Ponciano from Timor-Leste [Introduction]

Question

Hello ESRI Community,

Thank you for allowing me to join this community. I am Ponciano da Costa de Jesus, commonly known as Ponsy, from Timor-Leste, a small nation located in South East Asia, between Indonesia and Australia.
I recently completed my studies at the National University of Timor Lorosa'e, specializing in Geology and Petroleum Engineering. Currently, I work as a coordinator for the Geographic Information System Association, a non-governmental organization established in Timor-Leste since 2021.
I have dedicated a significant amount of my time to GIS technology and have been developing GIS for academic purposes in my home country since 2020. However, it has been challenging as our association continues to use ArcGIS with the ArcMap product. 
I am excited to be part of this community and hope to receive valuable responses. My aim is to contribute to the further enhancement of the ArcGIS platform in Timor-Leste.
I am content to be a part of this community, and I look forward to receiving any feedback or engaging in discussions regarding the development of ArcGIS in our nation.

Ponsyano · Answer

Hi Jesse Cloutier,

In Timor-Leste, we don’t have an ArcGIS account manager, and our organization also lacks a single account. Therefore, we are actively seeking a solution to obtain one. Thank you for your guidance. I have reached out to ESRI Indonesia, and I hope they can address our needs.

Regards,

Ponsy

JesseCloutier · Answer

Thank you for providing these additional details, Ponsyano. That's great that you and your colleagues took the initiative to establish the Geographic Information System Group Association and that you're thinking ahead about Timor-Leste's GIS needs! Do you or your organization have an Esri Account Manager? They would be a good person to get in touch with about this concern and transitioning from ArcMap. If you don't currently have one, consider getting in touch with your Esri Distributor: Esri Indonesia (their contact page is here). Esri Community, of course, also has lots of users who've made the transition already and relevant information among the many posts in its library of information that you can explore for free at any time. One such Blog article I'll point you towards is ArcMap Enters Mature Support in March 2024, which references additional resources, including the Migrate from ArcMap to ArcGIS Pro web page of compiled resources. All the best!

Ponsyano · Answer

Hi Jesse Cloutier,

Thank you very much!

In addition to that, I would like to confirm regarding the development of ArcGIS in my country, Timor-Leste.
I would like to provide an overview of the development of ArcGIS in Timor-Leste:
Our nation, Timor-Leste, does not yet have an institution dedicated to developing a GIS platform. However, there is one government institution, the Institute of Geosciences of Timor-Leste, that uses ArcGIS in its various mapping activities. Additionally, the National Petroleum and Minerals Authority of Timor-Leste also utilizes ArcGIS in its activities. These institutions, however, are primarily government entities.
As a passionate individual interested in the development of ArcGIS and GIS platforms in Timor-Leste, we took the initiative to establish the Geographic Information System Group Association in 2021. Our association operates as both a private sector and non-governmental institution, focusing on the primary goal of GIS development in Timor-Leste.
We have a significant issue in Timor-Leste where many individuals, including academics, researchers, NGOs, and some government institutions as mentioned earlier, are still using ArcGIS, particularly ArcMap. Since the beginning of my career in ArcGIS in 2019, up to the present, we and our colleagues in the nation continue to rely on ArcMap.
That's why, our association is actively seeking ways to connect with ESRI to ensure that the transition from ArcMap to ArcGIS Pro does not negatively impact our nation, where many depend on ArcMap.
If you have any ideas or information on this matter, please share them with us so that we can take responsibility and further develop ArcGIS Pro in Timor-Leste after ArcMap is discontinued.
We have also applied to ESRI Non-Governmental, but I am unsure whether there is ongoing discussion or plans regarding the transition to ArcGIS Pro in Timor-Leste.

Thank you for your guidance and response, I am looking forward to discussing more about it with you.
Regards,
Ponsy