Location intelligence software-maker Esri will provides free access to its ArcGIS platform and learning resources to support college and university students who no longer have access to campus computer labs during the COVID-19 outbreak. Access is through the Learn.ArcGIS.com website.
Students will receive access to ArcGIS Online and more than 20 apps including ArcGIS Pro, along with a library of lessons to continue their learning and complete courses. Access is available globally to students ages 18 and over.
Learn ArcGIS promotes learning by doing through guided lessons based on real-world problems in industries such as urban planning and disaster response, and new lessons on public health have just been added. Learn ArcGIS lessons cover both beginner and advanced topics and are available in seven languages.
The courses offered typically consist of 30- to 45-minute lessons of online written instructions to access particular maps on the Esri database and then manipulate them in various ways, adding or extracting data. Just a sampling of what’s available:
• Get Started with ArcGIS Enterprise
Create and share an evacuation map to prepare for an incoming hurricane.
• Get Started with Imagery
Explore 40 years of Landsat imagery from around the world.
• Get Started with ArcMap
Map the impact of roads on deforestation in the Amazon rainforest.
• Policy Mapping – Safe Streets to Schools
Improve pedestrian and bicycle safety near schools in your city.
• Fight Child Poverty with Demographic Analysis
Locate impoverished children using demographic analysis, smart mapping, and a web app.
• Explore Future Climate Projections
Answer questions about the earth’s climate and map future climate models.
• Perform Visibility Analysis to Increase Security
Use ArcGIS Earth to determine what security personnel can see from land and air.
“We believe education creates opportunities for people of all ages, while building communities and advancing our knowledge for a better world,” said Jack Dangermond, Esri founder and president. “This is especially important now during this global crisis. We consider it part of our mission to provide technology free of cost during these difficult times and ensure that students and educators are supported as they transition to remote learning.”
Students who sign up between March 1 and June 30 will have access until August 31, 2020. Sign up for a membership in Learn ArcGIS here.
Graphic courtesy Esri, from “Perform Visibility Analysis to Increase Security.”
