ESRI, a geographic information systems software developer based in Redland, Calif., is offering free software, hardware and training bundles as part of a new grant program for planning and homeland security.

The Mobile Government Grant Series consists of two programs offering hardware, software, and training totaling $170,000. ESRI launched the grants in partnership with Trimble, a world leader in global positioning systems, to create a grant program to help government agencies better understand how to deploy GIS and GPS technologies, according to ESRI.

The Mobile Government Grant Series comes on the heels of the Mobile Government Demonstration Program, which produced 10 downloadable public domain applications that governments can use to quicken the pace of mobile government implementation. The applications combine ESRI's ArcPad with Trimble's GPS technologies and can be downloaded by visiting the ArcPad template Web site at www.esri.com/arcpad/about/templates.html.

ESRI and Trimble will award 10 grants to planners and 10 homeland security grants to state and local governments within the United States. The deadline for all Mobile Government Grant Series applications is Sept. 17, 2004, 5 p.m. Pacific, and awards will be announced on Oct. 8, 2004.

To learn more about the Mobile Government Grant Series and other grants sponsored by ESRI, visit the ESRI Grants Web site at www.esri.com/grants.