San diego: Minister of Local Development Manal Awad engaged in discussions with Jack Dangermond, Founder and Chairman of Esri, during the Esri User Conference in San Diego, California, to explore expanding cooperation in Geographic Information Systems (GIS) for Egypt's development programs.

According to State Information Service Egypt, the meeting included notable attendees such as Hisham El-Helbawy, Assistant Minister for National Projects; Ambassador Hossam Al-Qawish, Assistant Minister for International Cooperation; and several representatives from Esri. This engagement was part of Awad's participation in the conference, where she was honored with the 2025 SAG Award for the 'Atlas of Egyptian Cities' initiative, a platform focused on monitoring urban performance and identifying development gaps.

Awad emphasized the growing importance of GIS in local planning and policy formation. She highlighted the ministry's ambitions to evolve the Atlas into a dynamic system that leverages Esri's technology to bolster investment and decision-making processes.

During the talks, Awad proposed exploring new areas of collaboration with Esri, including waste management, land monitoring, asset tracking, and detecting spatial changes across various governorates.

Dangermond expressed his satisfaction with the ministry's progress and conveyed Esri's willingness to provide support for future initiatives through technical expertise, capacity building, and customized solutions.