U.S. Department of Interior Selects ESRI as Its GIS Standard For Enterprise GIS; BPA Provides for Software, Services and Training Department-Wide.

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REDLANDS, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 4, 2003

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), on behalf of the U.S. Department of Interior (DOI) and ESRI, the geographic information system (GIS) software leader, signed a General Services Administration (GSA) blanket purchase agreement (BPA) on Dec. 20, 2002.

The three-year agreement provides for department-wide enterprise site licenses for ArcGIS and its extensions and for deployment of ESRI server technologies including ArcSDE and ArcIMS.

The DOI selected ESRI after a rigorous yearlong process. Designed toward standardizing and expanding the use of GIS technology throughout the department, the agreement encompasses all eight bureaus of DOI and will make available other ESRI products, services and training via an indefinite delivery and quantity schedule. The purchase agreement gives considerable flexibility to the bureaus, allowing each to install software when and where it is needed.

"Each bureau will have a central support site that provides for the distribution of software and the first level of technical support. ESRI will work primarily through these central support sites," said John Steffenson, ESRI account manager for the U.S. Department of Interior.

According to Karen C. Siderelis, geographic information officer at USGS, the BPA also includes Tribal governments and "means increased flexibility and reduced costs that will better enable Interior agencies to respond to changing needs and the increasing demand for geospatial information."

While ESRI products have been used throughout the department for many years, "The agreement with ESRI marks an important step in our effort to provide a department-wide standard for GIS and will help us reduce our overall costs and improve our operational efficiency," said Hord Tipton, chief information officer at DOI.

The nation's principal conservation agency, DOI has more than 70,000 employees and 200,000 volunteers located at approximately 2,400 operating locations across the United States, Puerto Rico, and U.S. territories.

"We're delighted to have the opportunity to serve DOI in its efforts to promote GIS technology throughout the department," said Jack Dangermond, ESRI president.

"These efforts will not only contribute to the efficiency and enhancement of decision making in the department, they will also lead to the development of a distributed GIS network for the nation. ESRI is committed to delivering technology that helps organizations dynamically integrate their data and services providing information more efficiently and fostering collaborative environments."