SpatialNews Press Release
ESRI and the National Geographic Society Announce
Geography Network Challenge Winners
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Redlands, California-ESRI, the world's leading developer of geographic information
system (GIS) software, in partnership with the National Geographic Society, is proud to
announce the winners of the 2001 Geography Network Challenge. Designed to increase
the awareness of Internet mapping services and recognize the most innovative Internet
mapping applications, the contest attracted a diverse range of entries from federal, local,
private, and academic communities throughout the world.
The Geography Network Challenge's premier winner was Minnesota MetroGIS
DataFinder (www.metrogis.org), a collaborative organization representing more than 250
local governments and associations. Established to foster shared use of geospatial data in
the seven-county Twin Cities Metropolitan Area of Minnesota, MetroGIS DataFinder
provides access to a number of map services through the Geography Network.
Other winners include the Chicago Police Department; Iowa State University; City of
Sydney, Australia; and the U.S. Geological Survey. To view a complete list of all 46 Geography
Network Challenge winners log on to www.esri.com/gnchallengewinners.
The Geography Network Challenge was a site-to-site competition open to all
organizations hosting live map services or spatial solutions on the Geography Network.
The sites were evaluated based on creativity, performance, documentation, user-
friendliness, and visual clarity.
Established by ESRI as a place where people can go to publish, share, and use
geographic data and services on the Web, the Geography Network creates a universal site
where GIS users can find data and applications related to their own projects. Located at
http://www.geographynetwork.com, the Geography Network offers more than 900 services
and has received hundreds of thousands of hits since its inception in 2000.
A map service is a dynamic map that is published over the Internet and contains
valuable information such as administrative boundaries, water features, population, flood
zones, or vegetation data. For example, Minnesota MetroGIS DataFinder created a map
service that displayed geospatial data for the seven-county Twin Cities Metropolitan Area
of Minnesota. The MetroGIS DataFinder Transportation map service included maps of
major highways, local roads, bus routes, and airports.
A spatial solution is an online application built using the Geography Network or other
Internet mapping tools. The City of Tucson, Arizona, Property Solution, second place
winner, is an example of a spatial solution that allows users to search for commercial
properties based on a variety of criteria including size, type of building, location, and
demographics. Tucson's spatial solution also provides property reports, maps of the
selected properties, characteristics of the building facilities, and custom demographic and
business reports.
The top winners will receive ESRI credit redeemable for 2001 ESRI International
User Conference registration, 2001 ESRI User Conference workshops, 2001 European
User Conference registration, ESRI Virtual Campus courses, or training at any ESRI
regional office or international distributor facility. The remaining organizations will be
awarded subscriptions to the National Geographic magazine.
In addition to their awards, all first through fourth-place winners have been invited to
demonstrate their award-winning applications at a special Geography Network Challenge
Showcase on July 9 at the Twenty-first Annual ESRI International User Conference in
San Diego, California, the largest gathering of GIS professionals in the world.
"I feel strongly that the Geography Network will be as important to the GIS
community as any development we have achieved. The Geography Network Challenge
has provided a way for all our users and business partners to show their creativity and, in
turn, share the amazing capabilities and benefits of the Geography Network with the
world," said Jack Dangermond, ESRI president.
To find out more about these exceptional organizations and to view their creative map
services and spatial solutions, you can visit the 2001 Geography Network Challenge
winners Web page at www.esri.com/gnchallengewinners.
For more than 30 years, ESRI has been the leading developer of GIS software with more
than 300,000 clients worldwide. ESRI also provides consulting, implementation, and
technical support services. In addition to its headquarters in California, ESRI has regional
offices throughout the United States, international distributors in more than 90 countries,
and more than 1,200 business partners. ESRI's goal is to provide users with
comprehensive tools to help them quickly and efficiently manage and use geographic
information to make a real difference in the world around them. ESRI can be found on
the Web at www.esri.com.
ESRI and the ESRI globe logo are trademarks of ESRI, registered in the United States and certain other
countries; registration is pending in the European Community. GIS by ESRI is a trademark and
www.esri.com, Geography Network, www.geographynetwork.com, and @esri.com are service marks of
ESRI. Other companies and products mentioned herein are trademarks or registered trademarks of their
respective trademark owners.
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Jul 9, 2001
Jun 26, 2002
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