Normally at this time of Year, I am getting ready to travel to San Diego for the ESRI User Conference.  At the user conference 20,000 people from all over the world gather to hear about what new GIS tools and functionality ESRI is building into their GIS products.  The participants also attend hundreds of technical sessions and workshops to improve their GIS Skills and they also network and discuss how they are using GIS in their fields of interests.

This year with COVID-19 the in-person user conference is not occurring, and the User Conference is going to be presented as a virtual conference (see agenda) with plenary sessions, technical sessions, and technical support.  This is unfortunate, but it provides for a broader community to attend the plenary and learn about how GIS is currently being used and what GIS can be used for.

The plenary session is always an eye-opener! It typically has examples of impactful ways in which GIS is changing the world - examples from education, environment, planning, health, and so much more! It is really a great experience, and I recommend it. 

If you are curious about what GIS can do or to get ideas about how else GIS could be used in our Organization please register and attend the plenary sessions of the ESRI Virtual User Conference.  If you want to talk about GIS or about what you saw at the Virtual User Conference, please email me at igis@ucanr.edu.

https://www.esri.com/en-us/about/events/uc/overview

From ESRI:

‘Get access to the Plenary Session livestream

Watch powerful stories about how GIS is making a difference in the world. See demonstrations of Esri technology and learn about the newest upgrades. Hear a keynote from Jack Dangermond and presentations from other thought-provoking speakers.

Plenary Session access is complimentary for everyone'

Registration Now for the Plenary:

https://www.esri.com/en-us/lg/events/20/virtual-uc-plenary-livestream-sign-up