and Mikhail Gorbachev. This year marks the first time that the medal has been awarded to someone from the private technology sector.

Jack Dangermond founded Esri in Redlands, California in 1969, and today is the world leader in geographic information systems (GIS) software. Dangermond has generously supported important environmental programs and has donated or pledged over $ 1 billion in free Esri software to schools and environmental organizations.

“This award is an incredible honor for me, and I accept it in the name of all the good work being done by my colleagues and our users,” said Dangermond, Founder and President of Esri. “Our collective work has focused on creating and applying systematic tools. That help people apply geographic thinking to problem solving. At Esri, we believe geography is at the heart of a future. more resilient and sustainable and we are committed to providing organizations and individuals with technology that enables geospatial understanding and helps people challenge our best. “

In recent years, Esri has partnered with organizations such as EO Wilson Half Earth Project, NatureServe, The Nature Conservancy, National Geographic, and the US Forest Service, with the goal of preserving the parts of the world that humans still need to maintain a diverse and functioning natural ecosystem. For example, Esri technology has been used to map global biodiversity and identify areas of vulnerability around the world. These maps model the habitats of endangered species so that they can be better identified and protected.

Trained at California Polytechnic College-Pomona, the University of Minnesota and the Computer Graphics and Spatial Design Lab at Harvard University, Jack Dangermond began his career in landscape architecture before playing a key role in the development of GIS technology for a large market. He is recognized not only as a pioneer in spatial analysis methods, but also as one of the most influential people in the field of GIS.

Actively managing Esri and closely linked to projects, customers and the corporate vision, Dangermond is personally committed to applying GIS methods for environmental stewardship and sustainable communities.

To learn more about Jack Dangermond, the IGU Planet and Humanity Medal, and for the full list of laureates, visit igu-online.org/announcement-of-igu-awards-2021/.

About Esri

Esri, the global market leader in geographic information system (GIS), location intelligence and mapping software, helps customers unlock the full potential of data to improve operational and business outcomes. Founded in 1969 in Redlands, California, United States, Esri software is deployed in more than 350,000 organizations worldwide and in more than 200,000 institutions in the Americas, Asia and the Pacific, Europe, Africa and the Middle -East, including Fortune 500 companies and government agencies. , non-profit organizations and universities. Esri has regional offices, international distributors and partners providing local support in more than 100 countries on six continents. Building on its pioneering commitment to geospatial information technology, Esri designs the most innovative solutions for digital transformation, the Internet of Things (IoT) and advanced analytics. Visit us at esri.com.

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