Support Available to Response Agencies; Social Media App Online for Public and Media

Redlands, California—March 11, 2011 - In response to the devastating Japan earthquake and tsunami, Esri is providing assistance to a myriad of organizations involved in the disaster response. The company is working closely with both domestic and international agencies to provide on-site personnel, geographic information system (GIS) software expertise, and project services. Esri is also providing organizations with software, data, imagery, and technical support.

"This is a devastating, large-scale disaster that is still unfolding," says Russ Johnson, director of public safety solutions for Esri. "Our full emergency operational procedures have been deployed to assist. We're working hard to provide response agencies with resources that can make a difference in saving lives and minimizing damage."

GIS solutions are helping officials use critical information for making rapid, effective decisions. The technology helps responders and emergency managers conduct rescue operations, prioritize medical needs, identify severely damaged areas, measure impacts to critical infrastructure, locate areas suitable for food and water distribution, and more.

In addition, an Esri-generated social media mapping application is available for both the media and public. People can follow events in near real time using the application to gain a greater understanding of the situation. It includes links to news reports as well as Tweets, YouTube videos, and Flickr photos. It also gives people the ability to view streets, satellite imagery, and topographic maps as part of the map overlay.

Agencies assisting in the disaster response effort can take advantage of maps, data, software, and web services available online through the Esri website ( esri.com/eqjp). Organizations can also request software or assistance through this website.

About Esri

Since 1969, Esri has been giving customers around the world the power to think and plan geographically. The market leader in GIS technology, Esri software is used in more than 300,000 organizations worldwide including each of the 200 largest cities in the United States, most national governments, more than two-thirds of Fortune 500 companies, and more than 7,000 colleges and universities. Esri applications, running on more than one million desktops and thousands of web and enterprise servers, provide the backbone for the world's mapping and spatial analysis. Esri is the only vendor that provides complete technical solutions for desktop, mobile, server, and Internet platforms. Visit us at esri.com/news.



Contact:

Jesse Theodore
Esri
Tel.: 909-793-2853, extension 1-1419
E-mail: Email Contact