10 Fun Facts about Esri Geodata Academy
Updated January 16, 2019
Geodata Academy is an Esri program that brings complimentary in-person ArcGIS training to cities across the U.S. The program's mission is to help Esri customers acquire practical skills they can apply right away to increase their organization's geospatial capabilities.
Geodata Academy is also a place to meet other ArcGIS users in the area, build new skills together, and forge connections that support ongoing learning from one another—much like the Esri community here on GeoNet.
Since its launch in late 2016, we've held events in 5 cities around the U.S. Here are some fun facts that have cropped up along the way.
1. The very first Geodata Academy was held in New York City on November 14, 2016. The topic: Expand the Reach of Your GIS with Web Maps. The weather: Sunny with a high temperature of 63 degrees Fahrenheit. A beautiful day to escape the office and add new skills to one's professional toolbox!
2. Three U.S. cities that have hosted Geodata Academy events have a combined population of 11,923,801. Here's how the cities rank based on 2016 U.S. city population:
- New York (1)
- Chicago (3)
- Washington, D.C. (21)
3. Geodata Academy events traditionally were held on a Monday or a Friday, with Monday being the most popular. Washingtonians, however, preferred Fridays. Getting a head start on the weekend perhaps? Tuesday is now a standard offering in New York City. New Yorkers seem to prefer mid-week training sessions.
4. Every Geodata Academy event is facilitated by two Esri staff, usually the dynamic duo of a solution engineer and an instructor. This combination is by design—together the facilitators offer extensive product knowledge and teaching experience.
5. To accommodate different schedules and city commute patterns, each event includes a morning session and an afternoon session.
6. Snacks are included! Geodata Academy events are held at MicroTek training facilities, which provide snacks in the room for easy grazing throughout the sessions. Observations indicate cookies are the most popular item on the buffet table.
7. All attendees get two weeks of complimentary access to a configured ArcGIS Online Organization following the event. This is a great opportunity to practice applying new skills in a sandbox without the pressure of a real-world project.
8. Topics include making web maps and building web apps using ArcGIS Online, field data collection using Survey123 for ArcGIS, and getting up to speed with ArcGIS Pro workflows.
9. More than 95% of attendees say they're likely to attend another Geodata Academy session.
10. Geodata Academy sessions are open. Anyone can register and attend, assuming space is available (each facility accommodates about 30 attendees).
Interested in attending Geodata Academy? Our next event is April 5 in New York City. The topic is web app basics—a super-popular topic. Registration will open soon via the Geodata Academy web page.