August 4, 2008
San Diego, California—Georgia’s Glynn County 4-H Club, the Pirates, have demonstrated vision and leadership, using ESRI's geographic information system (GIS) technology to better serve the world. To recognize this passionate approach to applying GIS solutions, ESRI presented the organization with the Special Achievement in GIS (SAG) Award on August 6, 2008, at the 28th Annual ESRI International User Conference (ESRI UC) in San Diego, California.
The Glynn County 4-H Pirates have been using GIS for more than three years to make a positive impact on their community. When their plans to attend the Georgia Youth Summit were cancelled due to Hurricane Katrina, it spurred the group to investigate how their community was prepared to handle a similar disaster. From creating a Community Pickup Map and teaching evacuation mapping techniques up and down the eastern seaboard to using GIS to locate and map Georgia’s pet-friendly shelters to include in their Pet Emergency Supply Kit, the Club has reached out to thousands of citizens.
The Pirates have also been quick to assist organizations with a variety of GIS projects beyond disaster preparedness. Their partnership with the state’s Department of Natural Resources in mapping invasive plant species has helped gain a better understanding of the threats to desirable native plants. They also worked with county engineers to locate and map the County’s storm drainage systems and analyze storm runoff. Today, the Club is involved in a myriad of projects that allow the youth to develop their GIS knowledge and skills outside of the traditional K-12 education environment.
"At ESRI, we are always deeply impressed by the innovation of our users," says Jack Dangermond, ESRI president. "We want to recognize the efforts of these individuals with our Special Achievement in GIS Award. This recognition is well deserved for how they've applied geospatial technology to address the needs of their industries and communities. They are defining GIS best practices."
GIS combines computer hardware, software, and data to create a tool for capturing, managing, analyzing, and displaying all forms of geographic information. Virtually any information can be linked to a geographic location, allowing users to see that information as part of a complete picture to be analyzed and applied to a problem or issue. With GIS, people can see firsthand how the world works and changes, view and manage information about locations, analyze spatial relationships, and visualize processes. From underground mine modeling to air traffic control, more than 300,000 organizations worldwide rely on GIS to better analyze their environments and make smarter decisions.
Other organizations being honored at the ESRI UC are Chesapeake Energy, the City of Austin, Forsyth County Schools, Greater New Orleans, Inc., the Marine Advanced Technology Center, the Navajo Department of Transportation, the City Planning Department in Bangkok, Thailand, the Norwegian Institute of Public Health, the United Nations Joint Logistics Center, Qatar Petroleum, and more.
To learn more about the 2008 SAG Award winners and to view their photos and project descriptions and images, please visit www.esri.com/sag. More information about ESRI and its GIS solutions can be found at www.esri.com.
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