Ideas worth spreading

How a geospatial nervous system could help us design a better future

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Jack Dangermond |

TED Salon: Brightline Initiative

• November 2020

What if we could better understand the world's biggest challenges simply by looking at a map? Jack Dangermond, a pioneer in geographic information system (GIS) technology that powers the digital maps people around the world use every day, speaks with TED technology curator Simone Ross about how his team is building a geospatial nervous system: a global, interconnected GIS network that reveals patterns, visualizes trends -- and could transform the way we make decisions about nearly everything.

What if we could better understand the world's biggest challenges simply by looking at a map? Jack Dangermond, a pioneer in geographic information system (GIS) technology that powers the digital maps people around the world use every day, speaks with TED technology curator Simone Ross about how his team is building a geospatial nervous system: a global, interconnected GIS network that reveals patterns, visualizes trends -- and could transform the way we make decisions about nearly everything.

This talk was presented at a TED Salon event given in partnership with Brightline Initiative. TED's editors chose to feature it for you.

Read more about TED Salons.

About the speakers

Jack Dangermond

Jack Dangermond

Geographic Information Systems pioneer

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Jack Dangermond cofounded Esri and believes that, by taking a geographic approach to tackle the world's toughest challenges, we can preserve the health of the Earth’s complex systems.

Simone Ross

TED technology curator

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Simone Ross has spent her career observing companies, individuals and ideas at the intersection of tech, the economy and society.

About TED Salon

TED Salons welcome an intimate audience for an afternoon or evening of highly-curated TED Talks revolving around a globally relevant theme. A condensed version of a TED flagship conference, they are distinct in their brevity, opportunities for conversation, and heightened interaction between the speaker and audience.

Read more about TED Salons

This talk was presented at a TED Salon event given in partnership with Brightline Initiative. TED's editors chose to feature it for you.

Read more about TED Salons.