GIS Day 2008
Celebrate the Tenth Anniversary of GIS Day
Contributed by Beth Wilkerson, GIS Specialist (adapted from GIS Day press release)
Held each year on the Wednesday of National Geographic Society’s Geography Awareness Week, GIS Day is a global event that celebrates geographic information system (GIS) technology. Its goal is to make people aware of this innovative technology that uses geography to bring numerous benefits to the world and to highlight the important contributions GIS is making in the fields of science, technology, information, and the humanities.
A GIS is a computer-based system that links geographic information with descriptive information and presents the results on a map. By converting data into visual layers on a map, users can gain a better understanding of the data and can immediately begin to pick out trends or relationships that may not have been discovered using traditional analysis methods.
Although you may not be aware of it, GIS touches our lives daily. It is used throughout the world to solve problems related to the environment, health care, land use, business efficiency, education, and public safety. For example, the power supply directed to homes, the patrol cars and fire trucks that keep neighborhoods safe, and the delivery trucks on the road all function more efficiently because of GIS. Most recently, we have seen how GIS technology can be used to aid Homeland Security initiatives, map the debris field following the Space Shuttle Columbia tragedy, monitor the spread of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), and track the 2008 U.S. Presidential election. The applications of GIS technology are endless, limited only by the imagination of its users.
2008 marks GIS Day’s tenth year, and this is the fifth straight year that DePauw has hosted a GIS Day event. This year’s event will showcase faculty and student GIS projects as well as introduce GIS concepts via posters, displays, multimedia presentations, and interactive activities.
Join us to celebrate GIS Day 2008, and find out how your colleagues are using GIS!
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
3:00 – 5:00 p.m.
Julian Science & Mathematics Center Atrium
For more information, visit http://www.depauw.edu/univ/gis/GIS_Day_2008/.