All Centres will gain access to leading geographic information system technology for enhanced policy-related research

TORONTO—June 29, 2017—Esri Canada has pledged more than $5 million in geographic information system (GIS) software to the Canadian Research Data Centre Network (CRDCN), a major research infrastructure providing access to data and enabling advanced statistical analyses of critical socio-economic and health issues facing Canadians. The donation will provide the network’s 1,600 researchers with free access to Esri’s ArcGIS technology.

“We’re proud to support the CRDCN’s valuable work,” said Alex Miller, president, Esri Canada. “Mapping individual survey and census responses using GIS will allow their researchers to visualize patterns and trends, and discover new insights needed to understand and address the multitude of challenges that our society faces.”

The network’s research informs federal and provincial public policy in four areas of vital importance to Canada and Canadians: income and employment; immigration and settlement; education and social development; and population health and health services.

CRDCN researchers, which include graduate students, post-doctoral and faculty-level researchers, currently within the network’s labs use statistical analysis software to analyze census, survey and administrative data, but with limited ability to view spatial trends and relationships.

“Esri Canada’s donation is a vital partner contribution,” said Martin Taylor, executive director, CRDCN. “The spatial analysis supported by Esri software will complement the sophisticated time-series analysis that is the hallmark of CRDCN’s work. It will significantly enhance the relevance and impact of our policy-related research.”

ArcGIS delivers powerful geoprocessing tools that enable advanced spatial/temporal visualization and analysis of a broad array of data. The solution will allow researchers to digitally overlay various types of data, including health, socio-demographic and household survey data, on a map and conduct different types of analyses. It will also enable them to produce quickly high-quality print and online maps to share research results with the public.

About the CRDCN
Hosted by McMaster University, the CRDCN is one of Canada’s major science infrastructures. It comprises 29 secure computer labs across Canada to facilitate analysis of Statistics Canada’s confidential microdata as well as an increasing number of administrative datasets. The CRDCN is a partnership between a consortium of Canadian universities and Statistics Canada, co-funded by CIHR and SSHRC as well as the CFI. To know more about the Network, visit crdcn.org and follow us on Twitter, YouTube and Facebook.

About Esri Canada
Founded in 1984, Esri Canada provides enterprise geographic information system (GIS) solutions that empower businesses, governments and educational institutions to make timely, informed and mission-critical decisions by leveraging the power of geography. The company distributes the world's leading GIS software from Esri, Schneider Electric, Cityworks–Azteca Systems, Inc. and other technology partners. Headquartered in Toronto, the company serves over 10,000 customers from 16 regional offices across Canada. Esri Canada joined the elite rank of Canada’s Best Managed companies in 2012 and became a Gold Standard winner in 2015. The company has also been named to the Branham300 and Canada’s Most Admired Corporate Cultures. More information can be found at esri.ca. Follow Esri Canada on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and LinkedIn.

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For media inquiries, please contact:
Esri Canada: Email Contact
CRDCN: Email Contact
McMaster University: Email Contact