The annual Esri International User Conference 2023 brought together 20,000 GIS experts from across the globe from July 10 to 14 in San Diego. 

The University of Maryland's exceptional contributions to Geospatial Information Science (GIS) were recognized during the conference, as it received a prestigious Special Achievement in GIS (SAG) Award. This accolade, given to organizations setting new standards in the GIS community, highlights the university's dedication and outstanding work in the field.

Jack Dangermond, Esri's president and founder, personally selected the winners from over 100,000 organizations worldwide. The SAG Awards, an annual tradition since 2014, recognize outstanding contributions of organizations across different categories like government, NGOs, education and industry. This year, nearly 200 organizations worldwide received this recognition.

“Only two universities received this award in the HigherEd category in 2023,” said GEOG MS Programs Director Jack (Jianguo) Ma, who received the Special Achievement in GIS (SAG) award on behalf of the University of Maryland, along with Taylor Keen, manager of Enterprise GIS. “This award recognizes our standout applications of GIS, GIS teaching and also collaborations with Esri at a higher education institution.” 

Notably, the City of Philadelphia's GIS leader and University of Maryland alum Andrew Newell (MS '14) also received a SAG Award, further showcasing the university's impact in the GIS community.

Other distinguished alums played a prominent role, leading sessions about their cutting-edge work. Kris Lasko (BS ‘12, MS ‘14, PhD ‘18) and Dan O'Neill (BS ‘18, MS ‘19)  showed how they used machine learning to update human settlement maps, while Ruth Workman (MS ‘22) shared Sevier County, Utah's impressive land records management journey. Marques Munson (MS ‘22) and Julia Bell (MS’19) presented the functionalities of Esri’s GIS AllSource software.

“Our alumni are the greatest reflection of our program.” said Kristen Halliday, assistant director of the MS Programs, who also attended the Esri User Conference. “Their enthusiasm and willingness to volunteer and interact with potential students (even after they graduate!) is a true testament to its quality and success.”

MS Programs table at the Esri User Conference.
From left to right: Alums Patrick Musick, Blake Munsell and Ruth Workman, MS Assistant Director Kristen Halliday, alum Briana McCardle, MS Program Director Jack Ma and alum Kristofer Lasko represent the University of Maryland at the Esri Conference's Academic Fair on July 10 in San Diego. Photo courtesy of Halliday.

Halliday represented the MS Programs at the conference’s Academic GIS Fair Program, with help from Blake Munshell (MS ‘22), Patrick Musick ( MS' 23), Brianna McCardle (MS '23) and Shereya Gosh (MS '23), in addition to Workman and Lasko. Hundreds of attendees stopped by their table to learn more about the Master of Science in GIS and the Master of Science in Geospatial Intelligence (GEOINT) at the University of Maryland.

The Esri User Conference 2023 served as a dynamic platform where expertise and innovation converged, inspiring attendees to push the boundaries of GIS technology and its global applications further.

Main image: MS Program Director Jack Ma and Taylor Keen, GIS lead at UMD's Facilities Management, pose with their GIS awards. Courtesy of Jack Ma.

Correction: This caption previously misidentified Keen; GEOG apologizes for the mistake.

MS Program Director Jack Ma and alum Andrew Newwell pose with their Usri awards.