Jack Dangermond

Jack Dangermond is a leader in the development and application of geographic information system (GIS) technology. He is the President of Environmental Systems Research Institute (Esri), which he founded in 1969 with his wife, Laura Dangermond; her training was in social science, and his was in landscape architecture and urban planning.

Esri provides GIS software, location intelligence, and mapping to private, public, and non-profit entities. The company is rooted in the vision that geographic analysis and computer mapping can be integral to designing a better future.

Dangermond’s products and organization were created in recognition that some of the world’s greatest challenges — including climate change, sustainability, and social and economic inequality — are interrelated ones that can be best understood with science and technology. The goal is to create and share knowledge to enable better decision-making for managing our lives and planet.

His book, The Power of Where: A Geographic Approach to the World’s Greatest Challenges, shares his views on using science and technology to build a sustainable world.

Dangermond is a graduate of Harvard University Graduate School of Design who has received 14 honorary degrees for his contributions to the fields of geography, environmental science, and planning.