For 35 years, Esri Press has published the Esri Map Book. We offered the book to all Esri attendees in their swag bag. This year, we are again offering the web experience of the book to everyone, as part of their virtual swag bag. 

In years past, we've waited until the start of the conference to release the cover design. This year we're releasing it early, along with the content.

By Thursday, July 9th, everyone will be able to view the maps and read the descriptions for all the entries who are part of volume 35. You'll see maps about world purchasing power, the 21st Century Silk Road, Ventura County Fire Department, an ecoregion map of Yambaru National Park, Okinawa, Japan, and many more.

You will be able to view the book here: Esri Map Book 2020, Vol. 35 

For those who would like a printed copy of the book, it can be purchased from the Esri Merchandise Store that will open on Monday, July 13th. You can pick up a copy along with one of the cool, new t-shirts, and a copy of Lindsey the GIS Professional book, in English and Spanish (so you can finally explain GIS and the amazing work you do to your family and friends). More about the Esri Merchandise Store, to come!

Like other teams within Esri, we're excited about new possibilities to explore with the first-ever virtual Esri User Conference. For you, it means you get to be the first to experience some of the exclusive offerings developed especially for this type of delivery. And to ensure that attendees can still have easy access to Esri Press staff and resources, our space at Esri UC allows you to connect with us directly, connect with us later, read about our new children's book series, download a copy of our latest catalog of new and upcoming titles, and more.

Here's a slice of what you can expect for your Esri UC experience with Esri Press:

Author Interviews

Because we can't offer you author meet-and-greets at our booth this year, you'll have the next best thing: curated interviews with user-submitted questions for some of our authors. We'll be asking your questions during this pre-recorded session, and you'll be able to access the recording anytime during Esri UC. See the full list of participating authors here.

Book Trailers

Also new for your 2020 Esri UC experience are book trailers, 30- to 40-second videos featuring key titles and giving you a glimpse into the book's content or related resources. Be sure to check out the one for our "Women and GIS" series, which includes the links to the story map, "Celebrating Women: Stars of Spatial Science," and two sessions in the Women and GIS webinar series. 

New and Upcoming Titles

Esri UC is the time when Esri users get a sneak peak of what's coming for books before the general public. This year is no different: Discover new titles coming this year here--including new editions of GIS Tutorial for ArcGIS Pro and Getting to Know ArcGIS Pro, both updated for ArcGIS Pro 2.6.

Chat Availability

Just because there's distance doesn't mean we're distant: You can start an instant chat with a member of Esri Press anytime during the Expo on Monday, July 13, through Wednesday, July 15. Find the chat feature on our landing page and ask us about reviewing a desk copy, our recommendations for a course you're designing, or anything GIS!

Meeting Requests

Have a book idea that you're ready to talk seriously about? Want to understand our book development process? Request a meeting with our senior acquisitions editor and set up a time to chat. Find the "Schedule a Meeting" button on our landing page and complete the form. Be sure to tell us what you want to discuss so we can have any resources ready for you.

But what about the book giveaway? you might ask. Because there is no physical presence for Esri UC and hence no Esri Press booth, the end-of-Esri-UC book giveaway will have to wait until next year. We'll miss the excitement buzzing around attendees lining up. Attendees can always visit the Esri Merch Store to purchase discounted copies of our popular and latest copies.

Looking for resources to introduce children to fun, interesting careers? Esri Press has you covered, parents and educators.

In partnership with engineering and consulting firm, Bolton & Menk, Esri Press is publishing its first series of children's books, STEAM at Work! The series is aimed at illustrating careers in science, tech, and engineering. Featuring diverse characters and topics, the books guide young readers through an exploration of what it means to be a GIS professional, landscape architect, civil engineer, and more. Topics on landscape architecture, water resource engineering, and civil engineering, for example, introduce children to the AEC (architecture, engineering, construction) fields and teach them about important construction, environmental, and social issues that workers in these fields help solve. With fun illustrations and clear, concise language, the books take complex technical information and make it easily understandable.

Bolton & Menk’s first book, Walter the Raindrop, A Water Cycle Story, was developed and handed out in conjunction with children’s activities being offered during the Smithsonian Water/Ways traveling exhibit. The idea grew in popularity, and more books followed.

Getting children excited about STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, mathematics) fields at a younger age opens them up to even more possibilities of what they could grow up to be. The STEAM at Work! series brings awareness to exciting, fun STEAM careers and gives children new ideas for channeling their passions. Each book in the series demonstrates different environmental and social issues the characters use their skills to solve, encouraging critical and creative thinking about the world. Like its characters, readers are inspired to make a positive difference in their community now and in their future careers. 

Books come with downloadable teacher's guide, and free, fun printable and online activities.

For more information about this children's series, see STEAMatWork.com.

Have a question for Esri Press? Here are a few your peers have asked.

1. Does Esri offer evaluation copies of its books to educators?
2. I'm an instructor, but not at a higher education institute. Can I get access to the Esri Press digit...
3. I'm a student. What has Esri Press introduced, in the past year, to support me?
4. What new Esri Press titles have been published since the beginning of 2020, and will they be availab...

If you have additional questions, now or at any time in the future, you can talk to us directly here in the Esri Press Books GeoNet Community.

Are you curious about the professionals behind some of our most popular books? Want to learn more about using or teaching with these books? Now is your chance to hear from them directly: Drop by during the week of UC to view exclusive Q&As with some of our authors.

Bonus: They'll be answering your questions!

Between July 13 and July 17, we'll release pre-recorded interviews with some of our authors, who will be talking about their book(s), their experience, and other topics of interest to you. Each interview will be accessible separately and on demand to allow you the most flexibility with your schedule during UC. 

The authors who will be answering your questions include:

• Dawn Wright and Christian Harder, editors of GIS for Science; Ocean Solutions, Earth Solutions (Dawn); and The ArcGIS Book (Christian)
• Paul Zandbergen, author of Python Scripting for ArcGIS and the upcoming books, Python Scripting for ArcGIS Pro and Advanced Python Scripting for ArcGIS Pro
• Kristen Kurland, co-author of the GIS Tutorial series (including GIS Tutorial 1 for ArcGIS Pro 2.4)
• J. Chris Carter, author of Introduction to Human Geography Using ArcGIS Online
• NEW! Added 6/16: Pinde Fu, author of the Getting to Know Web GIS book series

Want to ask a question to one of the above authors? Submit your queries to us at esripress@esri.com. Be sure to include who your question is intended for, and feel free to send multiple questions for multiple authors.

Not all questions submitted will make it into the final list, so be sure to send in your questions early! Last day to submit is Friday, June 12.

UPDATE: Questions for Pinde will be accepted through Monday, June 22.

As we approach UC, stop by the Esri Press GeoNet community to find out more!

Two new Python scripting books publish July 2020, just in time for the Esri User Conference.

These much-anticipated books, by author Paul Zandbergen, will show all users, regardless of skill level or experience, how to use Python to improve and simplify their work. Paul's books are used in universities and colleges around the world to teach core Python techniques and how to apply those to ArcGIS. These two new titles focus on ArcGIS Pro. 

Python Scripting for ArcGIS Pro is the definitive, easy-to-follow guide to writing Python code with spatial data in ArcGIS Pro, whether you’re new to programming or not.

Python Scripting for ArcGIS Pro starts with the fundamentals of Python programming and then dives into how to write useful Python scripts that work with spatial data in ArcGIS Pro. Learn how to execute geoprocessing tools, describe, create and update data, as well as execute a number of specialized tasks. See how to write simple, custom scripts that will automate your ArcGIS Pro workflow. 

Some of the key topics you will learn include:

• Setting up a Python editor
• Automating geoprocessing tasks using ArcPy
• Exploring and manipulating spatial and tabular data
• Working with geometries using cursors
• Working with rasters and map algebra
• Map scripting
• Debugging and error handling

Available in print and e-book from your favorite online retailers: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Indiebound.

[ISBN: 9781589484993   420 pages   $79.99]

Ready for something more complex? Advanced Python Scripting for ArcGIS Pro is an easy-to-follow guide to writing specialized Python scripts and developing tools for spatial data in ArcGIS Pro.

Advanced Python Scripting for ArcGIS Pro builds on Python Scripting for ArcGIS Pro. Learn how to create a geoprocessing tool out of your script and automate tasks in ArcGIS Pro, how to share your tools with others, as well as master a number of more specialized tasks.

Some of the key topics you will learn include:

• Writing specialized scripts using ArcPy
• Creating Python script tools
• Writing Python toolboxes 
• Sharing scripts and tools 
• Managing Python packages and environments 
• Creating custom functions and classes 
• Migrating scripts and tools from ArcGIS Desktop to ArcGIS Pro 
• NumPy, Pandas, and Matplotlib 
• ArcGIS API for Python and Jupyter Notebook 

Available in print and e-book from your favorite online retailers: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Indiebound.

[ISBN: 9781589486188    290 pages   $69.99]

Both book include helpful “points to remember,” key terms, and review questions at the end of each chapter to reinforce your understanding of Python. In addition, corresponding data and exercises will be available online (once the book publishes).

About Paul A. Zandbergen: 

Dr. Paul A. Zandbergen is a professor in the GIS program at Vancouver Island University. His teaching includes courses in introductory GIS, spatial analysis and modeling, spatial statistics, and GIS programming. His research focuses on the robustness of spatial analytical techniques in the areas of crime analysis, environmental science, public health, spatial ecology, and water resources. His research has been funded by the National Science Foundation, the National Institute of Justice, and the National Institutes of Health. He has published over 50 journal articles and book chapters. He is the author of Python Scripting for ArcGIS, published in 2013 with Esri Press. He lives with his family in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

In the Foreword of the second volume of Women and GIS: Stars of Spatial Science, Dr. Jane Goodall relates,

“Everyone I told [about my dream to go to Africa, live with wild animals and write books about them] laughed at me. How could I do that? We had very little money. World War II was raging. Africa was far away. And I was “just a girl.” And girls didn’t do that sort of thing. So they told me I should dream about something I could actually achieve and forget about going to Africa. When a career counselor came to the school and heard that I wanted to go out and study animals in the wild, she laughed too.”

Dr. Goodall is not alone in her quest to follow her passion and do what she most desired to do. And our world is better for it.

Showcasing the lives and contributions of thirty women in STEM fields, Women and GIS: Stars of Spatial Science is an inspirational resource for young adults wondering how they might channel their STEM interests. Full of personal stories and groundbreaking scientific work, this book inspires anyone interested in making a difference in the world through GIS.

LEARN MORE 

It has been astounding to witness the rapid shift in higher education from classroom learning to a digital environment within an exceptionally short amount of time. First, then, we’d like to applaud all of our educators’ efforts in making that happen. Your adaptability to the impact of the pandemic on your students’ daily lives has made the transition to remote learning possible and allowed students to keep learning and fulfilling their educational plans. 

While some schools have decided to continue with an online classroom for their Fall 2020 courses, others are yet to be determined. In order to support all schools, regardless of teaching environment, we’re introducing courseware options for select Esri Press e-books when purchased or rented through the VitalSource platform.

Up until now, only certain print titles included a 180-day software trial because the access code was printed on the inside back cover. Now, our most popular titles that include a software trial in the new printed book will have the same offering with their e-book equivalents.

Students can easily identify which books on VitalSource include courseware: The book cover of applicable books has an orange “Courseware + eTextbook” banner across the corner.

Esri Press books in a VitalSource search. The first book is clearly identified as having courseware included.

The book’s page also provides a 4-step generic guide to how courseware redemption works.

The banner that displays on all e-books with courseware describes the simple process of using courseware.

Once the e-book with courseware is purchased or rented, students can open their book in Bookshelf, VitalSource’s free reader app, and find their access code. The code comes with a link to the Esri page where they can redeem their code.

And the length of the 180-day trial remains the same whether the e-book is purchased or rented. (Rentals are currently offered at 60 days, 120 days, and 180 days.)

For those students whose issue has been getting access to our software, they now have the option to choose an e-book instead of a print book. And for those students whose concern has been cost, they now have a more affordable option with a discounted e-rental and a software trial included.

For specific questions you may have, please email us at esripress@esri.com.