Electric Energy T&D - Index

Electric Energy T&D - EE Magazine March / April 2009 - Index

The 2009 Automation/IT
Leadership Series
ESRI
Jack dangermond
President & CEO, ESRI
bill meehan
Director, ESRI Utility Solutions
Jack dangermond bill meehan
“As America’s leaders work to speed economic recovery, they need a system to properly
manage and execute the Stimulus Plan; building a National GIS is key to success.”
These are the words of Jack Dangermond. Jack is president and CEO of the Environmental Systems Research Institute – better known
today as ESRI – which he cofounded with his wife (Laura) in 1969. It is a rare privilege to be able to ask a person so widely recognized
as an industry leader where he thinks it’s headed and why, but this is precisely such an occasion. Indeed, Jack Dangermond is
practically synonymous with the geographic information systems (GIS) industry – and vice-versa – so his voice stands out among users
and suppliers alike.
Bill Meehan and I first met in 000 through our mutual membership in the Geospatial Information Technology Association (GITA)
when he was then vice president for electric operations at NSTAR in Boston, Massachusetts. Bill joined ESRI in 00 as Director of
Utility Solutions. Today he provides overall corporate direction for ESRI’s infrastructure industries including electric and gas utilities,
transportation, water and telecommunications and is responsible for business results for this sector.
Positioned at the forefront of the global GIS industry, these executives will almost certainly continue to have a hand in shaping the
role of geospatial solutions around the world. And when it comes to using technology as a tool for achieving social, economic and
environmental objectives in these difficult times – and especially in the months and years ahead – you will agree that, to their way of
thinking, there really are no limitations. – Ed.
EET&D: ESRI has certainly had a remarkable
history over the past forty years. During that
time the geospatial market has changed in
many ways – especially with regard to the level
of public awareness, which is at an all-time
high. That’s something that can be attributed
in part to your company and even to you
personally. Why do you think that happened?
Dangermond: We started the company as
a consulting firm specializing in land use and
environmental analysis projects with its early
mission focused on organizing and analyzing
geographic information. We’re very fortunate
to have enjoyed steady growth and choose
consciously to avoid debt, venture capital
or public funding. After about 11 years
of doing project work we began to sell our
software, which encapsulated in large part
our methodology of integrating geographic
information to help in decision-making. The
expansion of GIS and its applications is a
result of many different factors including a
growing interest and need for an information
and science-based approach. This continues
today.
In more recent times there has been a
growing awareness that geography matters in
so much of what we do. Today, business and
government see the tangible benefits of this
and are adopting GIS technology much like
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they did accounting and ERP software several
decades ago. It’s not just about having cool
project maps; it’s about making companies
more efficient and effective with respect to
their customers, assets, the environment,
and the communities they serve.
EET&D: Would you say that your goals and
objectives have changed along the way, or is
your original blueprint for the company still
intact?
Dangermond: We have stayed closed to
our original idea of building tools and methods
that bring more rational decision making to
the world. We have done this through the