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Financial support for ArcGIS training now available for Québec organizations

The Government of Québec is now offering financial support to small and large organizations whose activities have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. This program offers financial support up to $100,000 for organizations to implement training activities for their employees. Applications for the Concerted Action Program for Maintaining Employment (PACME) will be accepted until September 30th. This blog post describes how Esri Canada, which is designated as an accredited training organization by the Commission des partenaires du marché du travail, can help organizations take advantage of this program and adjust to or prepare for new business needs and plan for a more robust comeback after the crisis.

 …l’augmentation de la productivité ça passe par la numérisation, l’intelligence artificielle, l’automatisation et la robotisation.— Jean Boulet, Ministre du Travail, de l’Emploi et de la Solidarité sociale

Right now, your business may be one of the many experiencing a lull in activity. By increasing employees’ skills on the ArcGIS platform during this lull, you’ll be able to maximize your GIS software investment faster and leverage technological improvements that directly impact productivity, just like Minister Boulet mentions above.

Digitization

The time has come to go paperless. Maps, plans and forms should all be transformed into digital solutions to avoid touch points between individuals. This can also accelerate timelines from collection to dissemination, allowing organizations to get findings to decision makers faster, in the form of dashboards and more. The ArcGIS platform offers configurable tools as part of an ecosystem that includes a system of record, a system of insight and a system of engagement.

Artificial intelligence

When we talk artificial intelligence (AI), it’s often about producing models to detect trends or issues, or to identify new potential solutions that would otherwise not be obvious. If you have a large quantity of data or multiple factors to consider in a complex environment, you’ll need advanced analysis skills. ArcGIS spatial analysis tools can produce multiple model scenarios from large datasets. With these tools, users can simplify processes that can sometimes be hard to manipulate.

Automation

Once we’ve talked digitization, we eventually always talk automation. Once users realize they could do much more in less time if some steps could get done without their intervention, the manual process of collecting digital data quickly transforms into a need to automate repetitive tasks. In addition, analysis workflows, data import, web services updates, system administration and other tasks can be automated. Python is the language of choice in ArcGIS and can be integrated with multiple types of workflows.

Robotization

We are just at the beginning of robotization in GIS, but robotic solutions for data collection are already being used to accelerate processes and provide secured solutions in certain scenarios. Many are expecting this to evolve quickly, so we should see more robotization solutions in the future of GIS.

Next steps

Our training services solutions can help your team learn more about how to maximize ArcGIS in your organization and increase productivity. Esri Canada is offering all our training in virtual classrooms during the COVID-19 crisis and provides a full spectrum of courses for all levels of users and for various topics. Choose from our open enrollment courses—listed in our course catalogue—or set up a private group training for your team by contacting us. If you don’t find a French option for a course of interest, please let us know and we’ll do our best to accommodate your request.

We also offer advice, free of charge, on training solutions, so you can contact us right away to work on a training plan for your PACME project application.

In addition, if you or your employees are members of a professional association and the use of ArcGIS is an important part of your professional activities, you have the option of taking Esri Canada training courses and including those training hours on your Declaration of Continuing Education form. Validate the details with your respective association directly and we’ll provide all the necessary information for training as well as a participation certificate after you’ve successfully completed the training.

About the Author

Carole Arseneau is a Market Research Specialist at Esri Canada. Over the years, she has advised customers from all industries on how to leverage GIS in their organizations. More recently, she’s been conducting market research to uncover details about the various jobs our customers do each day in various industries. This will help inform Esri Canada’s corporate strategy and better support our customers. Carole holds a Market Research certificate from the University of California, Davis, a GIS certificate from Florida State College in Jacksonville and a bachelor’s degree in Kinesiology from Laval University in Québec City. Being by the water has always made her feel at home and has given her inspiration to keep a positive outlook in life.

Profile Photo of Carole Arseneau