Geographic Information Systems (GIS) technology is becoming increasingly important in today’s world. From mapping and analysis to decision-making and problem-solving, GIS is used in almost every aspect of our lives. However, with the rapid pace of technological advancements, it can be challenging to keep up with the latest GIS trends and tools.

Fortunately, there are many free online resources available for anyone looking to learn and stay up-to-date with GIS technology. In this article, I have compiled a list of free GIS resources, mainly from ESRI, the most famous GIS company. Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced GIS user, these resources offer something for everyone. So, let’s dive in and explore the world of GIS!

This article provides links to the following resources:

Online technical sessions
Event proceedings
Business-oriented videos
Periodic publications
Free training courses & Tutorials
Story maps
My previous articles

You may save this article so that you get back to it when you need a link to any of the mentioned resources.

Starting Point

If you are new to GIS technology, the starting point is to get an idea about what GIS is. You may visit this page for a quick introduction to GIS. Also, this video might be helpful.

Free online technical sessions

Every year, Esri arranges a big user conference in California for Esri users worldwide. In addition, there is a series of smaller regional conferences for users in each region and a series of conferences for specific sectors or industries. During these conferences, Esri provides multiple technical sessions to introduce new products, and present updates on the existing ones. GIS users attend these events to know what is new in Esri GIS technology. In addition to conferences, there are plenty of online webinars addressing certain products or industries.

Luckily, Esri has YouTube channels that avail videos for the technical sessions to everyone online for free. Here are some links:

ArcGIS Channel

Esri Events

2019 Esri UC technical sessions

2018 Esri UC technical sessions

Proceedings

In addition to the technical sessions, users utilize the opportunity of the User Conferences to share their success stories in GIS technology and present their case studies. Esri stores these presentations and avails many of them at the following link. This gives an idea about how users actually use GIS technology in real life.

Proceedings

Business Perspective

If you are interested in Business, and you need some ideas about how GIS can help in specific industries/sectors, You may follow this YouTube channel about GIS & Industries.

GIS & Industries

Esri Publications

Esri has three famous periodic publications. ArcNews, ArcUser, and ArcWatch. Below, you will find the links for the publications and a description for each one (descriptions are from Esri)

ArcNews

ArcNews provides all that’s new, exciting, beneficial, and unique about GIS directly from users. Learn how organizations worldwide are using GIS.

ArcUser

ArcUser magazine provides practical, technical information to help you better understand and keep current with GIS technology and make the best use of Esri software. Its articles illustrate best practices and innovative ways to meet new challenges and solve common problems. Articles address the specific needs of GIS managers, GIS developers, GIS technicians, and those who use GIS to improve business processes or perform research.

ArcWatch

ArcWatch provides announcements, tips, articles, and links to resources.

GIS Technology Training Courses

Esri provides many training courses & seminars, Many of them are free. The courses for the different levels. So, even if you are starting to learn GIS from scratch, you will find some suitable courses.

Training Catalog

In addition, there are plenty of tutorials that are available for everyone to show users step-by-step guides for using Esri products.

Tutorials