Esri has presented awards to the City of San Diego and the Government of the District of Columbia for their innovative use of geospatial data.

The awards were presented at the 39th Esri User Conference which is taking place in San Diego, California.

San Diego

The City of San Diego won the President’s Award for both its traditional and innovative use of geographic information systems (GIS) to make maps, collect data and change business practices.

For instance, San Diego has used GIS to: locate and plan the city’s smart streetlight project; facilitate permit issuance for 5G equipment; coordinate homeless support services among city partners; and monitor open water and environmentally sensitive areas and underground utilities.

The City of San Diego has also used a LiDAR-based tree canopy assessment to support its ambitious Climate Action Plan.

District of Columbia

The Government of the District of Columbia (DC) won the Enterprise GIS Award for creating a “leading model for governments and businesses throughout the world”.

A spokesperson for Esri said: “Through the District’s use of GIS, DC is creating greater efficiency, collaboration across departments, transparent and open government and citizen engagement.”

Through a central GIS/IT infrastructure, the District and its Office of the Chief Technology Officer (OCTO) offers more than 1,200 datasets via its open data portal. OCTO also coordinates a central portal for maps, apps and data, as well as a secure public safety portal for emergency management, police and fire department applications.

Governmental tool

“This year’s awardees are demonstrating how GIS can be a key tool for governmental organisations to build safer, smarter and more engaged communities,” said Jack Dangermond, Esri founder and president.

"These organisations have shown the good that geospatial technology can be put to in the public sphere."

“Whether it’s a project to detect and address health issues in the homeless population or creating open data portals to foster citizen engagement and enabling smarter planning for the future, these organisations have shown the good that geospatial technology can be put to in the public sphere.”