Last week, the Florida Division of Emergency Management (Division) attended the annual Environmental Systems Research Institute (ESRI) users conference where the Geographic Information System (GIS) team in collaboration with the Florida Geographic Information Office (FLGIO) were honored with the Special Achievement in GIS Award. The Division was selected out of users for their leadership in the field of emergency management and innovative use of mapping and analytics technology during the response and recovery to Hurricane Ian.
“I am extremely proud of our team’s effective use of GIS technology during Florida’s historic response and recovery to Hurricane Ian,” said Division Executive Director Kevin Guthrie. “This innovative coordination helped provide efficiencies in data collaboration, GIS coordination, and situational awareness across federal, state, and local stakeholders and will help eliminate redundancy and streamline authoritative data sharing during the 2023 Atlantic Hurricane Season and beyond.”
“Users across all industries continue to show the groundbreaking possibilities of what GIS can help them accomplish,“ said Esri Founder and President Jack Dangermond. “I am honored to recognize all the organizations for the many ways they are taking a geographic approach toward meeting some of the most pressing challenges our world faces today.”
The Special Achievement in GIS Award demonstrates an appreciation for organizations around the world that use GIS technology to understand vast amounts of data and solve complex problems.
Esri staff nominate hundreds of candidates annually from around the world for consideration, and Dangermond selects the finalists. A total of 200 organizations from the commercial industry, defense, transportation, nonprofit work, telecommunications, and government sectors were honored at the event.
