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Get Ready, Get Excited, for GIS Day!

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08-11-2017 07:05 AM
JosephKerski
by Esri Notable Contributor
Esri Notable Contributor
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‎08-11-2017 07:05 AM

GIS Day is drawing near!  This year, it will be held on 15 November 2017.  I wanted to share 6 things about GIS Day with you.

 

  1. What is GIS Day?  The theme of GIS Day is "Discovering the World Through GIS".  GIS Day provides an international forum for users of geographic information systems (GIS) technology to demonstrate real-world applications that are making a difference in our society.  The first formal GIS Day took place in 1999. Esri president and co-founder Jack Dangermond credits Ralph Nader with being the person who inspired the creation of GIS Day. He considered GIS Day a good initiative for people to learn about geography and the uses of GIS. He wanted GIS Day to be a grassroots effort and open to everyone to participate.

  2. Host an event at your organization -- school, community or technical college, university, nonprofit organization, library, private company, government agency, or even in a park outside--sometime during or close to GIS Day week (15 November 2017).  Post an announcement about your event on www.gisday.com.  It doesn’t have to be elaborate or something that consumes a lot of your employees’ time, but something where you open a section of your organization to the community, other departments in your organizations, or local schools, universities, community colleges, and clubs, to showcase what GIS is and what you are doing to make a positive difference in the world using GIS.  It doesn’t have to even be on the actual GIS Day; the point is that your event is promoting the benefits GIS brings to communities, your organization, and society.  Or, look at the map on the GIS Day website to find an event near you that you can attend!

  3. Find resources on the website www.gisday.com.  Together with a few other good people at Esri, I have made about 75 changes to the website since last GIS Day.  The resources improved on the website include story maps, hands-on activities, videos, strategies on how to work with students and the general public, and much more. Stay tuned for updates of the press releases, and so on.
  4. Get some geo-swag!  The first 250 organizations that register for GIS Day this year around the world will receive 1 box of some wonderful GIS-related items that you can use for promoting your event.  
  5. Be a GIS champion!  I am seeking organizations who are GIS and GIS Day champions around the world to highlight the good things they are doing, to be featured in articles on GeoNet, ArcNews, and other outlets.  Videos too!  If you know of an organization that should be included, or think that yours should be, please let me know via gisday@esri.com. 
  6. Questions?  Please email gisday@esri.com.  I am on the receiving end of those emails and respond to these on a daily basis.

 

I hope this is helpful.  Thank you for promoting and supporting GIS Day!

--Joseph Kerski 

Kids and adults celebrating GIS Day!

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About the Author
I believe that spatial thinking can transform education and society through the application of Geographic Information Systems for instruction, research, administration, and policy. I hold 3 degrees in Geography, have served at NOAA, the US Census Bureau, and USGS as a cartographer and geographer, and teach a variety of F2F (Face to Face) (including T3G) and online courses. I have authored a variety of books and textbooks about the environment, STEM, GIS, and education. These include "Interpreting Our World", "Essentials of the Environment", "Tribal GIS", "The GIS Guide to Public Domain Data", "International Perspectives on Teaching and Learning with GIS In Secondary Education", "Spatial Mathematics" and others. I write for 2 blogs, 2 monthly podcasts, and a variety of journals, and have created over 5,000 videos on the Our Earth YouTube channel. Yet, as time passes, the more I realize my own limitations and that this is a lifelong learning endeavor and thus I actively seek mentors and collaborators.