Despite growing evidence that humankind lives beyond its means, we have easy choices and many chances to create a more sustainable world. The same science, technology, and cultural forces that have led to the success of humans as a species can guide us toward a more balanced and livable planet. Using GIS, we can collectively imagine and design solutions that can be implemented widely. A modern GIS facilitates data collection, analysis, and sharing to achieve coordinated responses. Using these tools, organizations gain an edge on complicated challenges because they can see trouble coming and take action to decisively avoid it. For cities, regions, and nations, these tools provide awareness through maps and dashboards to ensure that everyone can participate in building more sustainable approaches. As organizations that use GIS to address complex problems already know, the science of geography fosters ground truths. By creating a shared picture for everyone involved, it leads to quicker and more decisive action. With the use of GIS, initiatives can be formulated, priorities emerge, and progress can be made. Within this book, you will read of organizations that took a proactive approach to climate action, equity and social justice, the environment, conservation, humanitarian assistance, public safety, smart planning, infrastructure, and sustainability. Through the familiar frame—problem, solution, result—you will learn of organizations and individuals who are making an impact with GIS by applying a geographic approach to their challenges. At Esri, we like to think of GIS as a geospatial nervous system for the planet, one that can help guide an effort such as climate resilience by empowering organizations to take the pulse of climate pressures. We are committed to helping our users design a better, more sustainable future. And we're confident that the collaborative nature of GIS will foster important connections among and within organizations. Partnerships and collaborations, such as the one between the United Nations (UN) and Esri around quantifying the UN’s Sustainable Introduction Creating the World We Want to See Development Goals (SDGs), can help everyone on the planet. Mobile field data applications, coupled with analytic capabilities, can support the ambitious goals of ending poverty and hunger and all the other important aims of a modern and inclusive society. GIS provides tools to better manage the natural environment and safeguard wild and biodiverse places. Many communities have gone too far in extracting resources to the detriment of species and ecosystems. Nature is inherently resilient though, and land managers have employed GIS to return vibrancy. GIS guides rewilding and rejuvenation programs that enhance habitat and return locally extinct species to reclaim balanced ecosystems. Humanitarian-aid organizations use GIS to address some of their most common challenges, such as helping where needs are the greatest and finding safe routes to deliver relief services. In public safety, GIS reveals where to focus efforts to prevent, protect against, and mitigate complex threats and hazards. With real-time data-driven insights aiding mission-critical decisions, responders can quickly recover from events and threats that pose the greatest risk of destabilizing communities. Geodesign provides a smart planning approach to designing with nature rather than against it. This powerful method has been used to create new developments that bring important amenities to communities, including enhanced proximity to nature and increased shade to combat climbing temperatures. GIS has been used to make communities more livable while reducing risks from more extreme storms due to climate change. The global GIS vision that was once imagined by pioneers of the technology has gradually come about through our collective work. When we all can see the benefits of our actions, we can accelerate changes to create a world we all want to see. Together, we can leave future generations with blueprints and solutions that create balance. We owe it to the planet, and all the species that live on it, to map the change we want to see. 3
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