General DNR News

Dept. of Natural Resources Wins Achievement Award

Dept. of Natural Resources Wins Achievement Award

Redlands, California—Selected from more than 200,000 organizations worldwide, the Louisiana Department of Natural Resources is being honored for its work in geographic information system (GIS) technology. The Special Achievement in GIS award is presented by ESRI, the world leader in GIS software, mapping components, and spatial database management tools. The awards were presented at a ceremony at the nineteenth Annual ESRI International User Conference, the largest gathering of GIS professionals in the world.

“Each year the Special Achievement award commemorates a select few organizations using GIS technology. I believe their work will be inspirational in leading the world into the next millennium,” said Jack Dangermond, ESRI president.

A geographic information system is a computer-based tool for mapping and analyzing objects and events. It combines the power of a database with the visualization capabilities offered by maps. Businesses, schools, governments, and organizations use GIS for a variety of applications, as GIS provides the power to solve complicated problems, experiment with scenarios, and present ideas. Although geographic analysis and mapping are not new, a GIS performs these same tasks better and faster than manual methods.

The Louisiana Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is being honored for their work in using GIS to develop the Strategic Online Natural Resources Information System SONRIS/2000. The goal of this system is to increase data accessibility to DNR clients and the public by using GIS to provide spatial data and important query tools for locating the SONRIS/2000 data.

One primary DNR business function is oil and gas regulation. The first major oil/gas project utilizes the Louisiana Internet Well Reference to access GIS information on 205,000 wells drilled in Louisiana. This web site has saved the public significant time in research work related to exploration and drilling.

Another important function of the DNR is coastal management and restoration. Coastal GIS applications include support for wetland habitat change, oyster lease impact assessment, coastal modeling support, wetland value assessments, and public information and education.

For more than thirty years ESRI users have been making a difference in society by applying GIS in their companies and governments. ESRI is proud to honor the 122 Special Achievement in GIS award winners and their contributions to the world through GIS technology.

Such diverse organizations as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; University of Hong Kong GIS Research Centre; Chevron Petroleum; North Dakota Department of Transportation; European Commission; City of Charlotte, North Carolina; Edward Jones investment brokerage firm; and South Australia Water were also honored by ESRI at the 1999 user conference in San Diego, California.

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For more than thirty years, ESRI has been the leading developer of geographic information system (GIS) software with more than 220,000 clients worldwide. ESRI also provides consulting, implementation, and technical support services. In addition to its headquarters in California, ESRI has regional offices throughout the United States, international distributors in more than 90 countries, and more than 900 resellers and developers. ESRI's goal is to provide users with comprehensive tools to help them quickly and efficiently manage and use geographic information to make a real difference in the world around them. ESRI can be found on the Web at www.esri.com.

ESRI is a trademark of Environmental Systems Research Institute, Inc., registered in the United States and certain other countries; registration is pending in the European Community. GIS by ESRI and the ESRI globe logo are trademarks and www.esri.com and @esri.com are service marks of Environmental Systems Research Institute, Inc. Other companies and products mentioned herein are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective trademark owners.