Social Science

As human activity increasingly dominates Earth, social science remains critical.

Science is the basis for fighting climate change together. Esri is committed to providing resources to help create a sustainable future.

Access climate change overview

As physical scientists seek to understand how the earth works, social scientists help us to understand how it looks or how we as humans change its appearance and function. It is also in social science that we perfect our ability to form partnerships that effectively work across disciplines, geographies, and organizations. Here, we often use GIS to interactively and iteratively create and evaluate alternative (geo)designs to make better decisions, for example, with land cover for land-use planning, green infrastructure planning, urban planning, and sustainability science.

New social science collaborative

ArcGIS has much to offer to social scientists employing qualitative and mixed-method perspectives in their work. Our new internal team of social science experts is developing many resources to showcase the collaborative power and utility of ArcGIS for both quantitative and qualitative social science research. This includes resources for data capture, coding, and analysis workflows; the visualization, dissemination, and perception of data; and the concepts, behaviors, and values that can be used to address long-standing issues of social and environmental concern.

Explore the interactive story
Learn how to submit your story
Three coworkers looking at data on a laptop and collaborating on a project

Racial equity initiative

Open data, maps, training solution templates, and stories reveal patterns of inequality and help drive changes toward racial justice.

Explore resources
A gathering of hands from different races coming together

COVID-19 and the scientific community

A global information system has emerged to empower the science community to better understand and model pandemics and inform public health decision making.

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A multi-blue colored map of the USA

All in for sustainable development

Explore stories of how ArcGIS can be used to support the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) initiatives.

Minimum set of gender indicators

Minimum set of gender indicators

These quantitative and qualitative measures provide important information on issues relevant to gender equality and women's empowerment.

Visit the SDG website
Global gender gap index

Global gender gap index

The Global Gender Gap Report produced by the World Economic Forum (WEF) examines differences between men and women across four fundamental categories.

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Celebrating women's rights

Celebrating women's rights

Women and girls are more deeply impacted than men and boys by poverty, violence, discrimination, and economic crises. Learn how the SDGs can help mitigate these disparities.

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More on GIS for SDGs

More on GIS for SDGs

The 17 SDGs set out to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure prosperity for all.

Learn how GIS supports SDGs

Mapping Black California

Mapping Black California is a comprehensive resource that equips the state’s population with reliable data, maps, and dashboards to identify and amplify local systemic inequities and spur policy changes. 

Explore the resource
A person of color standing in the sun with a cityscape in soft focus in the background

Maps for data-driven public policy

Policy maps clearly show where there are opportunities to inform policy makers and concerned citizens. The new Esri Maps for Public Policy site is dedicated to raising the level of spatial and data literacy used in public policy. We invite you to explore curated content, training, best practices, and datasets that can provide a baseline for your research, analysis, and policy recommendations. 

Watch the video series
Article: Mapping opportunities

Tackling homelessness

Homelessness is a complex issue. To properly address the root causes, organizations must better understand the impacted communities and the extent of the problem. Many organizations use ArcGIS to identify at-risk communities, count the number of individuals affected by homelessness, establish strategic partnerships, share resources, and conduct targeted intervention and outreach.

Read a case study
Read a blog post

Esri and Harvard Data Science Initiative

Esri's spatial statistics team is pleased to be working on several projects with Dr. Francesca Dominici and other scientists in the Harvard Data Science Initiative. Recent efforts resulted in a publication in the world's most cited scientific journal, Nature.

Read about the study

Our collaborators in social science

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