The purpose of the GIS and Science blog is to provide news, resources, commentary, and interviews on the use of GIS technology by the scientific community and for scientific applications.
As the GIS and Science Program Manager for Environmental Systems Research Institute, Inc. (ESRI), one of my responsibilities is communicating the value of GIS as a tool for advancing scientific research. This blog is a place where I can publish many of my working ideas, notes, draft papers, and misc. “works in progress,” giving others in the GIS community a chance to preview this work and provide constructive feedback. I’m also the editor of GIS.com.
Prior to joining ESRI, I worked as an Environmental Scientist at a large science and engineering consulting company. My educational background includes and M.S. in Environmental Policy and Planning, a B.S. in Anthropology/Geography, and a certificate in Marketing Management.
Although I’ve worked for ESRI for more than 20 years and that’s obviously where my allegiance is, this blog is not meant to be an overt advertisement for ESRI. I truly believe that GIS can play a pivotal role in science, whether the GIS is built by ESRI or a competitor, or is open source or home-grown. And of course the postings on this site are my own and don’t necessarily represent ESRI’s positions, strategies, or opinions.
I plan on having a very low tolerance for crap on this blog. Please try to keep all comments on topic and civilized. Of course you should feel free to state your opinion, whether or not you agree with me–that’s what this is all about! But there are already plenty of other blogs out there where you can spew vitriol or otherwise be a jerk, so if that’s your inclination, please go somewhere else.
–Matt Artz
email: martz@esri.com
Selected Publications and Presentations
www.GISandScience.com (professional blog)
www.ESRI.com and www.GIS.com (professional web sites)
www.MattArtz.com (personal web site)
