GIS Days 2025 - Virtual Across Canada & In Person at Western U
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11-07-2025 11:16 AM
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GIS Days!
Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Days is right around the corner! For me, this event holds a special place in my heart, because it brings together people from across London and Western from different backgrounds and disciplines to chat about their work making, embroidering, drawing, and creating spatial data and maps. There is something for everyone, and I encourage you to check out the details included below (I’ve even recommended some specific sessions) and stop-in at some point during the day (or pop in virtually!). Our in-person open house at Western University is an especially perfect opportunity to come check out the Map & Data Centre and our Scholar’s Lab Space and interact with all the community displays (even if you only come down to steal a coffee and snack). We’ll also be hosting a Trivia Event at the Grad Club on Wednesday November 19th in honour of GIS Days – so I encourage you to put together a team and start some friendly competition (you can participate in Trivia virtually as well)! Anyways, take a look at the details included below, and do reach out if you have any questions 😊 Happy mapping everyone!
To explore our interactive programs, register or find out more information please visit our GIS Days event page.
What is GIS Days? GIS Days offer you the chance to learn more about geography, mapping and real-world applications of GIS that impact our communities. Drop in and out depending on what presentations pique your interest and listen to presenters from around the world.
When is in-person GIS Days? November 19, from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at Western University, London, Ontario in Weldon Library at the Map & Data Centre (ground level). The open house is completely free to attend and will include door prizes, refreshments, interactive displays, and activities throughout the Map & Data Centre. Feel free to drop in anytime or bring your class or group through. In person displays include:
- Take a walk on the massive (8m x 11m) Biinaagami floor map highlighting the Great Lakes waterways through the two-eyed seeing cartographic approach.
- Play with the augmented reality sandbox showing how flooding impacts elevation from the UTRCA, they will also be bringing a water table.
- Peek at the rock core display and virtual reality of Ontario’s Geology from the OGSR Library
- Investigate 3D printed artefacts from the Museum of Ontario Archaeology & the Department of Anthropology.
- Real networking opportunities for students with groups who hire summer interns like: Utilities Company of Sarnia (ENWIN), Middlesex County, City of London, Defining Moments Canada, London Transit Commission.
- Drones and backpack 360-degree cameras from the Canadian Severe Storms Lab
When is virtual GIS Days? November 17, 18, and 19, from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. EST each day (come and go as you please). Vote for your favourite maps in our map gallery, and your favourite lightning talk presentations. Drop-in to one of our tutorial sessions. Presentation topics range from countermapping black history, mapping natural disasters like wildfires, Indigenous involvement in community planning, migration patterns of settlers to emergency care provision. Presentations will be offered by a variety of speakers ranging from geospatial professionals to GIS newbies. Short lightning talks (7-min) offer you a quick taste of a topic, while longer demonstrations (20-min) provide a deeper dive into a GIS project.
Counter-Mapping History themed talks (Tuesday November 18th at 9:30 a.m.)
- Threads of Diaspora: Mapping Palestinian Embroidery, Freedom in Print: Books and AntiSlavery History at the Chatham-Kent Black Mecca Museum, The Black Londoners Project: Creating a Digital Archive
GIS Careers Panel (Monday November 17th at 3:30 p.m.)
Other Presentations (various times)
- Mapping Scottish Migration Narratives in Glengarry, Ontario – El Gillies, MA Student, Western University (Monday November 17 at 11:00 a.m.)
- Mapping Resistance: Tracing Black Roots and Unearthing Hidden Histories Across Canadian Landscapes – Neisa Long, EDI Coordinator and Masters Student, Western University (Monday November 17 at 2:00 p.m.)
- Lost in the Woods: How I used digital maps in writing a horror novel – Leanne Olsen, Digitization Librarian, Western Libraries (Tuesday November 18th at 2:00 p.m.)
- Tails from the Grave: History of Happy Woodland Pet Cemetery – Brianne Machan, BA History, Huron at Western (Tuesday November 18th at 2:00 p.m.)
- Mapping Forgotten Women: Digital Storymaps Reviving the Voices of Hilda Baynes and Jane de La Vaudère - Forough Hazrati, PhD, Western University (Tuesday November 18th at 2:00 p.m.)
When is the hybrid trivia event? November 19, starts at 7:00 p.m. EST. There will be lots of prizes available. All are welcome. This event will be held virtually on Zoom and in-person at Western University Grad Club.
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Brianna! We have 35 Lightning Talks this year (with 1 less day), 6 demonstrations, 1 career panel, and 15 submissions to our Map Gallery!
My event planning team includes people from all of these schools, its ended up being a Canadian-wide event with amazing cross-organizational collaboration.
