Dr. Jack Dangermond is a major figure in the development and evolution of geographic information systems (GIS) and science. He was a pioneer in the commercialization of GIS software and has been a constant supporter of geographic information science in the academic sector, as well as throughout government and industry. Jack has made a difference to the global environment and to society while building a successful high-technology corporation, playing a key role in the growth of the effective and efficient use of GIS in government and the private sector while supporting GIS education and training at all levels.
In 1969, he and his wife, Laura, founded the Environmental Systems Research Institute (Esri). Esri originally conducted land use and environmental studies, but the software developed for that purpose evolved into a software product for managing and analyzing geographic information. ArcGIS is, the world’s largest selling GIS software product. Today, Jack's leadership and vision stimulate ongoing innovation of GIS technologies that enable people to make insightful decisions and improve the quality of life everywhere. Esri supports many global communities using GIS to increase spatial literacy, protect the environment, and assist with disaster response—making our world a better place.
Jack Dangermond has served on many advisory boards, including the National Science Foundation's Directorate for Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences and the National Center for Geographic Information and Analysis (NCGIA). His many awards reflecting the influence of his work include: the Cullum Geographical Medal of the American Geographical Society; the Horwood Award of the Urban and Regional Information Systems Association; the Anderson Medal of the Association of American Geographers; the John Wesley Powell Award of the U.S. Geological Survey; the Carl Mannerfelt Gold Medal of the International Cartographic Association; the Patron's Medal of the Royal Geographical Society in 2010; Alexander Graham Bell Medal of the National Geographic Society in 2010; and the Arthur C. Lundahl Lifetime Achievement Award of the United States Geospatial Intelligence Foundation, 2010. He has received honorary doctoral degrees from institutions including the University of Minnesota, the University at Buffalo (SUNY), and the University of Redlands which are UCGIS members, and other institutions including Ferris State University, University of West Hungary, and the City University in London, England.
Jack earned his undergraduate degree from California State Polytechnic University at Pomona studying landscape architecture and environmental science. He received a Master of Architecture degree in urban planning from the University of Minnesota and a Master of Landscape Architecture from Harvard University in 1969, the year Esri was founded.
He has supported UCGIS since its inception—Esri was the first private-sector affiliate member of UCGIS. Dangermond and Esri have consistently supported travel of early-career scholars to UCGIS assemblies and other academic meetings in the United States and elsewhere, and have hired a large number of graduates from UCGIS institutions.
For his contributions to GIS, UCGIS, and the world, Jack Dangermond is awarded a UCGIS Fellows Award for 2012.