NextBillion - An Initiative of the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan

Today, 55% of the world’s population lives in urban areas, a proportion that is expected to increase to 68% by 2050, according to the U.N. This shift creates its own development challenges and is further exacerbated by the growing impact of climate change. To cope with rapid urbanization, cities around the world are already harnessing geospatial data and technology in innovative ways to improve city services, coordinate city management, and improve the lives of urban dwellers.

Community-based mapping techniques can improve urban planning through a range of applications, and geographic information systems, or GIS, has the power to combine and integrate various types of information to help decision-makers form a clear understanding of urban patterns and trends to allow for more effective allocation of resources and interventions.

This event, hosted by Devex in partnership with Esri, will explore how geospatial data can play a critical role in supporting more resilient and sustainable cities. It will discuss the need to make accurate and timely geospatial data available and the tools needed to convert it into meaningful information for decision makers.

Time: 10 a.m. ET | 4 p.m. CET