York Region Wins Prestigious Esri President’s Award
Their collaborative and diverse use of Esri technology makes York Region the first Canadian organization to win this international award.
TORONTO–July 13, 2020– Esri Canada congratulates The Regional Municipality of York on being chosen by Esri Founder and President Jack Dangermond to receive his 2020 President’s Award. This is the highest honour given by Esri and recognizes an organization that uses data-informed decision-making to impact the world in a positive way. York Region was chosen from hundreds of organizations worldwide for their innovative use of geographic information system (GIS) technology to answer challenges and effect change throughout their organization. The award was presented at the annual Esri User Conference.
“On behalf of York Regional Council, I am proud the Region has received such high recognition for its use of data to support better decisions and deliver more effective services,” said York Region Chairman and CEO Wayne Emmerson. “Our approach makes it easier for residents, businesses and municipal partners to interact with trusted data. This contributes toward our mission of working together to serve our thriving communities, today and tomorrow.”
York Region made ground-breaking use of Esri technology when they created a Data Cooperative project. The York Data Co-op lets GIS practitioners from each of the Region’s varied municipalities access and share data, code, technology and training. This means they can leverage each other’s resources, accomplishments and insights and adapt them for local needs. But the Data Co-op is only the most recent reason for this win.
York Region was an early adopter of GIS to support Regional planning and development. For 25 years, the Region has reaped the rewards of using trusted location data to inform decisions. They have created an admirable culture of collaboration, working closely with partners to co-design solutions. GIS is now used in all Regional service areas, supporting governance, housing, transportation, environmental protection, land use, forestry, economic development, public health, water and wastewater management, and more.
“This incredibly prestigious award shows leadership to the entire GIS community across Canada as to what can be done. York Region always takes advantage of the new things in ArcGIS: ease of use, applications, better analytics, ability to tell stories and connecting communities together through hubs. The data sharing that they’ve undertaken lays down a solid foundation for leveraging new technology. Because this works well in such a diverse environment as York Region, it will encourage others to follow their path. It becomes a lighthouse for other municipalities,” said Esri Canada President Alex Miller.
For more information about how York Region is working closely with their partners to help build data capacity and capability across the Region, visit york.ca/puttingdatatowork.
Learn more about Esri Canada’s solutions for government at esri.ca/government.
About York Region
The Regional Municipality of York consists of nine local cities and towns and provides a variety of programs and services to 1.2 million residents and 54,000 businesses with 650,000 employees. More information about the Region’s key service areas is available at york.ca/regionalservices
About Esri Canada
Founded in 1984, Esri Canada provides geographic information system (GIS) solutions that empower people in business, government and education to make informed and timely decisions by leveraging the power of mapping and spatial analytics. These solutions enable organizations to better manage their resources, plan their future and collaborate within and beyond their organization. Esri Canada’s products and services help advance successful digital transformation. The company serves 12,000 organizations from 16 offices across Canada and is based in Toronto. In 2019, Esri Canada achieved Platinum Club status with the Canada's Best Managed Companies program by retaining its Best Managed designation for seven consecutive years or more. More information can be found at esri.ca. Follow Esri Canada on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and LinkedIn.
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