00:01It's been a really incredible morning.

00:03We have shown that maps can guide our thinking, but can they be the platform to change our thinking?

00:09Can they be the source of a transformative moment?

00:12Can a map drive the discussion?

00:14Can it reach the Holy Grail of our time, which is to say, can a map reach everyone?

00:20Yes, I believe it can.

00:22It can at the local level - the simple parcel assessment map, providing government transparency, equitable taxation...

00:30...and the revenue for education and public safety.

00:35A map is a story that opens the world of GIS professionals.

00:41Yes, it can, at the global level - maps about the global food supply and how we're feeding seven billion people...

00:49...where our food is grown, where 70 percent of our freshwater withdrawals are used for crop irrigation...

00:55...but only 62 percent of our crop production is actually used for food.

01:02The rest - animal feed, industrial uses, and fuel.

01:08A map is a story that opens the world to understanding.

01:13Yes, it can, at the national level - a map about counties without doctors, inaccessible health care...

01:22...and a map highlighting our uninsured population.

01:27A map is a story that can drive and open the world to new discussions.

01:33But the world has also seen what happens when your work does not always get appropriately shown and shared...

01:41...a map of the Fukushima no. 1 reactor, a radiation diffusion model, a map not released.

01:49A map not released. But the world later learned that perhaps this story could've been shared sooner.

01:58A map provides the understanding that can precede action.

02:02So can a map change our thinking?

02:04Can it break down our presumptions and create greater understanding?

02:09Can it be the spark that prompts action?

02:12My answer across the board is yes, I believe it can.

02:15A map can do it; GIS can do it.

02:18It can, because amid all the technological advances, what doesn't change is what's within you...

02:24...and the person next to you and the one two seats over and another two rows up from there. Imagination, skill, passion.

02:33These are the things that brought us to this point and will carry us forward.

02:38Author Reif Larsen wrote, "A map does not just chart, it unlocks and formulates meaning...

02:46...it builds bridges between here and there, between disparate ideas that we did not know were [otherwise] connected."

02:53So in the days and months ahead, I look forward to seeing all of your work and the bridges you will be building.

02:59Thank you.