The history of Geographic Information System (GIS) technology goes back more than 40 years. During that time, Esri has remained unmatched in its development of, and commitment to, the science behind the technology.
Under the extraordinary vision of Founder, President and father of modern-day GIS Jack Dangermond, Esri developed the world’s first – and leading – GIS technology, which is now used in every industry around the world.
During the 1970s, Esri developed a set of tools that could be applied in a computer environment to create a Geographic Information System (GIS).
In 1982, the company launched the world’s first commercial GIS software – known as ARC/INFO.
During the late 1990s, Esri reengineered ARC/INFO to develop a modular and scalable GIS platform designed to work on both the desktop and across an enterprise. It was the beginning of ArcGIS.
ArcGIS continues to grow and evolve – setting new world-standards for GIS deployment – and is now also available across both mobile and web environments.
Esri has delivered further innovation through ArcGIS Online, which leverages cloud technology to make GIS capabilities available to every household, student, community group and business throughout the world.