PROCESSORS

ESRI announces its support of the Mesoamerican and Caribbean Geospatial Alliance (MACGA), a program implemented by the United States Geological Survey (USGS)/EROS Data Center in cooperation with several partner organizations. ESRI is providing geographic information system (GIS) training, documentation, and software grants to assist the alliance. MACGA strives to facilitate the development of spatial data with appropriate standards, datums, and descriptions; assist efficient data management; and support access, dissemination, and applications in the regions of Mesoamerica and the Caribbean. The project seeks to promote the establishment or improvement of spatial data infrastructures, assist in the establishment of better communication channels among agencies and initiatives developing spatial data, and help build a framework for improved spatial data generation, management, and dissemination in these two regions. The impetus for MACGA was the recognition following Hurricane Mitch in 1998 that access to compatible geospatial data was essential for effective disaster response and that essential data sets often extended across international boundaries. MACGA is currently involved in a capacity building program for remote sensing and GIS. The program is broadly based and includes disaster preparation, land use planning, tourism, conservation, climate change, agriculture, and forestry development. ESRI provided the core technology training in GIS for MACGA. Two trainers from the company recently taught a specialized course at the University of the West Indies-St. Augustine, Trinidad, campus that introduced the participants to ArcGIS, Production Line Tool Set (PLTS), ArcSDE, and ArcIMS software. In addition, ESRI is supporting the MACGA participants with relevant ESRI Press books, grants of ESRI software through the Global Map/GSDI grant program (www.esri.com/sdigrant) for the region's national mapping agencies, and applications specific to the mission of disaster response and environmental agency needs.