Tag: economic development

  • Esri’s Africa GeoPortal to help with urgent development challenges

    Esri has launched the Africa GeoPortal, a comprehensive cloud-based platform that provides rich content and solutions from Esri and its partners.

    The geoportal provides access to Esri’s ArcGIS Online service as well as geographic data and imagery for Africa.

    The African Union, African Development Bank, other international agencies, nongovernmental organizations (NGO), academia, businesses and national government funds will be able to use the geoportal to address the most urgent development challenges — from economic development and climate adaptation to conservation and health care.

    “Access to this Africa GeoPortal powered by the ArcGIS platform will provide my colleagues at the iLab, and others in the network of African Technology Hubs (AfriLabs), with the information and analytical capabilities that we need to make the most effective development interventions for our citizens and communities,” said Luther Jeke, Manager of iCampus at iLab Liberia.

    The complimentary software-as-a-service technology is offered to all who are supporting African nations for positive economic, social and environmental outcomes — African citizens, NGOs, and international development agencies alike.

    The geoportal offers access to spatial analytics capabilities and authoritative content for charting compelling, educational, informational, entertaining and beautiful maps of Africa, Esri said.

    “We are deeply committed to helping the people of Africa discover, explore, and understand the vast information available to them through the power of maps,” said Jack Dangermond, Esri founder and president. “Through this service, we hope to provide our users with the benefit of ongoing developments and investments at Esri so they can foster missions to the best of their abilities.”

    To learn more about the Africa GeoPortal and Esri’s commitment to supporting the global community in the quest for sustainability through better mapping and location intelligence, visit go.esri.com/africa_geoportal.

    Photo: Esri

  • Harvard’s U.S. Cluster Mapping Project Offers Online Course

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    A free online course, “Using the U.S. Cluster Mapping Tool,” will be held Feb. 11 from 2:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. ET.

    The U.S. Cluster Mapping website provides research in clusters combined with 52+ economic indicators, forming an online, open-data, open-source platform that allows users to make more informed decisions about economic development, both in the United States and abroad.

    The website is evolving to serve as the national portal to track cluster-led economic development efforts, identify best practices, and spread new data and insights. The interactive webinar will walk participants through use the tool and show how best to use it.

    The U.S. Cluster Mapping Project is a national economic initiative that is led by Harvard Business School’s Institute for Strategy and Competitiveness (ISC) in partnership with the U.S. Department of Commerce and U.S. Economic Development Administration. Directed by Michael Porter, the ISC studies competition and its implications for company strategy; the competitiveness of nations, states, and regions; and solutions to social needs such as health care, innovation, and corporate responsibility.

    Speakers include Sarah Jane Maxted, the U.S. Cluster Mapping Project manager at ISC focusing on clusters and regional economic growth, and Christian Ketels, ISC principal associate and research team leader.