"ESRI Canada was proud to be such a big part of this exceptional event," said Jean Tong, K-12 Manager, ESRI Canada.  "We are dedicated to providing students of all levels, the education and tools necessary to hone their skills and better prepare them for a future in one of the many industries using GIS solutions."

The three-day event, the largest skills competition of its kind in Canada, was hosted by RIM Park Manulife Financial.  Students across the province had an opportunity to compete in over 50 skilled trade and technology contests.  The GIS challenge allowed future technology leaders to showcase their exceptional skills and talents in GIS by using ESRI software to perform various tasks such as geocoding, georeferencing, digital map generation, and data analysis.

Five teams from secondary schools across Ontario were given eight hours to solve a problem that involved determining a suitable location for a new Winery in the Niagara region, taking into account key factors such as geography, soil conditions, weather, and grape variety.  Each workstation was equipped with ESRI's ArcView 3.3 and ArcGIS 9.2, which participants used to edit spatial databases, create and analyze geographic data, generate quality reports and charts, and make high-quality maps, to facilitate their final decision.

Solutions were presented to a panel of judges, which included four ESRI Canada staff, in a series of maps showing the final results of the analysis.  The top three teams received medals for their outstanding work.

The winners were:

. First Place: James Hong and Patrice Mitchell - Toronto Catholic District School Board
. Second Place: Garrett Bender and Andrew Holmes - Waterloo Region District School Board
. Third Place: Erica Wilkinson and Jordanne Florio - Durham District School Board

-30-

About Skills Canada - Ontario
Skills Canada - Ontario is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to supporting the development of youth and the prosperity of industry in Ontario. Through its partnerships in education, industry, labour and government, it is helping young people brighten their futures and industries strengthen theirs.  For more information, please visit http://www.skillsontario.com/

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 sixteen 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 contact:
John Waite
GIS Marketing Specialist
ESRI Canada
T: 416-441-6035 Ext 6375
E: jwaite@esricanada.com
W: http://www.esricanada.com/