Jack Dangermond, President of Environmental Systems Research Institute (ESRI), is the 1998 recipient of the James R. Anderson Medal of Honor in Applied Geography. Although trained as a Landscape Architect, Dangermond has for over three decades actively displayed his strong belief in Geography and the importance of applying its concepts to improving the lives of everyone. Nothing conveys this more effectively than the ESRI website that opens with a banner proclaiming "Geography connects our world."
Since 1969, Dangermond and his company, ESRI, through their work in the area of geographic information systems, have brought a vivid appreciation of the value of geography to millions of people around the world. In doing so, they have also established their clear leadership in what is currently more than a billion dollar market. Geographic information systems are revitalizing geography and the way it is viewed in our world. For this reason we are pleased to award the 1998 James R. Anderson Medal of Honor in Applied Geography to Jack Dangermond.