Latest Contributions by WilliamTarpai

I wonder how many of the 191 World Changing Ideas for 2026 that fastcompany recently published will find their way into upcoming higher education research???  Of importance to me was seeing that ESRI was a winner for its Map Africa Initiative.    Having been stationed for long periods in Mozambique, Angola and Somalia, AND currently promoting rural development in Kenya, I can attest that lots of GIS mentors are in need, and the one project at a time way of handing development needs to be super charged.   But after so many years of conflict between Ukraine and Russia, or Israel and Palestine (as well as most neighbors)  these may seem hallow words. ... View more

@JRosalesGIS  Thanks for posting.   Between the GIS Leadership and Education summits, there is lots of amazing people coming together.  How is it possible to meet so many in that giant San Diego convention center?  I just learned a University of California Riverside librarian, who is about to retire, will be attending an ESRI EC for the first time.  She is a super hero of the University of California GIS Week for many years.... @EzraCheruiyot Amazingly this year's ESRI UC is going to be so incredible!!!!   I urge. you to inform all of your colleagues to consider the importance of ESRI Certificates to improve workforce readiness.... ... View more

GREAT POST - I can't wait to ask world leaders, while they will be in New York for 2026 annual United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) meetings, almost the same question - What do (World Leaders) really care about when they evaluate GIS or location analytics?      Think about it, Achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), against all 17 goals, require "...better visibility into services and disruptions, faster location-based investment decisions, improved project delivery, reduced risk, greater confidence in growth decisions, and stronger support for resources and operations". As the world approaches the year 2030, and the end of the 15 year global SDG challenge, world leaders will be looking to present their best possible outcomes, against all 17 SDGs.  US leaders have never presented to the world, analysis of how we are doing (called a Voluntary National Review - VNR).  Who knows why not?  But now that the 2026 Sustainable Development report has shown the US ranking to drop to 45th place against 193 countries in the world, GIS leaders attending the ESRI User Conference next week will know, US should be in the top 10.. Will GIS Leadership  take the challenge to rally behind our national government to make a VNR presentation at UNGA this decade to show US leadership?   My prediction is that if the US does, it will help to make our world a better place for not only the US, but the whole world. ... View more

Super well done @Aravindh_Rajendran    Can't wait to learn how my colleagues in Kenya respond to this post @EzraCheruiyot   ... View more

It keeps getting better and better..  Thanks for putting up the translation as the English speaking  ESRI Community iwill go wild about the simplicity of thinking that can make good things happen.  AI for Good is happening in Geneva NOW.   ESRI UC and HLPF for Sustainable Development will be happening in New York and San Diego next week.    GIS leadership can make incredible things related to the SDGs happen  during the rest of this decade.   But while we can appreciate America First, we really need to know the world is a big place.   ... View more

@NicoMora   Thanks for posting on a topic of such importance to our world, AND Just before the (7-15 July) start of the High Level Political Forum (HLPF) on Sustainable Development as well as the ESRI UC 202t6.   Your guidance for developing your own GIS independent project is wonderful.   But for those who may be looking for high paying global jobs, ponder contacting UN and multilateral banks to get involved with some of the side events in New York, including  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 EDT | 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 to 5:00 PM EDT | ECOSOC Chamber, UNHQ, New York Data for Development: Strengthening Partnerships and Financing for the SDGs July 15, 2026, 8:00 AM to 9:00 AM EDT      ... View more

Perhaps becoming a bridge between technology and pedagogy may perhaps be more useful - @EzraCheruiyot  Perhaps we need to address these topics with teachers and administrators of all the schools we have already supplied reading materials and computer equipment???  Let's discuss this topic during our next mapping hour.....  ... View more

WOW.   Thanks for posting in Ukrainian, on a topic of REAL IMPORTANCE for a majority of those who have not fully mastered English, but are interested in mastering GIS skills.    I have been pushing my colleagues in Kenya, to begin to introduce GIS skill sets, especially in high schools in rural areas, and face many of the challenges you address.    I urge leaders of this ESRI COMMUNITY to ensure a full translation into English can be posted soon on this platform, hopefully before this year's UC. ... View more

@HamidYunus Thanks for posting.  @EzraCheruiyot  I was just speaking with my colleague in Kenya about this year's ESRI User Conference, and that I am only a one hour drive away from the Convention Center in San Diego.   The GIS leadership events, away from the main convention center, certainly appeal to me.  Why?   I want to explore with UIS based GIS leadership  how to: Avoid the "business value vacuum" that forms when value isn't communicated related to sustainable development scale ups;  Help Americans better Understand what value the United Nations brings as a global organization; Turn operational improvements into leadership conversations to speed up achieving successful SDG outcomes, not only in the US, but around the world; and  Communication mediums that make GIS impact visible and measurable, not only in the US, but able to reach GIS professionals around the globe.   ... View more

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