Esri Blog

Archaeologists used drone imagery and GIS to share the story of Rapa Nui ingenuity on Easter Island. Now anyone can explore the statue quarry and island in 3D. ow.ly/QKQv50XKpQe

A guitar needs an elephant. Mapping proved where elephants vanish, ebony saplings decline 70%. Taylor Guitars partnered with Congo Basin Institute to rewild the forest—planting 65K trees that sustain both ecosystems and livelihoods. ow.ly/WgBB50XGnp1

America's downtowns are being reborn—and cities aren't guessing anymore. They're building digital twins to test every scenario before breaking ground. Three cities show how GIS turns faded Main Streets into economic engines. ow.ly/eoPC50XAGKv

Noise is invisible—until you map it. Across Europe, GIS is turning a silent killer into something cities can see, measure, and fix. From Dublin's freeways to Paris's real-time sensors, maps are driving quieter, healthier communities. ow.ly/6es650Xy7gf

Italy leads the world in high-speed rail innovation—and now in reimagining stations as community hubs. RFI mapped 18,000 km of rail lines plus 400 data layers around every station, revealing how to turn transit nodes into economic engines. ow.ly/KKxb50XwZ8c

Montgomery Parks rebuilt their Atlas tool and reimagined their amenities based on what people told them they needed. Now everyone can find the right park and access the nature within it. ow.ly/g2Fr50XsYH5

A new way to fight environmental crime in the Amazon: give enforcement agencies from four countries the same real-time map. Operation Green Shield: 94 arrests, 2,100 live animals recovered, $121M in assets seized in two weeks. ow.ly/X5hq50Xpuvx #COP30

The Pan American Health Organization used GIS to map Paraguay's healthcare gaps and found that 556 new primary care facilities could reach 1.36M people—18% of the population—who previously lacked access to care. ow.ly/vy3Y50XneUX

Adelaide planners and Arup built a digital twin for residents to vote on growth: slow pace preserving character vs. bold density for housing affordability. Citizens explored scenarios, saw tradeoffs in real-time, then chose. ow.ly/jZ4K50XlU2K

Malaysia built one of the world's most advanced health registries by mapping every facility, practitioner, and resource across 36M people. They now forecast needs to 2040 and cut response times from months to weeks. A model for proactive health systems. ow.ly/j8p650XjN6z

In Mali, the Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre @red_climate helps local responders navigate the pressures of drought, armed conflict, and ethnic and political divisions to shape daily survival decisions and offer hope for resilience. ow.ly/Q26j50Xithb

Digital twins aren't just 3D models—they're where geography meets engineering. By anchoring construction data in spatial context, George Floros has documented tangible improvements in project coordination, safety, and operational efficiency. 🌍🏗️ ow.ly/Mjhz50XgZ0a

Six cartographers in Spain's Cantabria region use geospatial AI to count beachgoers from aerial photos, track invasive species, and guide millions of tourists—protecting fragile coastlines while keeping data open to all. Small team, big impact. ow.ly/EG7650XfEAu

Wildfire Awareness🔥FireGuard's National Guard analysts provide 24/7 monitoring of wildfires across North America since 2019. Next up is FireSat designed specifically for wildfire detection, offering global coverage every 20 minutes by 2030. 🛰️ ow.ly/27cm50Xb6Yu

Audubon’s Alas Seguras (safe wings) tool uses GIS to map important areas for migratory birds in Colombia, guiding conservation efforts and preservation recommendations. ow.ly/9cfR50X7R5E

When tornadoes hit Tallahassee, @TLCGIS used geospatial AI to assess tree damage in days instead of months. This and other AI innovations shows how mid-sized cities can leverage automation to recover faster from disasters. 🌳🗺️ ow.ly/f09950X4nTF

JXN Water fixed leaks by breaking down departmental silos and putting GIS at the center. Plant operators now coordinate with field crews, meter techs talk to repair teams—all working from the same ArcGIS Utility Network foundation. 🚰 ow.ly/uv4j50X0R9c

Sustainable Agriculture at Trinchero Family Estates 🍇 Doug Wood uses GIS to manage 9,000 acres with boutique precision across California's diverse wine regions. One of America's leading wineries produces 28M bottles while treating every vine individually. ow.ly/lati50WXxIP

The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children just launched an interactive map that transforms how communities can help find missing kids. For the first time, missing child posters appear on a public map. ow.ly/9HAV50WVc4E

MITRE's "Project Homeland" merges graph analytics that reveal critical infrastructure interdependencies with geographic mapping showing proximity patterns—exposing critical connectivity across energy, water, transportation, and communications networks. ow.ly/WmbN50WTV7h