The Esri International User Conference (Esri UC) is an event dedicated to geographic information system (GIS) technology. It is held annually in the United States, usually for one week in July at the San Diego Convention Center in San Diego, California. The Esri UC dates back to 1981. In 2008, conference attendance grew to more than 14,000 attendees.Lawson, Aly. ArcNews Online.

The 2025 Esri User Conference took place from July 14–18, 2025, at the San Diego Convention Center in California. Themed "GIS—Integrating Everything, Everywhere," the event featured over 700 technical sessions, the launch of new AI tools, and massive industry showcases.Conference HighlightsThe 2025 conference offered a mix of new product rollouts, high-profile user stories, and networking opportunities:Key Announcements: President Jack Dangermond opened the plenary with a strong focus on AI integration, announcing new no-code tools like ArcGIS Data Pipelines and the beta release of the ArcGIS XR Viewer.Plenary Presentations: Attendees heard from organizations leveraging spatial mapping at scale, including San Francisco International Airport, CVS Health, and CalFire.Expo & Socials: The event featured a packed exhibit floor, the massive Map Gallery, and evening social events including a Thursday night party at Petco Park.Attendance: The conference drew over 20,000 in-person attendees, paired with thousands more who participated virtually.

History

The first Esri UC took place in 1981 in Redlands, California, at Esri Headquarters, with 15 users, and held annually in Palm Springs, from 1986 to 1996. Since 1997, the conference has been hosted in San Diego. The conference was the brainchild of Esri President and Founder Jack Dangermond.

Keynote Speakers

Prior to 1986, no keynote speakers were featured.

1986 – Dr. Duane Marble, Professor of Geography and Computer Science, State University of New York, Buffalo 1987 – Dr. Roger Tomlinson, the primary originator of modern, computerized GIS (known as "the father of GIS" ) 1988 – Dr. Robert Aangeebrug, executive director, American Association of Geographers 1989 – Dr. Peter Thacher, assistant secretary general, United Nations 1990 – David Andere from the Kenya Rangeland Ecological Monitoring Unit; David Rhind, geographer and professor, Birkbeck College, University of London; Dr. Kent Smith, Esri consultant; Otto Simonette, director, United Nations Environment Program; and Nancy Tosta, staff director, Federal Geographic Data Committee, and special assistant to the Secretary of the Interior 1991 – Ralph Nader, attorney, author, lecturer, consumer advocate, political activist, and former independent and Green Party candidate for president of the United States 1992 – Dr. Paul R. Ehrlich, author of the book The Population Bomb 1993 – Dr. James Burke, author of the book The Day the Universe Changed and the PBS television series ‘Connections’ 1994 – Dr. Edward O. Wilson, the Pellegrino University Research Professor in Entomology for the Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology at Harvard University 1995 – John Kenneth Galbraith, economist, Harvard University 1996 – Bruce Babbitt, Secretary of the Interior 1997 – Dr. Ian McHarg, professor emeritus of landscape architecture and regional planning, Harvard University, author of the book Design with Nature 1998 – Dr. Carl Steinitz, professor of landscape architecture and planning, graduate school of design, Harvard University Graphics Lab; Dr. Hasso Plattner, cofounder of SAP AG, a multinational enterprise software development and consulting corporation 1999 – Dr. Sylvia Earle, oceanographer and former chief scientist for the United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) 2000 – Dr. Charles Groat, director of United States Geological Survey (USGS) 2001 – Michael Fay, ecologist, conservationist, and National Geographic Society Explorer 2002 – Cynthia Moss, conservationist and wildlife researcher and writer who started the Amboseli Elephant Project at Amboseli National Park in Kenya 2003 – Peter Hillary, adventurer and Mt. Everest climber, son of Sir Edmund Hillary 2004 – Dr. Rita Colwell, president, National Science Foundation (NSF) 2005 – Dr. Jane Goodall, anthropologist and chimpanzee researcherGIS Cafe. 2006 – Bob Kerrey, former Democratic governor and senator of Nebraska and president of The New School university in New York CityArcNews Online. 2007 – Wangari Maathai, Nobel Laureate and founder of "The Green Belt Movement"ArcUser Online. 2008 – Dr. Peter H. Raven, director, Missouri Botanical GardenV1 Magazine. 2009 – Hernando de Soto Polar, economist, author, and president of the Institute for Liberty and Democracy; Willie Smits, biologist, chairman of the Masarang Foundation, and founder of the Borneo Orangutan SurvivalWheeler, Carla. ArcWatch: Your e-Magazine for GIS News, Views, and Insights. 2010 – Richard Saul Wurman, architect, graphic designer, and expert in how to make complex information understandable. 2011 – Jacqueline McGlade, Executive Director European Environment Agency.Esri International User Conference 2011: Keynote Speaker 2012 – Julia Marton-Lefèvre, Director General of the International Union for Conservation of Nature.Esri International User Conference 2011: Keynote Speaker 2013 – Sam Pitroda, Business Executive, Indian Technology Policy Advisor. 2014 – Penny Pritzker, United States Secretary of Commerce and Dr. Kathleen Sullivan, Under Secretary of Commerce for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.Looking Back at the 2014 ESRI Conference Held in San Diego 2015 – Martin O'Malley, Governor of Maryland.Keynote: Governor Martin O'Malley 2016 – Andrea Wulf, historian, author. 2017 – Geoffrey West, theoretical physicist, author.Esri reveals keynote speaker for UC, July 10–14 2018 – Juan Enriquez, Managing Director of Excel Venture Management.Esri User Conference Highlights Where Mapping Technology is Headed Next 2019 – Jane Goodall, primalogist and anthropologist, and E.O. Wilson, biologist and author. 2022 – Ronan Donovan, National Geographic Explorer & Deanne Criswell, FEMA Administrator. 2023 – Dr. Richard W. Spinard, NOAA Administrator. 2024– Tim Walz, Governor of Minnesota.Keynote: Governor Tim Walz 2025 – Kirk Johnson, paleontologist, author and director of the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. 2026 – Kristine Tompkins, president and cofounder of Tompkins Conservation, former CEO of Patagonia.

References

External links Esri International User Conference site Esri Homeland Security GIS Summit site Esri Business GIS Summit site Esri Education User Conference site Esri Survey and Engineering GIS Summit site