Experienced leader focuses on critical role of imagery in GIS

Imagery is in demand. For people who use geographic information system (GIS) technology, imagery is essential as a natural background, a source for creating maps, and a tool for direct data interpretation. GIS users working to manage and access imagery have a new resource in Lawrie Jordan, ESRI’s Director of Imagery Enterprise Solutions.

Jordan joins ESRI after 30 years of experience as a leader in the field of image processing and remote sensing including a long-standing strategic partnership with ESRI. He has served on several Defense Science Board advisory panels to the US Secretary of Defense, provided numerous testimonies to the US Senate and House of Representatives, and served as an adviser to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Jordan graduated with honors from the University of Georgia with a bachelor’s degree in landscape architecture and earned a master’s degree from the Harvard University Graduate School of Design.

“As a core component of GIS, enterprise imagery is a tremendous way to provide timely information,” Jordan said. “In poorly mapped locations, imagery is the only information we have at all. For many industries, GIS is not complete without imagery.”

ESRI’s ArcGIS technology addresses imagery workflow through server, Web, desktop, and mobile platforms and works with ArcGIS Online services to provide access to extensive, current image data. GIS users need imagery applications that do more than analyze-they also need to manage, process, and serve large volumes of imagery.

ESRI President Jack Dangermond said, “With Lawrie Jordan leading our imagery enterprise solutions team, we will more effectively connect the imagery needs of users to the creative work of our developers. Jordan will also serve as an advocate for imagery across all the industries we support. He brings to ESRI a wealth of knowledge of image processing, GIS, the highly secure intelligence environment, and our international distributors.”