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The GIS Service Pledge Program is a partnership between URISA’s GISCorps, Esri, and YOU!

On November 15, 2017, in partnership with Esri, GISCorps launched a new program called the GIS Service Pledge. Esri, the world leader in spatial analytics, has committed to donating a one-year ArcGIS personal use license to each GISCorps volunteer who commits to contributing his or her GIS expertise to a worthwhile cause consistent with GISCorps’ mission and policies. The GIS Service Pledge is an opportunity for you to identify, design, and manage your own project supporting an organization, community, or cause that matters to you.

Each donated personal use license has a commercial value of approximately $6,000 per year. GISCorps volunteers can leverage this software donation to address crucial location-based issues relevant to any issue or organization they are passionate about, whether it’s across the globe or down the street. Examples include supporting a local food bank, land trust, or animal shelter. Read about how other GISCorps volunteers have put their GIS Service Pledges to work here.

“One of the things about Esri that I am most proud of is the fact that our community of users is so dedicated to doing good in the world,” said Jack Dangermond, Esri founder and President. “GISCorps is one example of how the power of location intelligence can be harnessed for the public good.”

This initiative also extends to disaster response and humanitarian aid projects. In the wake of natural disasters or humanitarian crises, volunteers are able to provide a variety of assistance including identification and mapping of at-risk structures and communities, geolocation of requests for help, web application development, and aerial image analysis.

“URISA’s GISCorps volunteers have been involved in almost every disaster since 2003,” said Shoreh Elhami, GISCorps founder. “We have worked on Hurricane Katrina, the Asian tsunami, the cyclone in Burma, the Ebola epidemic, and many more. Many of our volunteers have said they learn more quickly from GISCorps experiences than from their day jobs. They get exposed to different projects that require different skills and tools, and that provides a valuable learning experience.”

See the full Press Release about the GIS Service Pledge in the Esri newsroom.

Application Requirements:

  • You must be a registered GISCorps volunteer.
  • Reviewing and processing requests may take 2-4 weeks.
  • You must NOT be an employee of the group you are assisting.
  • Applications to aid government agencies or for-profit groups will NOT be approved.
  • Please provide as much detail about your proposed project as possible.
  • You must commit to writing a report for our website upon completion of the project.
  • If your project requires long term maintenance on AGO, you must provide detail on transitioning the project to the agency you are working for, including training and data upkeep.
  • If you currently have a license that is expiring, and you would like to keep the same AGO landing page, you must include the URL in the form. Otherwise, a new user account will be created for you.
  • All questions in the survey must be answered completely. Unclear or incomplete proposals will not be approved.
  • Send questions about the Pledge to: servicepledge@giscorps.org

Click here to apply: Survey123 Application

**If you apply and do not hear back from us within 3 weeks, please send an email to servicepledge@giscorps.org**

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