Special Achievement in GIS Award
We’re excited to share some great news: the City of Cleveland has been awarded the 2025 Special Achievement in GIS (SAG) Award from Esri, a global leader in geographic information system (GIS) technology. This award recognizes outstanding work by organizations that use GIS to improve the way they operate and serve their communities—and Cleveland is now among the few cities around the world to receive this honor.
Each year, Esri presents the SAG Award at its annual User Conference to highlight innovative use of spatial data to solve real-world problems. With over 100,000 Esri clients globally, only a small group—about 200 organizations—are selected for this distinction.
Cleveland earned the award thanks to the groundbreaking work led by the Office of Urban Analytics and Innovation, which has championed the use of GIS across city departments. Through a range of projects, the team has used mapping and spatial analysis to improve how the city approaches housing, transportation, public safety, and infrastructure. Their work has empowered better decisions, more efficient operations, and greater transparency.
A major highlight of this effort was the launch of Cleveland’s Open Data Portal in 2024, giving the public free, easy access to dozens of city datasets, interactive maps, dashboards, and tools. It’s a powerful step toward a more open, connected, and responsive city government. You can explore the portal here: City of Cleveland Open Data Portal.
This award reflects the creativity, collaboration, and dedication of many teams across the City. Congratulations to everyone involved—you’ve helped put Cleveland on the map in more ways than one.