"At ESRI, we are always deeply impressed by the innovation of our users," says Jack Dangermond, ESRI President. "We want to recognize the efforts of these individuals with our Special Achievement in GIS Award. This recognition is well deserved for how they've applied geospatial technology to address the needs of their industries and communities. They are defining GIS best practices."

Ecotrust Canada
Ecotrust Canada is an enterprising, not for profit organization based in Vancouver whose goal is to build the conservation economy in coastal British Columbia.  For the past ten years, Ecotrust has been hosting and financing the innovative Aboriginal Mapping Network (AMN) - a leader in online geographic information.  With over 15,000 discreet visitors every month, the AMN is a web-based application that has become a valuable strategic resource for practitioners of traditional knowledge mapping around the world.

"AMN's mission to mitigate the geographic and professional isolation faced by many indigenous knowledge practitioners has a worldwide appeal", explains Gregory Kehm, Manager, Ecotrust Canada. "Originating from the coast of British Columbia, the Network has seen a remarkable international expansion in the last few years."

The Aboriginal Mapping Network (AMN) is comprised of a wide range of unique tools and functionality including a web-based legal resource toolkit that helps First Nations respond to development proposals and an online application that can integrate local indigenous spatial data with public spatial data.

For more information about Ecotrust Canada, please visit: http://www.ecotrust.ca/
For more information about the Aboriginal Mapping Network, please visit: www.nativemaps.org

The City of Surrey, British Columbia
As the 12th largest city in Canada and the second largest in British Columbia, the City of Surrey remains at the forefront of mapping technology and operates a complete enterprise GIS for data collection and management.  

The City's Mapping Online System (COSMOS) was initially developed so that the public could query, view, print and purchase city information such as zoning, roads and aerial photography from one central location.  The online application now contains a wealth of spatial data related to property taxation, utility billing as well as engineering and legal drawings.  

All departments ranging from planning and parks to engineering and public safety benefit from self-service access to information, and hundreds of annual requests are now fulfilled online.  The geocentric distribution model has enabled the City of Surrey to effectively maintain data, enhance productivity and enrich services delivered to the public.

For more information about the City of Surrey, British Columbia, please visit: http://www.surrey.ca/

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 including solutions from ESRI Inc., Miner and Miner, I.S.M. International Systemap Corp. 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 130 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 public works, land management, utilities, defence, public safety, 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 Contact:

Amanda Graff
Marketing Communications Specialist
ESRI Canada
12 Concorde Place, Suite 900
Toronto ON M3C 3R8
T: 416-441-6035 ext 6308
W: http://www.esricanada.com/