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    I write a regular column for each issue of ArcNews called Scientific Currents. A similar version of the essay below for the Summer 2025 issue was NOT allowed to go to press. Hence, I must declare that the views presented here, and my insistence upon stating them, are mine alone.

See also my keynote to 2025 CEOAS grads

A Different Kind of Uncertainty

by Dawn Wright

Uncertainty is one of the most longstanding challenges in geographic information science, stretching back to the very first research initiative in 1992 on "Accuracy of Spatial Databases" of the National Center for Geographic Information and Analysis or NCGIA. The problem endures to this day as to how best to deal with the uncertainty known to be present in spatial data of all kinds, but also how best to track, visualize, and remove uncertainty that no doubt cascades and propagates through GIS workflows.

A different kind of uncertainty is upon us in 2025, and with grave implications for the scientific community. These are not normal times, and they are unprecedented in all of American history. We have seen efforts in the past to shrink the size, role, and budget of the government, but never such wanton disruption at all levels via a flood of directives and executive orders that also push the boundaries of legality and constitutionality.

A so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), led by someone not elected, appointed to or vetted for any government post, has slashed funding for scientific agencies and museums, defunded a host of national laboratories, and crippled international scientific collaboration among governments in the process. It has enacted new rules making it easier to fire government employees, including scientists who were hired to positions on the basis of merit and expertise, rather than by political appointment.

So much of the scientific community that Esri serves is also in higher education. Federal dysfunction has created a level of uncertainty THERE that has restricted hiring, restricted graduate-student admissions (especially for international students), slowed capital spending, and locked in budget reductions. Federal research grants have been canceled, without cause, for institutions across the country and at levels never before seen. On some campuses, a cloud of fear and paralysis has even set in, making it harder to plan research, mentor students, hold or travel to conferences (including the Esri User Conference), maintain priorities on diversity, equity, and inclusion, freely conduct peaceful and respectful exchanges of competing ideas, or protest.

Scientists MUST be allowed to do their science as they see fit, and to come together to share that knowledge, especially by way of the geographic approach.

In the words of the founders of the United States -- several of whom also established the American Academy of Arts & Sciences in 1780 -- SCIENCE is how we "advance the interests, honor, dignity, and happiness of a free, independent, and virtuous people." The founders and all US presidents since then, save for one, have recognized the essential connection between the pursuit of science with deliberative excellence and democracy itself. Indeed, it is nearly impossible to have one without the other.

During these politically volatile times rife with uncertainty, I firmly believe that Esri remains fully and absolutely committed to supporting science and the scientific community. This is especially on the topics of climate change, climate action, climate resilience/adaptation, and equity, including racial equity. These words are still all over the Esri online science portfolio and throughout www.esri.com. To my knowledge, Esri's GIS for Climate Action MOOC will absolutely continue. Racial equity workflows, tutorials and other resources, such as disaggregated Census data, for community action and teaching are still available. I firmly believe that Esri will keep supporting science as a foundation for our future.

This will be a marathon. Amidst all of this uncertainty, how can scientists (and the GIS community more broadly) find their their focus and choose an effective action? I have three humble suggestions:
  1. Take advantage of the power of Esri's content, including the amazing data Esri maintains as historical record within ArcGIS Living Atlas of the World at livingatlas.arcgis.com. It is my firm belief that Esri understands that continuing to provide this content to scientific users in federal agency and academic spaces is absolutely vital. It is my firm belief that Esri is committed to doing this freely and openly, and to accompany Esri's analytical tools and workflows. Additionally, Esri is participating in some data and app rescue while also tracking much larger data rescue efforts such as those coordinated by the MuckRock Foundation, the Environmental Data and Governance Initiative (EDGI), and the Data Rescue Project, as well as the work of courageous academic librarians across the United States. Many of these initiatives are linking to and interoperating with each other. In addition, initiatives such as Meeting the Moment and Grant Watch are tracking anything and everything around the US scientific funding crises and more.
  2. Continue to believe in and implement multilateral collaborations among diverse partners, including with state local organizations, nonprofits, academic institutions, and public and private entities -- with all scales of communities. Fortify these collaborations by integrating geospatial infrastructure, such as dashboards, hub sites, and mobile apps, to enable the sharing of accurate, truthful information. Check out some examples HERE.


  3. Most importantly -- and I can't stress this enough -- is to "get into community" (or stay firmly "in community"). While every action by every individual does indeed matter, so many wise (and servant-based) leaders have also said that "change begins with individuals, but thrives in communities." "Getting into community" means to participate in community groups, regular gatherings, even online discussion groups around the issues you care about, such as defending science or tackling climate change. A huge swath of the scientific community has flocked to Bluesky, a new social media platform providing one of the most productive and constructive spaces for scientists to engage, and without the disruptions and toxicity that have plagued other platforms. Many, many GIS users, developers, and Esri staffers (including yours truly) are there. And two other communities that I personally treasure and participate in are the Deep Ocean Observing Strategy and the Deep-Ocean Stewardship Initiative. See also these important insights from The Oceanography Society president Paula Bontempi.

    Indeed, it is so important for us to find our people, to interlock with another, to get rooted as a tree or coral reef would. We have to help each other not only to survive, but to THRIVE.

    The American journalist Karen Attiah uses a great analogy: "When a hurricane [or typhoon] is forecast, do we tell people to stay outside and fight the wind and water? NO! We tell them to board their houses, gather supplies, get emergency kits, and seek higher ground, because we want to survive." We have to help amplify each other's voices and draw superpowers of hope and action from the knowledge that we are not in this alone. Community is so very important, not only around science, but the forms of oppression that bring (and seek to normalize) the death and suffering of women, of Black and brown people, of poor people, LGBTQ+, and the disabled.

A great way to get into community, foster collaboration, and capitalize on Esri content is coming up soon at the Esri User Conference (UC). The Science Summit -- which takes place on Tuesday, July 15, 2025 from 4:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. in Ballroom 20D of the San Diego Convention Center -- aims to build camaraderie among Esri UC attendees who are interested in science, how science informs the pressing issues of the day, and how it intersects with the evolution of geospatial technology. Admission to the Science Summit is included with Esri UC registration at no additional cost, though it is one of several focused events that require a reservation. So if you would like to attend, once you register for the conference, add the event to your schedule to save your spot. If the summit is full, you can join a waitlist.

Dawn Wright holds a courtesy faculty appointment as Professor of Geography and Oceanography in the College of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences at Oregon State University. Her research interests include seafloor mapping and tectonics, ocean conservation, environmental informatics, and ethics in information technology. She is an elected member of the US National Academy of Sciences, the US National Academy of Engineering, and the American Academy of Arts & Sciences. Dawn is also very much into road cycling, the Indiana Fever, apricot green tea gummy bears, 18th-century pirates, her dog Riley, and SpongeBob Squarepants. Follow her on Bluesky @deepseadawn and on LinkedIn @deepseadawn.

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