Latest Contributions by WilliamTarpai

Thanks @IzabelaMillerGC   VERY IMPORTANT question to be asking GIS leaders to consider.  What would make your team irreplaceable in a future you cannot yet see clearly? 2 of my Kenyan colleagues just wrote me responding on issues important for GIS leaders in their country.   In New York, they are preparing for a high level political forum (HLPF) next week discussing where '...science-policy collaboration is helping accelerate SDG implementation, where gaps remain, and what is needed to strengthen the credibility and effectiveness of science-informed policymaking under current global conditions'.     ... View more

@MichaelGreen  Thanks for posting - 'exploring how GIS and IT teams can work together to build trust, align processes, strengthen governance, and create shared goals that support sustainable growth' is certainly important for GIS leaders to discuss and build stronger partnerships'.    The world is changing around us, and we need to better understand how we might push for the concept of network multilateralism....    Will this event help to breakdown divisions that confront us, not only here in the US but around the world?  In the 2026 Sustainable Development report published by the Sustainable Development Solutions Network, the US has dropped to 45th place.  Hard to understand how our country continues to drop in global rankings measuring how it is doing against the 17 sustainable development goals (SDGs).  We are doing well, but do not accurately measure US progress.   Indeed, the US is the only major country globally, that has never provided a Voluntary National Review (VNR) during the annual UN General Assembly (UNGA) bringing together global leaders.  Why?  Is it because we can NOT measure progress against the targets of the 17 goals?   The answer is clearly NO, and what GIS leaders are doing around are country to improve living conditions in cities and states will certainly be highlighted at this event.   Almost certainly, US public opinion has been divided, and whether it will support United Nations as a lead agency globally is certainly being questioned.   Unfairly I believe,.   I spent more than 2 decades working  outside the US in countries suffering from conflicts that most American really didn't do more than turn their tv channels away from watching the horror of the conflicts that were unfolding outside of their country.  We do NOT understand the relevance of the United Nations, much less how it was created after world war II and set up to operate under its United Nations Charter. Today, we need to think about how GIS can be leveraged in the US to help build student skill sets so they are able to take over making a better world, and not only in the US.    We must position technology to not only use the value of GIS technology most effectively, but work to empower populations to break down inequalities, not only in the US, but understand how we can better lead globally by sharing the knowledge we possess.  Once again, our students and their schools of higher learning are important for us to understand how stronger partnerships that make that happen.  I suggest GIS Leader engage in their local communities over the coming year, and come back here next year to highlight what possible solutions our discussions might help scale up not only US but in terms of global development, measured using the 17 SDGs. ... View more

@EzraCheruiyot   Let's urge our East African student base and their teachers to take the self assessment and perhaps we can build a map with a clearer understanding not only of the infrastructure work that needs to be done, but where the GIS professionals of the future might be learning.  ... View more

@JamesPardue2   Great post - and timely with the UC only days away from beginning in San Diego.  The Self Assessment tool is very timely.  I want to encourage GIS leaders to pass it around to students on campuses of higher education near you.   ... View more

@EzraCheruiyot Wow, counting the days down until the UC in San Diego.  Although many people, including super GIS leaders will attend, we know so many more will be able to participate online, especially students and young professionals that we will be able to engage in conversations helping them to hone their GIS skill sets, hoping to achieve better SDG results in this decade - Check out your country's ranking achieving SDGs in 2026.    ... View more

@DeeptiKochhar EXCELLENT post GIS LEADERSHIP is critical in these last years of this decade.   As we all know a new United Nations Secretary General (UNSG) is being selected now, and of the 5 candidates 3 are very qualified women.  ALSO, the UN Charter is 80 years old and badly in need of being reformed to adjust to the conditions we are facing in our lives today.    Why this matters: Indeed for all the reasons you have written,  Trusted data, Faster decision-making, and Scalable innovation.   BUT LEADERS, it is also about the lives of human beings, especially those who haven't enjoyed the advantages many of us have reaped in the past. ... View more

Thanks everyone for the quick and important discussion.   Check out the new ESRI training - THE POWER OF WHERE: Communicating with Maps - October 21 - December 2, 2026.   It will be interesting to see how many young Kenyan, Tanzanians and Ugandans will apply and work their ways through this training opportunity.   I'm sure it can help speed up much needed SDG success stories by the end of this decade. ... View more

Thanks for the quick reply - Lighting up the ESRI User Conference, will hopefully be some discussions from those who might be interested in lending a helping hand.   Please update yourself on the  “Hamburg Declaration on Responsible Artificial Intelligence (AI) for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).” This is an upcoming event “Partnerships for Inclusive AI: One Year of Hamburg AI Declaration Impact” 30 June 2026, 10:30–11:15 AM CEST, Hamburg Chamber of Commerce  - ... View more

@KiaraJacobs Thanks for posting.  Although I won't be able to attend, I am urging students from all of the University of California and California State University campuses to get involved....  ESRI has been actively providing software bundles with lots of training and opportunities to learn.  This course is appropriately timed to allow student from all California schools to get involved.   ... View more

UC 2026 is almost upon us - Lots of participants will no doubt be attending from San Bernardino County - Allow me to invite everyone to spend some time reviewing a SB County Story Map -Any questions ask Krystal Corzine and Leanna Rennemann Imagine using a dataset allowing us to: Track trends in mental health and substance use over time Compare local patterns to statewide benchmarks Identify who is most impacted, and where Examine specific conditions, such as opioid use, stimulant use, alcohol-related visits, and others   ... View more

@JamesPardue2   Thank you for your original post, with the incredible attachment.   I keep coming back to it, and each time I'm glad I did. The first email I’m reading is the BMZ Digital Global, beginning in German, then English to the dear readers, “…Few technologies have spread as rapidly as artificial intelligence (AI). It is already transforming how we learn, work, and access information – both at an individual level and across societies and economies. According to the World Trade Organization (WTO), AI could increase global trade by nearly 40 per cent by 2040. Yet not all countries are equally positioned to shape this transformation. As a result, the languages and perspectives of billions of people across Africa, Latin America, and parts of Asia remain underrepresented in today’s AI systems. While some countries develop these technologies and define the rules governing their use, others still lack the necessary resources. For example, only two per cent of the world’s data centers are currently located on the African continent.The question of who can use, develop, and shape AI will define the years ahead. Without investments in infrastructure, skills, and digital inclusion, a new form of global inequality may emerge: the AI Equity Gap."   Your suggestions are really top notch....    Keep up your good work. ... View more

@EzraCheruiyot   Please share this post with Tenwek High School mappers and teachers supporting them.   It will be interesting to what discussions come forth during this World Cup season.   Remember, 'silence' is not an option.   Have you had any feedback or led any field visit with ESRI East Africa offices staff?   It would be great having student feedback after they were able to read the official What's New in Experience Builder Blog post. ... View more

Days away from UC2026 beginning in San Diego, I began the day reading about how "only two per cent of the world’s data centers are currently located on the African continent.   The question of who can use, develop, and shape AI will define the years ahead. Without investments in infrastructure, skills, and digital inclusion, a new form of global inequality may emerge: the AI Equity Gap" @EzraCheruiyot     Like @MatthewBrandt  How do we move forward in isolated, rural areas where dependable access to the internet is not guaranteed by host governments, much less children and schools having access to computers that only can use electricity periodically to prepare and produce story maps and data need to spur development?   Of course, infrastructure investment comes into the discussion somewhere down the line.... ... View more

@EzraCheruiyot This is a wonderful post to reach out to you and your Kenyan GIS colleagues who are doing such incredible work to speed up development occurring in Kenya.  Spend some time understanding the importance of adding and improving data needed to improve Kenya's ranking against all 17 SDGs.   Incredibly Kenya is working to involve many youth voices, especially in rural Bomet County. ... View more

@StevenAustin    Absolutely correct....  for those in GIS leadership who can also push the SDG challenge forward --  From July 7–15, 2026, the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) and its partners will host a series of key events alongside the 2026 UN High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) on Sustainable Development.  https://www.unsdsn.org/news/the-sdsn-at-the-2026-un-high-level-political-forum/?utm_source=SDG+Academy+community&utm_campaign=f202e4e7fd-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2025_01_07_04_39_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_-1f0cb4da80-599509367&mc_cid=f202e4e7fd&mc_eid=ac585669f8 Science Day 2026: The Science-Policy Imperative in the Final Stretch to 2030 and Beyond July 9, 2026, 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM | Online & Conference Room 3, UNHQ, New York    Accelerating Energy System Innovation and Transition for Equity and Resilience to Advance Global Sustainable Development July 10, 2026, 3:00 PM EDT | ECOSOC Chamber, UNHQ, NY   Data for Development: Strengthening Partnerships and Financing for the SDGs. July 15, 2026, 8:00 AM to 9:00 AM EDT  online only   ... View more