Place and Purpose
Esri provides decades of support and partnership to UCSB Geography, including new curriculum project
The most urgent questions of our time are questions of place. Their solutions demand not only big data but also the ability to analyze patterns, weigh context, and act with care. To meet these requirements head-on, UC Santa Barbara’s Center for Spatial Studies and Data Science is reimagining a new curriculum that equips students to solve problems at scale.
“Maps are not just for navigation; they are decision tools. At Esri, five billion maps are made each day to locate resources, track disease, or address humanitarian crises. With its distinguished history, UC Santa Barbara can play a vital role in equipping students to design and manage the planet’s ecosystems for a sustainable future,” said Jack Dangermond, co-founder and president of Esri, the global market leader in GIS software, location intelligence, and mapping.
Jack, his wife Laura, and Esri have supported research, programs, and curriculum at the Department of Geography for over two decades. In particular, Jack is committed to investing in the next generation of GIS leaders. He feels strongly that students should know that they have advocates who invest in their education, and that a core competence is the ability to understand what Esri calls the “science of where.”
One such project is a new curriculum: The Guide to the Geographic Approach. This UCSB-led collaboration with Esri and the GIS community identifies the learning outcomes and skills needed for the modern student and GIS user.
For Professor Trisalyn Nelson, the Jack and Laura Dangermond Professor of Geography and director of the Center for Spatial Studies and Data Science, this work is a natural evolution of the discipline.
“Our mission is to leverage spatial data science for a better world,” Nelson said. “What differentiates GIScience from data science is that we take a systems approach: framing questions, considering ethics, and using spatial data to answer pressing global challenges.”
That mission is urgent. The current GIS curriculum used globally was developed at UC Santa Barbara in the 1990s and served as a foundation for a new discipline. But today’s world is different. Smartphones, satellites, and drones have unleashed an unprecedented flood of spatial data.
Modules train students to apply ethical workflows to answer pressing questions. Students might map access to pharmacies during a flood, track disease outbreaks, or identify conservation sites most at risk from climate change. Only then do they learn the technical skills needed to carry out these projects.
This flipped, project-based model is designed not only to build competence but also confidence. Students practice geography as a critical component across sectors, from public health to business to environmental stewardship.
“What makes this collaboration exciting is that we’re not just writing a curriculum for ourselves. We see UC Santa Barbara and Esri as co-conveners of the whole community. Together, we’re working to understand what concepts are essential and how to develop the materials that will support teaching them worldwide. Esri’s commitment reflects the strength of our faculty and the innovative research happening here. They have provided incredible technical expertise and thought leadership,” said Nelson, who is the curriculum project lead.
This work will reach far beyond Santa Barbara. Educators can adapt and update the curriculum so it evolves with technology and the world’s challenges.
“The spatial perspective makes cross-disciplinary work possible,” said Jack. “UC Santa Barbara has an opportunity to show how spatial thinking can unify science, engineering, and design into more holistic problem-solving. I hope the university will continue to advance as a center for understanding the ‘power of where.’”
Published November 2025
The spatial perspective makes cross-disciplinary work possible. UC Santa Barbara has an opportunity to show how spatial thinking can unify science, engineering, and design into more holistic problem-solving.
Jack Dangermond, pictured with his wife, Laura
