The GIS Hall of Fame Honors persons and organizations that have made significant and original contributions to the development and application of GIS concepts, tools, and/or resources, or the GIS profession.
Their contributions have had a significant and enduring impact on the GIS field or profession, and their work has benefited society as a whole.
Persons inducted into the GIS Hall of Fame have, in their work and professional conduct, exemplified vision, leadership, perseverance, community-mindedness, professional involvement, and ethical behavior.
Nominations due on or by May 1
GPN's Hall of Fame laureates include:
2005 Inductees: Edgar Horwood, Ian McHarg, Roger Tomlinson, Jack Dangermond, Nancy Tosta, and the Harvard Lab 2006 Inductee: Gary Hunter 2007 Inductees: Don Cooke and Michael Goodchild 2009 Inductees: Will Craig and Carl Reed 2010 Inductee: C. Dana Tomlin 2011 Inductees: William Huxhold and Barry Wellar 2012 Inductees: National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Natural Resources Canada, Statistics Canada, United States Census Bureau, and United States Geological Survey 2014 Inductee: Charles Croner 2016 Inductees: Alex Miller, Mark Monmonier, and Waldo Tobler 2018 Inductees: Peter Burrough and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 2021 Inductee: URISA's GISCorps 2022 Inductee: Nancy von Meyer 2023: Michael J. Kevany
Click the image below to learn about the path-breaking accomplishments of GIS Hall of Fame laureates.
Anyone may nominate a person or organization for induction to the GIS Hall of Fame.
Learn about GIS Hall of Fame eligibility criteria, nominations, and review process below.
GIS Hall of Fame Eligibility Criteria
Hall of Fame membership may be conferred on any person or organization that, in the judgement of the URISA Past Presidents review committee, meets all of the following criteria:
The person or organization has made significant and original contributions to the development and application of GIS concepts, tools, or resources, or to the GIS profession.
Those contributions have had a significant and enduring impact on the GIS field or profession, and they have benefited society as a whole.
[For persons] In their work and professional conduct, the honorees have exemplified vision, leadership, perseverance, community-mindedness, professional involvement, and ethical behavior.
GIS Hall of Fame Nomination and Review Process
Anyone may submit a nomination submittal for consideration.
Nominators should review the information on the content and format of nomination submittals, detailed below.
Email nomination submittals to URISA's Executive Director: wnelson@urisa.org .
The deadline for submittal is May 1 of each year (or the first URISA business day thereafter, if May 1 falls on a weekend or holiday).
A subcommittee of URISA Past Presidents will review submittals for consistency with the instructions. They will confer with the nominator if additional information is needed.
A committee of past URISA Presidents will review all nominations and make recommendations to the URISA Board of Directors by mid-July.
Induction into the URISA GIS Hall of Fame occurs at URISA's GIS-Pro Annual Conference.
In any given year, GIS Hall of Fame honors may be awarded to one nominee, or several, or none at all.
Content and Format of Nomination Submittals
A nomination submittal may be of any length, but it must include a cover page and a 1-2 page summary, followed by a longer supporting statement, and at least three independent supporting statements.
Cover Page and Nomination Summary: A 1–2 page, stand-alone summary briefly describing:
Nominations shall include:
A cover page, giving the name and contact information for the nominator(s) and nominee, and the date of the nomination. (Note that nominations should not include any other personal identifying information, such as date of birth or social security number, that is unrelated to the nominee’s career and GIS achievements.)
A 1-2 page, stand-alone nomination summary briefly describing:
The nominee’s achievements and contributions to the development or application of GIS concepts, tools, or resources, or to the GIS profession, that warrant induction to the GIS Hall of Fame.
The originality and significance of the nominee's contributions, in terms of their enduring impact on the GIS field or profession, and their social benefit.
[For individuals] The vision, leadership, perseverance, community-mindedness, professional involvement, and ethical behavior exemplified by the nominee’s work and professional conduct.
Nomination Statement: Additional details and materials supporting the summary. The statement may be of any length or format, but should provide:
A CV or timeline summarizing the nominee’s relevant career or (for organizations) history:
Individuals: Employers/titles, publications, projects (and role within them), professional association involvement, and awards and honors. Organizations: Description of major programs, projects, and policies relevant to the nomination, and a how they evolved over time.
Additional information (if any) needed to supplement the nomination summary in explaining the nominee’s work, achievements, and (if the nominee is a person) professional conduct; or stating how the work and achievements are significant, original, of enduring impact on the GIS field or profession, and of benefit to society as a whole.
Do not include sensitive personal information such as birthdate, social security, passport number or other related information in the application.
Additional documents, or citations/links to online documents, may be included at the nominator’s discretion.
At least three independent supporting statements confirming the achievements, impact, and influence of the nominee.
Nomination statements must be supported by at least three independent supporting statements confirming the achievements, impact, and influence of the nominee. The supporting statements must be created independently of both the nominator and the nominee. Supporting statements must directly reference the URISA GIS Hall of Fame award and state why the author believes the nominee is deserving of this recognition. Statements are most valuable when they come from persons with both:
A personal knowledge of the nominee’s work and contributions, and
A wider perspective on how those contributions are original, significant, of enduring impact within the GIS field or profession, and of benefit to society.
If the nominee is an individual (as opposed to an organization), the statements may also speak to the nominee’s vision, leadership, perseverance, community-mindedness, professional involvement, and ethical behavior.
If personal statements cannot be obtained, then other independent sources may be provided, provided that they have been created independently of both the nominator and the nominee.
Important Guidance for Nominators
Within the nomination submittal, the nomination summary should make a concise and cogent case for why the nominee merits induction into the GIS Hall of Fame. The longer nomination statement, augmented by the supporting statements, should provide supporting details, background, context, and documentation, with references and source citations as appropriate. The submittal as a whole should give the reviewers a clear, comprehensive, and substantial record by which to understand and evaluate the nominee’s career, contributions, recognitions, and impacts. The submittal should contain all the information necessary for the reviewers to evaluate the nomination.
Equally important, the statement should make clear why the nominee’s work and contributions meet the eligibility criteria noted above:
Why were the nominee’s achievements significant?
What was original about them?
What was their enduring impact on the GIS field or profession?
What was their social benefit?
[For individuals] How has the nominee’s work and professional conduct exemplified vision, leadership, perseverance, community-mindedness, professional involvement, and ethical behavior?
URISA has, by its eligibility criteria, deliberately set a high bar for entry into the GIS Hall of Fame. Listed below are some examples of the kinds of achievements that have met the criteria:
Basic Research. Originating new and widely useful principles, methods, algorithms, or software for geographic information science and systems.
Applied Research. Conducting original and influential research that extends the application of GIS to new fields of inquiry or new issues of public concern.
Public Policy and Administration. Providing substantial leadership in developing and implementing new public policies, or new administrative programs or structures, that foster the creation, standardization, use, or dissemination of new geographic datasets; or the use, sharing, coordination and integration of geographic information across multiple organizations.
Standards. Providing substantial leadership in creating standards for GIS software, data, services, or processes.
Business and Industry. Building companies that bring new GIS tools, data, or services to the marketplace, making GIS more productive or affordable for large numbers of customers.
Program Implementation. Pioneering and disseminating practical, effective strategies and methods for implementing GIS programs within organizations
Education. Advancing GIS education beyond the normal routines of the teaching process by creating educational materials, methods, or curricula that, by their wide use or novel approach, enable students and practitioners to obtain a better understanding of the design, development and use of geographic information science and systems.
Publications. Publishing works (technical or popular, via any medium) that have made significant and original contributions to the development and application of GIS concepts, tools, and or resources, or to the GIS profession.
Public Awareness. Expanding awareness of the uses and benefits of GIS by creating programs that extend GIS education, awareness, and access to the general public and members of the media.
GIS Profession. Providing significant leadership in giving identity to the GIS profession, defining its subject matter, or establishing its standards of professional knowledge and conduct.
These are some examples; others could be added. The key point for nominators is not the categories per se, but the level of achievement and impact required to meet the Hall of Fame eligibility criteria. For additional insight into the achievements and impacts that have merited GIS Hall of Fame honors, nominators are encouraged to review the commendations for the current Hall of Fame laureates.
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