Let's Celebrate Your 2025 GIS Accomplishments!

[JesseCloutier]

For so many of us, December signals the final push on our roadmap goals. Lingering tasks get ushered to completion and we busy ourselves tidying up any loose ends on projects. It’s also a time when we start looking back and appreciating what we’ve been able to do over the course of the year.

We want to hear about what you accomplished in 2025. Leave a comment below to share a GIS achievement that you’re proud of, big or small. Don’t be shy about tooting your own horn—good work deserves to be recognized! And if someone here in Esri Community played a role helped along the way, be sure to tag them so that they get recognized for the assist.

[JesseCloutier]

That's great to hear, @lisachaparroc! We'd love to hear more if you have any specific stories or images you'd like to share about the experience. 

[MeleKoneya1]

Thank you for this chance to reflect.    

In 2025,  some very memorable accomplishments occurred at the UC alone.

One was what felt like a walk off moment when Jack Dangermond showed one of the images I submitted and said it was his favorite on that slide.    I was ecstatic!

https://mediaspace.esri.com/media/1_2rc7uxir?kalturaSeekFrom=966&kalturaClipTo=999&kalturaStartTime=...

He also picked another on my images to use in his plenary session.

To top things off, I was featured in the Building GIS Together book which @JesseCloutier wrote based on Community members interviews.   

Once back from the UC I found out that the image that Jack singled out is planned for the Esri Map Book.

On to 2026!! 

[JesseCloutier]

I remember spotting your map on the User Conference Plenary screen and Jack singling it out, @MeleKoneya1. What a moment!

I hadn't been aware that there's a plan to incorporate it into an Esri book. That's so cool and I'm genuinely thrilled for you.

I'm also glad you brough up the book we released this year—Building GIS Together: Stories from the Esri Community Experience. This was a collaborative project I worked on with my co-Community Manager, @BriannaEttley, our Head of Community, @ChrisCatania, and the wonderful Esri Press team. I should have initially mentioned that among the achievements I listed for 2025 as that was a huge one. It wouldn't have been possible without all the incredible Esri Community members we partnered with to tell their stories and those who contributed quotes. We owe a big thanks to everyone featured in addition to yourself:

@Amanda__Huber	@BrandonA_CDPH	@Brian_Colson	@cpatton_geojobe
@DanPatterson	@DougBrowning	@EllieHakariAK	@Hussam_AlJabri
@Jianxia	@JonathanDandois	@JosephKerski2	@KatieHansen_NIFCAdmin
@KenBuja	@KoryKramer	@sri_krishnahari	@LuizaCintra_Fernandes
@MarvinDavis	@MervynLotter	@PeterKnoop	@RobertScheitlin__GISP
@RosemaryBoone	@SeanTriplett	@Skip_Edel_NIFC_Admin	@TariMartin1

[JosephKerski2]

Thanks!  Here is what I did for GIS Day this year - 2 events: https://youtu.be/T2KdfBKb0_I?si=j0f-jSBtx3Ft9ds1   Joseph Kerski 

[JesseCloutier]

We're not at all surprised to see that you kept busy supporting the awareness and embracing of GIS this past GIS Day, Joseph! Thanks for sharing what you got up to as well as the excellent work being done by others at the sites you spent time at.

[EllieHakariAK]

This is so cool! I just saw an email from Esri requesting images for the next UC Plenary and I thought "I wonder what it's like to have your map up there in front of so many people". Thank you for sharing about your experiences, and that's super exciting about the new Esri Map Book!

[Destinympatton]

Im so happy I attended my first GIS conference this year! I also presented my student work. I hope to do this again next year

[JesseCloutier]

Tell us more about that, @Destinympatton! Which conference did you attend and what did your student work detail?

[JosephKerski2]

Hi and thanks Jesse and all!    I participated in two GIS Day events this year:  1.  I gave the keynote at the Metropolitan State University of Denver's GIS Day event, and 2.  I spoke at Midland College and at the City of Midland Texas' GIS Day event about AI, GIS in education and society, key forces and trends happening in GIS, and the most important skills for the GIS community and students to build for the future.  I documented these in this fun and short video:  https://youtu.be/T2KdfBKb0_I?si=haFO6RJn0uOSN2t2  --Joseph Kerski 

[JosephKerski2]

And lastly I sang a GIS Day song parody while walking alongside a busy street at the end of GIS Day 2025!  https://youtube.com/shorts/h212E7U8arE?si=8QH7rQHreljDGy04   GIS Day, so good to me, GIS Day, it was all I hoped it would be.... It is very off key but heartfelt.  --Joseph Kerski