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The ESRI Young Scholar Award provides selected students with the opportunity to showcase their talents on the global stage and gain valuable experience in addressing real-world challenges.

As the grand prize, Anas will have the chance to attend the Esri User Conference (Esri UC) 2025 in San Diego, United States, in July 2025. Esri UC 2025 is the largest GIS conference in the world. While there, Anas will participate in various activities such as the Awarding Night, Map Gallery, and GIS Courses.

With the topic "Land Cover Valuation for Carbon Storage Calculation as a Potential for Carbon Trading," which is an extension of his final internship report at the Directorate of Regional III, Ministry of National Development Planning (Bappenas RI), Anas applied a similar approach in the Rebana Region, West Java, with an emphasis on GIS analysis using ArcGIS Pro features.

The main outputs of this competition were a StoryMap and a poster titled "Valuing Carbon Storage: A Path to Carbon Trading in Rebana." This project examines the potential for carbon trading in the Rebana region through an Urban and Regional Planning approach that integrates spatial analysis (GIS) and public policy strategies.

"The analysis I conducted to create the StoryMap was quite complex, covering land cover changes and carbon storage predictions. The results indicate a potential economic value of carbon at Rp39 trillion in 2025, but it could decrease by Rp122.7 billion by 2030 due to deforestation and urban sprawl," he said.

To achieve victory, Anas implemented five strategies. First, he thoroughly understood the competition's Terms of Reference (ToR) to ensure that the work aligned with the organizers' expectations. Second, he reached out to previous EYSA winners for insights and valuable experiences. Third, he leveraged AI technology as a sparring partner—helping to design outlines, check flows, and find scientific references. Fourth, he wisely managed his time, balancing work and rest while improving his English skills for the international competition. Lastly, Anas always sought prayers and support from his family as his main source of motivation.

During the process, Anas faced two main challenges. First, the limited access to ArcGIS Pro software licenses, which were needed for the project. This challenge was overcome thanks to the support from the PWK ITB, which facilitated access to practical accounts. Second, the entire competition process was conducted in English, including writing the StoryMaps, preparing the poster, presenting, and participating in the Q&A session. Although initially nervous, Anas successfully overcame all stages through practice and thorough preparation.

For fellow students who wish to participate in similar competitions, he advises them to deepen their understanding of GIS, as this competition emphasizes the quality of spatial analysis. Additionally, the ability to craft a narrative and present data in an engaging way, such as through visual storytelling like StoryMaps, is also crucial.

"Don’t hesitate to be creative, because good data becomes more alive when presented in a creative and communicative way," he said.

Reporter: Indira Akmalia Hendri (Perencanaan Wilayah dan Kota, 2021)

Translator: Indira Akmalia Hendri