Several Australian and New Zealand entities were presented with ‘Special Achievement in GIS’ awards at Esri’s annual user conference.
The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare and utility company North East Water were the Australian recipients, while dairy processor Miraka Ltd and the New Zealand Police represented New Zealand.
Taking just one of them as an example, North East Water implemented a mostly out-of-the-box agile GIS system that was integrated with the company’s Asset Management system. It has improved field service productivity by enabling real-time access to geospatial data from a variety of platforms “to present data spatially and enable improved decision making and customer service”
“We have the ability to perform network tracing to support the reporting of Essential Services Commission metrics, and import authoritative data (e.g. Land Victoria cadastral data, As Constructed Drawings, Aerial Images),” the company said.
Major category awards were also handed out, being:
President’s Award: The University of Michigan was acknowledged “for being a model for the higher education community in how to become a true geospatial university. They have established themselves as a leader in enabling and supporting their community through the implementation of a large-scale, campus-wide GIS where faculty, staff, and students in all disciplines implement GIS as an innovative tool in research, learning, and administration.”
Enterprise GIS Award: The Louisville/Jefferson County Information Consortium (LOJIC) was recognised for “bringing together decision makers to understand the interconnection of systems within their region and share data and applications across 1,300 spatial databases. The four partners that comprise LOJIC have leveraged GIS for office applications, field work, asset management, citizen engagement, emergency response and fair and equitable property assessments, thus identifying GIS as critical infrastructure to their operations.”
Making a Difference Award: Nespresso was recognised for its “dedication to ensure quality, productivity, and social and environmental sustainability in coffee sourcing. Leveraging GIS to bring farmer, landscape, community, and climate together, Nespresso worked to create positive impact across all aspects of the business.”
“This year’s awardees have demonstrated how geospatial technology can transform operations and research that lead to better decision-making and outcomes,” said Jack Dangermond, Esri founder and president.
“We are proud to showcase the ways these organisations exemplify the use of GIS to innovate data sharing, sustainable growth, and social equity.”
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