ICMA has joined forces with longtime Strategic Partner Esri as it responds to the White House Climate Data Initiative, which is intended to expand the use of public climate data nationally and assist communities in coping with the results of changes in climate, according to the Washington Post.

Esri, Google, and other private-sector firms have been enlisted by the White House to either store or distribute new federal map data that can be used to illustrate vulnerable national infrastructure,” the Post article said.

Esri plans to focus its initial efforts on 12 large and small communities and will help those entities “develop practical methods and approaches based on GIS technology that address the most pressing needs of the communities,” according to a March 19 release issued by the firm. The ultimate goal of the initiative is to enable jurisdictions, including New Orleans, Wake County, N.C., and Tamarac, Florida, to “work smarter and more efficiently” and become “more livable and resilient.”

Fifteen ICMA members will be selected to participate in an Esri-ICMA Local Government White Boarding Exercise to identify the data and design elements for apps that are most desired by local government executives.  Based on designs developed through this day-long exercise, Esri will work with ICMA to develop several new apps for distribution during the 2014 ICMA Annual Conference in Charlotte next September.  ICMA is also a co-sponsor of Esri’s Climate Resiliency App Challenge.

The White House officially launched its Climate Data Initiative on March 19, 2014, as part of a larger Climate Action Plan that got underway in June 2013. The data initiative is designed to expand and leverage use of the national climate data resources currently held by the U.S. federal government and to stimulate innovation and private-sector entrepreneurship in support of national climate-change preparedness, according to a White House fact sheet.

The White House Climate Data initiative will bring together a range of regional and local government employees, agencies, and businesses with data-driven tools to help them “better understand, manage, and prepare for the real-world impacts associated with climate change.” The White House is also urging innovative, private-sector firms to leverage the open government data to “build tools that will make America’s communities more resilient to climate change.

Representatives from the private, public, and nonprofit sectors gathered at The White House on March 19 to launch the climate data initiative.  ICMA’s Director of International Programs David Grossman attended the event as part of the organization's ongoing commitment to global community resilience. Selected news clips related to the event include:

• Associated Press (AP): Obama Unleashing Power of Data on Climate Change
• CNN: Tech giants commit to helping Obama spread word on climate change
• The Washington Post: White House launches new climate data initiative Wednesday
• Discover magazine: White House Launches Climate Change Communication Tool.