As reported in the January issue of the magazine GPS World, “ESRI, based in Redlands, California, established the Global Spatial Data Infrastructure (GSDI) Global Map International Grant Program in May. The initiative intends to jumpstart development and distribution of national geospatial data as a Backbone for supporting sustainable economic development.
“ESRI will underwrite the initiative with a package of software, training, and support worth more than $5 million …. Approximately 100 grants valued at $50,000 each will go to support the building of national spatial data infrastructures throughout the world.”
Grants are for government agencies, and will go to only one agency per country. “The grant is dedicated to the memory of Dr. Jack Estes, a GIS pioneer who envisioned a global program to assist developing countries create and maintain their spatial data infrastructures.” Jack, a member of the UCSB faculty for over 30 years, died last March 9, 2001.
