City of Seattle’s Racial and Social Equity Index Honored with Special Achievement in GIS Award
SEATTLE, WA — The City of Seattle’s Racial and Social Equity (RSE) Index has received the Special Achievement in GIS (SAG) Award from Esri. The award was presented at the 2026 Esri User Conference and recognizes organizations that use GIS in innovative ways.
The City demographer, in the Office of Planning and Community Development (OPCD), created the RSE Index in 2017 in collaboration with the Mayor’s Office, the Office for Civil Rights, Seattle IT, and additional City departments. The goal was to build a shared population-based dataset that teams across the City could use to support Seattle’s Race and Social Justice Initiative (RSJI). The index is used to inform and align resource allocation, consistent with the RSJI’s commitment to advancing racial and social equity in City policy and practice.
“Seattle’s Race and Social Equity Index is one of our most powerful tools for advancing equity across our city. By bringing together data on race, language access, socioeconomic conditions, and community health, the Index helps us see clearly where disparities persist. It ensures city leaders can make informed, responsible decisions directing investments, programs, and services, said Mayor Katie B. Wilson. “I’m honored our City was recognized for this award. This is how we build a more just, inclusive Seattle for everyone.”
“This award is especially meaningful because it reflects how teams across Seattle are using data to center equity in the decisions we make. We’re pleased that the index is helping us move together toward more just and community-focused outcomes,” said Rico Quirindongo, Director, OPCD.
The RSE Index combines data on race, ethnicity, and related demographics with data on socioeconomic and health disadvantages. Calculated and mapped at the census tract level, the index shows where people of color and other marginalized populations make up relatively large shares of neighborhood residents. City departments and others use the tool to identify geographic priorities for programs, planning efforts, and public investments, giving teams across the City a data-driven foundation for advancing equity.
“What makes this award meaningful is what it represents beyond the technology itself. The RSE Index demonstrates how data tools can translate values into concrete, measurable action for the communities we serve. With multiple departments using this tool, we can gather a more complete view or our City’s needs,” said Shannon Smith, Acting Chief Technology Officer. “Winning the SAG Award reflects the City of Seattle’s technical innovation and demonstrates a commitment to using that innovation in the service of the community.
Since 1998, the SAG Award has been given to organizations each year for their application of GIS to reveal patterns and trends from data to address pressing challenges across industries. A total of 187 organizations from the commercial, defense, transportation, nonprofit, telecommunications, and government sectors were honored. The SAG Award winners are selected each year from hundreds of thousands of organizations around the world that use Esri software. Esri staff nominate candidates, and Esri president Jack Dangermond selects the finalists.
“Each year, users demonstrate how crucial mapping technology is for our connected world, where almost every critical problem we face has a geographic component,” said Esri president Jack Dangermond. “Recognizing these organizations is an honor since they are using GIS to not only improve their own decision-making but are innovating through their work to the benefit of our whole geospatial community.”
Want to learn more? The RSE Index User’s Guide walks through the methodology and applications in detail. You can also explore the interactive RSE Index map to see how equity priorities are distributed across Seattle neighborhoods.
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About the City of Seattle
The City of Seattle serves more than 800,000 residents through transportation, utilities, public safety, housing, human services, parks and recreation, planning, and community development. The City works to foster an equitable, sustainable, and thriving city by partnering with communities and investing in programs that improve quality of life for all residents. Seattle’s Race and Social Justice Initiative grounds City policies and programs in a commitment to advancing equitable outcomes, and the City’s Citywide Data Strategy aims to strengthen evidence-based decision-making across departments.
About Esri
Esri, the global market leader in geographic information system (GIS) software, location intelligence, and mapping, helps customers unlock the full potential of data to improve operational and business results. Founded in 1969 in Redlands, California, Esri software is deployed in hundreds of thousands of organizations globally, including Fortune 500 companies, government agencies, nonprofit institutions, and universities. Esri has regional offices, international distributors, and partners providing local support in more than 100 countries on six continents. Visit www.esri.com.
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