"The Award of Excellence is going to an organization that has shown remarkable vision and diligence to effectively and efficiently utilize the latest geographic information systems technology available to best manage forest resources," said Mr. Houweling. "The Algonquin Forest Authority has streamlined workflows, improved coordination, and provided a high degree of transparency to available data.  These efforts not only improve decisions affecting Ontario's valuable forest resources, but also save time and money.  I applaud their vision and exceptional implementation."

The Algonquin Forest Authority is the Ontario Crown Agency responsible for sustainable forest management in Algonquin Provincial Park.  The AFA also oversees harvesting and distribution of wood products to mills in communities adjacent to the Park.  Their vision is to achieve the highest standards of sustainable forest management practices in order to maintain Park values for future generations.  Their mission is to ensure the long-term health of Algonquin's forests while producing a sustainable supply of forest products for the forest industries of the region.

The AFA was one of the earliest organizations to deploy ArcGIS Server to better manage data sharing within the organization.  Using a full suite of GIS technologies that include; ArcINFO, ArcView, ArcPAD, and ArcGIS Server Enterprise Standard Edition, they have created a fully integrated environment to best collect, view, analyze, and manage resource related data .  The agency has also developed a web portal to further assist staff.  Through the web portal they can efficiently view and analyze the Park's resources from any location at any time.  All these developments enable AFA staff to be the best possible stewards of this important resource, thereby providing a positive impact on the quality of the natural environment in the Park, and on the regional economy today and in the future.

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About ESRI Canada
Established in 1984, ESRI Canada is a Canadian owned company specializing in geographic information systems (GIS) solutions. ESRI Canada distributes the world's leading GIS software solutions from ESRI Inc., Miner and Miner, and Azteca. In order to provide organizations with complete industry-specific solutions ESRI Canada has established an extensive business partner program that includes more than 125 Canadian organizations. ESRI Canada also provides professional services including consulting, training, technical support, and enterprise GIS implementation. ESRI Canada is a leader in providing world-class enterprise GIS solutions for many industries including local government, utilities, public safety and defence, business demographics, education, natural resources, and transportation. ESRI Canada has fifteen regional offices across the country, with headquarters in Toronto, Ontario. For more information, please visit http://www.esricanada.com/ or call 1-800-447-9778.

Media contacts:

Leslie Keyser
Marketing Communications Manager
ESRI Canada
T: 416-441-6035 ext. 6423
E: lkeyser@esricanada.com
W: http://www.esricanada.com/

Peter VanderKrann
Supervisor Information and Technology
Algonquin Forest Authority
T:  705-789-9647 ext. 22
E:  pvdk@vianet.ca
W: http://www.algonquinforestry.on.ca/