Geographic information system software company Esri has pledged to donate $40,500 worth of data collection and sharing software to winners of the National Institute of Justice’s (NIJ) Research and Evaluation on Drugs and Crime grant program for combating opioid and heroin abuse.
“Esri knows the damage that opioid abuse is doing to our communities, and we are thankful for this opportunity to help find a solution to this devastating epidemic,” said John Beck, Esri head of global law enforcement. “The Esri platform collects data in real time, then integrates this data and makes sense of it in interactive maps, making information about drug addiction and crime easier to access, understand, and share.”
The grant winners will each receive one-year licenses of Esri software that will help them collect, map, and share data on the opioid epidemic.
According to the NIJ grant document, the funding provides for “rigorous applied research on evidence-based tools, protocols and policies for state, tribal, and local law enforcement and other criminal justice agencies to better address drug trafficking, markets, and use that relate to two drug priorities—heroin and other opioids, and novel psychoactive substances (synthetic drugs).”
Applications for the grant are due March 23, 2017.
