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CGS Receives Prestigious Esri Award For The Geological And Hydrogeological Map Of Ethiopia
CGS Receives Prestigious Esri Award for the Geological and Hydrogeological Map of Ethiopia
CGS Receives Prestigious Esri Award for the Geological and Hydrogeological Map of Ethiopia
Zdeněk Venera
The Czech Geological Survey (CGS), together with the Faculty of Science of Charles University, has received the prestigious Esri Special Achievement in GIS Award 2026. Representatives of both institutions accepted the award for the National Geological and Hydrogeological Map of Ethiopia 1:1,200,000 on 15 July 2026 at the Esri User Conference in San Diego, California, USA.
The award recognizes the project's outstanding contribution to the compilation of Ethiopia's national geological and hydrogeological map and its innovative use of GIS technology for processing and presenting geological data. The map was produced during a five-year project funded by the Czech Development Agency, involving more than 30 experts under the leadership of Professor Kryštof Verner. It has been published both as a printed map and as a publicly accessible interactive web mapping application.
The award was presented by Esri founder and President Jack Dangermond. On behalf of the Czech Geological Survey, it was accepted by Director Zdeněk Venera, Professor Kryštof Verner, and Petra Hejtmánková, together with Karel Martínek from the Faculty of Science, Charles University.
"We greatly appreciate the support of the Czech Development Agency, which made this project possible. We are delighted that our maps have attracted the interest of the international geoscientific community and have now received this exceptional international recognition," said CGS Director Zdeněk Venera.
This international success follows the Map of the Year 2025 award presented by the Czech Cartographic Society for the same map. A country's national geological map is regarded as the flagship product of its geological mapping programme. It represents a highly prestigious scientific achievement, marking a major milestone in understanding the country's geology while providing a fundamental basis for its future economic development and the sustainable management of its natural resources.
