Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

LightNews

Matt Ball

@spatialsustain.bsky.social

350 followers 200 following 59 posts

Writer/editor at Esri, relating innovation in the real world to the power of GIS. I edit Esri Blog—Better vision. Better world. #Sustainability

Posts Media Videos Starter Packs

Matt Ball @spatialsustain.bsky.social · 5d

As the land narrows in southern Mexico, it creates a bottleneck effect causing a “river of raptors.”Audubon’s Alas Seguras (safe wings) tool uses GIS to map important areas in Colombia for migratory birds, guiding conservation efforts and preservation recommendations. https://ow.ly/Xcn450X7Ro1

Audubon Society Launches New Conservation Tool During Migration Season

Audubon’s Alas Seguras tool uses GIS to map important areas for migratory birds in Colombia, guiding conservation efforts and recommendations.

Matt Ball @spatialsustain.bsky.social · 12d

When tornadoes hit Tallahassee, TLCGIS used geospatial AI to assess tree damage in days instead of months. This and other AI innovations shows how mid-sized cities can leverage automation to recover faster from disasters. 🌳🗺️ https://ow.ly/21cY50X4ojp

When Tornadoes Hit Tallahassee, AI Maps the Damage in Days Instead of Months

Discover how Tallahassee used geospatial AI to map storm damage, revolutionizing emergency response with innovative GIS technology.

Matt Ball @spatialsustain.bsky.social · 19d

JXN Water fixed leaks by breaking down departmental silos and putting GIS at the center. Plant operators now coordinate with field crews, meter techs talk to repair teams—all working from the same ArcGIS Utility Network foundation. 🚰 www.esri.com/about/newsro...

Creating a Better Water Utility: Mississippi’s Largest City

When Jackson's water system failed, JXN Water turned to GIS mapping to rebuild from crisis in Mississippi's largest city.

Matt Ball @spatialsustain.bsky.social · 26d

Sustainable Agriculture at Trinchero Family Estates 🍇
Doug Wood uses GIS to manage 9,000 acres with boutique precision across California's diverse wine regions. One of America's leading wineries produces 28M bottles while treating every vine individually.
www.esri.com/about/newsro...

Trinchero Family Estates: When Precision Becomes Mission-Critical

At one of the nation’s largest wineries, GIS is bringing clarity, consistency, and precision to every decision.

Matt Ball @spatialsustain.bsky.social · Sep 11

The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children just launched an interactive map that transforms how communities can help find missing kids. For the first time, missing child posters appear on a public map. www.esri.com/about/newsro...

National Missing Children Database Now Accessible Through Community-Focused Map

The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) transformed investigative GIS tools into public resources.

Matt Ball @spatialsustain.bsky.social · Sep 9

MITRE's "Project Homeland" merges graph analytics that reveal critical infrastructure interdependencies with geographic mapping showing proximity patterns—exposing critical connectivity across energy, water, transportation, and communications networks. www.esri.com/about/newsro...

US Water, Power, and Emergency Systems Are Vulnerable; Advanced Maps Show Where

MITRE is building a national mapping system to reveal where America's critical infrastructure connections create dangerous vulnerabilities.

Matt Ball @spatialsustain.bsky.social · Sep 3

When a rancher bulldozed 175+ penguin nests, explorer Popi Borboroglu & National Geographic mapper Sam Guilford used satellites to help prosecutor Florencia Gómez win justice—expanding wildlife protection 8x. Tech meets tenacity. 🐧⚖️ www.esri.com/about/newsro...

Penguin Conservationists Use Maps and Satellite Images to Help Win Landmark Court Case

A groundbreaking case in Argentina used GIS to help convict a rancher of ecocide, expanding protections for penguins and other species.

Matt Ball @spatialsustain.bsky.social · Aug 28

Memories of Hurricane Katrina still guide skill and tool advancements to be sure we are prepared. This story details an exercise that tested the latest version of the Search and Rescue Common Operating Platform (SARCOP) from @NAPSGFoundation. www.esri.com/about/newsro...

Testing Lifesaving Skills in an Exercise Where Every Rescuer Sees the Same Map

Missouri Task Force One tested drones and the Search and Rescue Common Operating Platform (SARCOP) software to better prepare for disasters.

Matt Ball @spatialsustain.bsky.social · Aug 26

Hawaii’s new Department of Law Enforcement is pioneering the use of virtual reality—using geographic information system (GIS) technology to build a geospatial digital twin—to enhance security, incident response, and training. www.esri.com/about/newsro...

Virtual Reality Meets Real Policing: How Hawaii’s Newest State Agency is Protecting Paradise

Hawaii's Department of Law Enforcement uses digital twin technology and virtual reality for state capitol security and multi-island training.

Matt Ball @spatialsustain.bsky.social · Aug 19

Sheriff departments across Southern California are using mobile GIS to coordinate faster, safer wildfire evacuations—transforming how teams communicate, respond, and protect communities. www.esri.com/about/newsro...

Fire Season Preparedness: GIS Powers Southern California Sheriff Departments' Evacuations

Southern California sheriff departments use mobile GIS apps to coordinate faster, safer wildfire evacuations and improve public safety.

Matt Ball @spatialsustain.bsky.social · Aug 12

In an era where data overwhelms and attention spans shrink, Allen Carroll believes maps have the power to captivate us. And he’s spent his career proving it. His new book, Telling Stories with Map chronicles a remarkable journey. www.esri.com/about/newsro...

Q&A: From Cartographer to Digital Pioneer, Allen Carroll’s Journey of Map-Based Storytelling

Allen Carroll’s book, Telling Stories with Maps, chronicles a journey from analog cartography to digital frontiers.

Matt Ball @spatialsustain.bsky.social · Aug 5

Seattle Police Department’s GIS transformation survived budget cuts and staff turnover to emerge stronger, evolving from paper maps to real-time digital systems for event security now powering everything from parades, concerts, and global sporting events. www.esri.com/about/newsro...

Behind Seattle's Event Security: Mapping Threats and Measuring Success

GIS transforms Seattle's event planning from paper maps with Post-it notes to real-time digital coordination.

Matt Ball @spatialsustain.bsky.social · Jul 22

South Africa’s tiny Pickersgill’s reed frog serves as an indicator species whose presence signals ecosystem health. Conservation efforts by Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife has resulted in government policies that expand habitat, guide land use, and reduce harm. www.esri.com/about/newsro...

In South Africa, A Chorus of Tiny Frogs Signals Conservation Success

The fate of South Africa's endangered Pickersgill's reed frog was transformed by mapping habitats and studying what caused them harm.

Matt Ball @spatialsustain.bsky.social · Jul 15

The Nature Conservancy @nature.org has applied geospatial AI and an environmental digital twin to guide the restoration and protection of Caribbean coral and its precious biodiversity. www.esri.com/about/newsro...

Conservationists Use Satellites and Geospatial AI to Guide Caribbean Coral Protections

The Nature Conservancy applies geospatial AI and an environmental digital twin to guide the restoration and protection of Caribbean coral.

Matt Ball @spatialsustain.bsky.social · Jul 14

The Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History reaches five million visitors each year. Learn more about Kirk Johnson and how he values maps to leave them with an appreciation for the natural world and our place in it. www.esri.com/about/newsro... #EsriUC2025

The Smithsonian Museum Uses Immersive Maps to Spark Wonder and Offer Hope

The Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History will soon feature a reality-based digital experience to relate the feeling of discovery.

Matt Ball @spatialsustain.bsky.social · Jul 14

Great showcase of Chattanooga at #UC2025. Hear more about America's first National Park City with this interview with Mayor Kelly. www.esri.com/about/newsro...

Q&A: Chattanooga's Mayor Kelly Maps a Path to America’s First National Park City

Mayor Kelly uses GIS to quantify Chattanooga's natural assets, putting parcels into conservation while using nature to drive economic growth.

Matt Ball @spatialsustain.bsky.social · Jul 10

Forward-thinking governors in Oregon, Utah, and Colorado are using GIS technology to transform the affordable housing crisis into visible opportunities that accelerate development, build public support, and create more livable communities. www.esri.com/about/newsro...

Western Governors Map Ways Out of the Housing Crisis with GIS Technology

States like Oregon, Utah, and Colorado leverage GIS to map housing opportunities to accelerate affordable housing with community support.

Matt Ball @spatialsustain.bsky.social · Jul 8

The @CityofDenver, working with @Stantec, has transformed its printed Storm Drainage Master Plan into an interactive online portal, making vital flood risk information easily accessible to residents, officials, and developers. www.esri.com/about/newsro...

Seeing—More Clearly—Where Stormwater Floods Denver

Denver is providing more people with information about its flood risks by taking its bulky, printed stormwater drainage plan online and making it interactive.

Matt Ball @spatialsustain.bsky.social · Jul 7

Here’s a Science of Where podcast about how drones have revolutionized mapping. Their flexibility and low cost had an immediate impact on the quality and frequency of imagery in GIS, with steady gains for real-time awareness and operational workflows.
www.esri.com/about/newsro...

Matt Ball @spatialsustain.bsky.social · Jul 2

When catastrophic floods hit South Brazil, GIS company Codex turned personal tragedy into purpose, creating 17 emergency response apps in 30 days to help rescue efforts. www.esri.com/about/newsro...

When Maps Became Lifelines During Brazil's Historic Floods

When historic floods hit Brazil, GIS company Codex turned personal tragedy into purpose, creating 17 apps in 30 days to guide rescuers.

Matt Ball @spatialsustain.bsky.social · Jul 1

Chattanooga's Mayor Tim Kelly guides the use of GIS to quantify the city's natural assets to become America's first National Park City. In the process, they discovered hidden parcels for conservation while proving that nature's value drives economic growth. www.esri.com/about/newsro...

Q&A: Chattanooga's Mayor Kelly Maps a Path to America’s First National Park City

Mayor Kelly uses GIS to quantify Chattanooga's natural assets, putting parcels into conservation while using nature to drive economic growth.

Matt Ball @spatialsustain.bsky.social · Jun 24

Houston, the fourth largest city in the US, relies on 4,000 Public Works employees to keep critical infrastructure running. The department has modernized infrastructure management using GIS technology, cloud services, mobile apps, and AI. www.esri.com/about/newsro...

Houston, Texas: A Study in Modernizing Public Works with GIS

Houston has transformed digitally by applying GIS for infrastructure management and updating systems to make the city more resilient.

Matt Ball @spatialsustain.bsky.social · Jun 18

When Professor David Padgett began supporting environmental justice advocates with maps and analysis using GIS, he established a model that transformed community experiences into scientific data that clearly shows impacts. www.esri.com/about/newsro...

The Pioneering Professor Who Transformed Community Advocacy

Tennessee State University Professor David Padgett uses GIS to train students for STEM careers and environmental justice work.

Matt Ball @spatialsustain.bsky.social · Jun 17

Three friends from rural Illinois—a 911 director with paramedic experience, a GIS professor with student workers, and an emergency communications coordinator—turned an altercation at a cross country meet into a pioneering indoor school mapping initiative. www.esri.com/about/newsro...

Matt Ball @spatialsustain.bsky.social · Jun 10

DC Fire & EMS went from spreadsheets and confusion to real-time dashboards tracking every unit and asset. A passionate firefighter and a technologist made the most of enterprise GIS for life-saving transformations. www.esri.com/about/newsro...

How a Firefighter and a GIS Analyst Transformed DC Responsiveness

DC firefighter and a GIS analyst built real-time dashboards with alerts that track emergency unit status, blood supplies, and resources.