These are most likely inspiring days again in San Diego. The ESRI User community is gathering on the Californian coast to hear, feel, learn and experience (new) products. In this month’s GIM International Jack Dangermond, ESRI founder and president, unveils a little of his message to listeners at the San Diego Convention Center. With his unfailing eye for the new benefits of using geographic information systems, Dangermond sees ways to better organise and manage organisations.

He sees growing awareness concerning the economic and strategic value of GIS. And he suspects that GIS systems are providing the chance for managers, decision-makers and other professionals to better manage their assets, serve customers (or, in the case of local authorities such as provinces and counties, their citizens) more efficiently, make wiser decisions and communicate more effectively. Thus heralding the rise of Geography as an unexpected field technique for improving future enterprise organisation and management!

Close readers may have noticed that Reed Business Information – Geo is now publishing GIM International. For years the journal appeared under the GITC bv imprint. This dedicated publishing house was taken over by Reed Business Information in 2000. From now on we are adopting the name of our mother company: Reed Business Information (RBI). With this move we aim to draw your attention as readers and advertisers to the fact that we belong to the world’s largest business-to-business publisher. We intend to use RBI expertise and experience more than ever before to your benefit.

We have at our disposal a large network of editors and vast access to content: we will make use of it. Views on an ever-changing market and the evolving needs of readers and users: we will be ahead of them. As for the quality of GIM International, there will be no change but one: it will improve now that we are teamed up by RBI with hundreds of leading magazines and websites, and thousands of professionals working with the company all over the world.

We have chosen ‘Geo’ as our descriptive title, an adjective that emphasises our special contribution to the Reed Business Information brand. From now on, Reed Business Information - Geo will be the supplier of all the information you need, on and off-line. In other words, Reed Business Information – Geo will continue to enable you to organise and manage your enterprise or company and daily professional life in the best way possible.