Esri of Redlands Touts Support of Global USAID Crowdsourcing Initiative

Redlands-based Environmental Systems Research Institute is supporting a three-day crowdsourcing initiative for the U.S. Agency for International Development starting Friday, Esri announced Tuesday.

The geographic information systems company is touting the initiative in part to recruit academics and information technology experts to take part in the effort.

Esri, based on New York Street in Redlands, is supporting the USAID's "first-ever crowdsourcing initiative to make international development data accessible and transparent," Esri spokeswoman Karen Richardson said in a phone interview.

"The agency USAID is opening a vast store of information to the public worldwide, and as a government entity they absolutely believe their information should be transparent," Richardson said. "They're seeking help in structuring this store of information so that other people can use it."

Individuals in academia and information technology may be among those who are interested in participating in the crowdsourcing initiative, Richardson said.

"People at universities, people with backgrounds in information technology, software engineers, grad students, assistant professors, professors, these are some of the people who may take part," Richardson said.

The initiative is scheduled to start at 9 a.m. Pacific Time Friday, June 1 at the USAID Innovation Lab in Washington, D.C., and it will continue virtually until Sunday June 3, according to Esri.

The Redlands-based company will participate and provide a platform online that USAID can use to openly map the data after the event.

"The US government is committed to opening data and increasing aid transparency; this pilot is an example of this commitment," Eric Postel, assistant administrator for Economic Growth, Education and Environment at USAID said in a statement released by Esri. "By enabling the crowd to help us sort through and clean nonconfidential data, we are able to release information that we never previously thought was possible."

Providing public access to the information increases the possible use and value that the data will provide to USAID's stakeholders, according to Esri.

"I am excited to continue partnering with my colleagues at USAID to improve communication and collaboration for development activities," said Jack Dangermond, president of Esri. "Using ArcGIS Online, anyone can leverage this data to better understand the important work that is being done around the world to address social, economic, business, and environmental concerns."

The U.S. Agency for International Development was created in 1961 by President John F. Kennedy and it is responsible for administering economic and humanitarian assistance worldwide, according to USAID.

Registration to join Esri in supporting USAID in this crowdsourcing event is available at http://tinyurl.com/USAIDCrowdSource. For more information on ArcGIS Online, visit arcgis.com.