The Power of Where by Jack Dangermond is the G.I.S best book to read

I am a friend and self-taught student of GIS. For the sake of simplicity, GIS mean geographical information science. It is all about using computers, special software and geographical data to process information useful in making good decisions. Thus, I am a life-long consumer of GIS literature and technologies. My best software is ArcGIS. But I also enjoy navigating QGIS, ISATIS NEO, GRASS and ILWIS. I do read everything that try to explain GIS in simple language. I Read books, websites, blogs, journals and Magazines like Geo-World to teach myself GIS. Though it is not easy to come by G.I.S literature in simple words. There is nothing so frustrating like trying to understand complex ideas like the calculus of universal kriging or models of geostatistics written in complicated English. And especially when English is your third or fourth language.

But recently, while using the RCMRD library, I asked the librarian if she could get me any book on GIS that is simple to understand. Her name is Claudia. She smiled, then took me to her desk from where she gave me the Power of Where by Jack Dangermond. She told me that the Director General of RCMRD, Dr. Emmanuel Nkurunziza had just released the book to be used by students, teachers and researchers at the library. The book is soft in blue colour jacket with attractive texture and lively texture on touch, it is Published by ESRI.

It is the book that I have enjoyed to read in my life. It presents all the ideas about G.I.S in a very simple language. The sentences are short and understandable. No hard words or jargons are used in the book. Every complex word is used in an enabling context that you readily understand it without visiting the dictionary. it is the only book on G.I.S that I have read from cover to cover without visiting the ESRI GIS dictionary. I mean, simplicity, precision and liveliness in the sentences to be experienced in the book are all but gobsmacking.

It reads like King James version of the Bible or like V.S. Naipaul in the House for Mr. Biswas yet it is a book about one of the most complex sciences on earth. Reading the book made me to muse within myself that language has been the major barrier to learning sciences not the calculations. If science can be communicated in simple , clear and precise language then young people from developing worlds like Africa can enjoy learning science . Thus, it is logical to aver that, just like Jack Dangermond in the Power of Where, science writers have obligation to unchain science books from the adamantine rock of unnecessary complexity in language. The vice of obscurity in English and other languages that communicate science literature was also an issue that one panellist discussed at the African Space Leadership Institute (ASLI) conference (2025) by observing that sciences like GNSS Surveying , Space System Engineering and the likes of Geodesy need to be written in African languages or to be translated to African languages in order to facilitate flow of knowledge and easy of understanding of the sciences by learners in Africa. It is an Idea I had supported with nostril level depth. However, after interacting with Jack Dangermond in the Power of Where I have now come a better conclusion that science written in simple English like one used by Dangermond in the Power of Where can be understood by any person with any level of language mastery.

In the book, Dangermond discusses Geospatial approach to world’s greatest challenges in simple words before presenting G.I.S as a science divided into eight key areas. Dangermond, simplifies G.I.S by breaking it down into eight major areas known as; Geographic approach, Geo-data, Geo-visualization, Geo-communication, Geo-analysis, Geo-collaboration, Geo-accounting and Geo-design. All these eight areas of G.I.S are given very clear context in the book.

Already, there is a website about the book, it is known as powerofwhere.com. At this website, you can get summaries about each and every area of G.I.S as discussed in the book. But I encourage you, my dear reader if at all you are serious about science and you want to be a G.I.S scholar, just to get the hard copy of the book and read. Those living around Nairobi can visit RCMRD library to access and read Power of Where by Jack Dangermond. I am sure that when you will read this book, you will obviously enjoy simplicity of the language and high-quality pictures as well as graphics used in the book.

I have always respected Jack Dangermond as an exemplary Geospatial Entrepreneur for establishing ESRI, ArcGIS and worldwide communities of ArcGIS users but after reading the Power of Where I also want to acknowledge and salute Jack Dangermond again as an exemplary science communicator for displaying unique ability to use simple English language when communicating most complex science like G.I.S. This is very revolutionary, it is a good living example of personal commitment to pursuit of things that promote comfort and dignity of human life.

Alexander Opicho writes from, RCMRD, Nairobi, Kenya