Turning Geography into Geographic Understanding - Texas GIS Forum 2013

Editor's Notes

• #4: And that’s what ArcGIS is really about. It’s a platform that enables us to gain geographic understanding. Years ago when I first entered the doors of ESRI, one could clearly describe ArcGIS as software that was installed on a computer – a very large minicomputer at the time. But ArcGIS has evolved well beyond that. It’s not a single piece of software – rather it’s a combination of many different kinds of applications intended for many kinds of users – for individuals collecting data in the field, for developers building apps for public consumption, for organizations of all kinds, and for governments.This platform supports a wide variety of uses in many different ways – via the cloud, on desktops, through servers, and on mobile devices.All of these components work together to provide a broad and deep platform for gaining geographic understanding, and sharing it with others. It’s a complete ecosystem that we can leverage for our geodesign work.
• #8: Recently someone told me a story about an executive – a decision maker – they had talked to. They were involved in far-reaching planning decisions, with long-term implications. When asked about whether those decisions would achieve success, or would achieve the intended goals, the person responded – well, we think so.Geography is a science and unifying concept that integrates many forms of disparate data to create an understanding of our world.While uncertainty is sometimes inevitable, what we want to do is gain geographic understanding. It’s what we, as GIS users, believe in and strive for. We want to turn “I think” into “I know” or “I understand.”
• #9: And that’s what ArcGIS is really about. It’s a platform that enables us to gain geographic understanding. Years ago when I first entered the doors of ESRI, one could clearly describe ArcGIS as software that was installed on a computer – a very large minicomputer at the time. But ArcGIS has evolved well beyond that. It’s not a single piece of software – rather it’s a combination of many different kinds of applications intended for many kinds of users – for individuals collecting data in the field, for developers building apps for public consumption, for organizations of all kinds, and for governments.This platform supports a wide variety of uses in many different ways – via the cloud, on desktops, through servers, and on mobile devices.All of these components work together to provide a broad and deep platform for gaining geographic understanding, and sharing it with others. It’s a complete ecosystem that we can leverage for our geodesign work.
• #21: ArcGIS Online is probably the biggest thing to happen to the ArcGIS platform in recent years. And it’s still evolving rapidly. ArcGIS Online has evolved from a simple framework for sharing data, to a deeply integrated and integral cloud component of ArcGIS.It leverages the cloud – hosted services, online storage, dynamic web maps, and more – to provide a new pattern for implementing GIS. But while new in many ways, it’s also an integration of traditional patterns – desktops, servers, and enterprises coupled with new cloud-based capabilities.It has unlocked geographic knowledge and capabilities for many of our users, and transformed the way they work and collaborate, and make their information more available. And it’s also enabled others, outside the GIS hallways in organizations, to participate.
• #23: ArcGIS Online is probably the biggest thing to happen to the ArcGIS platform in recent years. And it’s still evolving rapidly. ArcGIS Online has evolved from a simple framework for sharing data, to a deeply integrated and integral cloud component of ArcGIS.It leverages the cloud – hosted services, online storage, dynamic web maps, and more – to provide a new pattern for implementing GIS. But while new in many ways, it’s also an integration of traditional patterns – desktops, servers, and enterprises coupled with new cloud-based capabilities.It has unlocked geographic knowledge and capabilities for many of our users, and transformed the way they work and collaborate, and make their information more available. And it’s also enabled others, outside the GIS hallways in organizations, to participate.
• #25: ArcGIS Online is probably the biggest thing to happen to the ArcGIS platform in recent years. And it’s still evolving rapidly. ArcGIS Online has evolved from a simple framework for sharing data, to a deeply integrated and integral cloud component of ArcGIS.It leverages the cloud – hosted services, online storage, dynamic web maps, and more – to provide a new pattern for implementing GIS. But while new in many ways, it’s also an integration of traditional patterns – desktops, servers, and enterprises coupled with new cloud-based capabilities.It has unlocked geographic knowledge and capabilities for many of our users, and transformed the way they work and collaborate, and make their information more available. And it’s also enabled others, outside the GIS hallways in organizations, to participate.
• #27: ArcGIS Online is probably the biggest thing to happen to the ArcGIS platform in recent years. And it’s still evolving rapidly. ArcGIS Online has evolved from a simple framework for sharing data, to a deeply integrated and integral cloud component of ArcGIS.It leverages the cloud – hosted services, online storage, dynamic web maps, and more – to provide a new pattern for implementing GIS. But while new in many ways, it’s also an integration of traditional patterns – desktops, servers, and enterprises coupled with new cloud-based capabilities.It has unlocked geographic knowledge and capabilities for many of our users, and transformed the way they work and collaborate, and make their information more available. And it’s also enabled others, outside the GIS hallways in organizations, to participate.