GIS Day 2025 | The Geo-Generalist Era: Where Spatial Meets Everything
Click to watch a special GIS Day message from Jack Dangermond.
November 19th, 2025 marks the 26th GIS Day celebration — an annual event begun in 1999 to elevate understanding of and appreciation for the profound impact geographic information systems have on our world.
This year’s theme, “Geo-Generalist Era: Where Spatial Meets Everything,” encourages reflection on the expansion of GIS as it is becoming an ever-greater core competency across a wide range of fields and the professionals who bridge disciplines to solve complex, real-world challenges using spatial insight.
There are Countless Ways to Celebrate
GIS Day is for everyone! GIS professionals and enthusiasts already recognize how important GIS is to our everyday lives. Help grow that awareness by sharing your enthusiasm with others who may not fully realize the ways in which geographic information systems are connected to the services they rely on or enjoy.
That doesn’t have to be a big lift, either. Whether running an educational presentation or updating your email signature to include a “Happy GIS Day!” there are numerous options for sharing your love of GIS and that support any level of bandwidth. We’ve compiled some resources to get you started.
1. Connect, Share, and Collaborate with Others
Connect with your peers in the GIS Day 2025 Forum in Esri Community. There, you can learn from others about what they’re doing this year and what’s worked well for some during past years. You can ask questions or even make recommendations to others based on your own experience — we want to hear it all!
Image: 2025 GIS Day Badge.
And, when you create a post or comment in the forum either on or before GIS Day, you’ll receive a sweet GIS Day badge for your Esri Community profile soon afterward.
Image: ArcGIS StoryMap of global Esri Community members celebrating GIS Day 2024.
BONUS: Read about how Esri Community members around the world celebrated GIS Day 2024 via this ArcGIS StoryMap.
2. Treat Yourself to Some Videos
Image: Esri’s Senior Principal GIS Engineer, John Nelson, discusses a brief history of GIS on video.
Kick back and watch some videos. Seriously! Each of these three inspiring videos clock in under 10 minutes, making it a breeze to familiarize, refresh, or share some GIS fundamentals with others.
⏵ What is GIS? (8:48)
⏵ A (Very) Brief History of GIS (5:25)
⏵ The Passion Behind Esri | Insider Stories from GIS Professionals (3:56)
3. Chat With the GIS Day Virtual Agent
Image: Screenshot of the GIS Day FAQ Agent answering a question regarding the history of GIS Day.
Have a conversation with the GIS Day Chat Bot and learn more about the history of GIS Day, gather ideas for GIS-related activities you can include in your celebration, prompt insights for sharing, or glean a variety of other takeaways.
4. Pick Up Some New Skills
Image: Screenshot of Esri’s Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) landing page.
Sign up for a course in Esri Academy and enhance your professional GIS skills. Esri’s MOOC Program (Massive Open Online Course) additionally offers free, self-paced classes for anyone who wants to build new abilities, grow professionally, and expand their horizons.
6. Challenge Your Mapping Skills
Dedicate a little time each day in November to participate in the fun and creative 30 Day Map Challenge, hosted through the latest issue of StoryScape. Each day, you’ll test your skills with a new prompt while following along with Esri’s ArcGIS Pro team and other collaborators. New featured maps will be revealed throughout the month, along with notes from the maps’ cartographers. Participants are encouraged to show off their creations on social media while using the hashtag #30DayMapChallenge.
7. Enjoy Digital Swag
Image: A festive virtual background featuring layered segments of the earth and falling streamers.
Show off your love of GIS by using a themed virtual background in online meetings, putting up an eye-catching poster in the office break room, or printing out creative activity pages to share with kids. It’s all available for download on the GIS Day website’s Digital Swag page.
Don’t Forget: Sign Up and Get on the Event Map
Image: An event map showing points over locations that have registered GIS Day events.
If you’re committed to celebrating GIS Day this year, let others know and help complete a picture of global connectedness by Registering Your Event.
When you register, not only will you be supporting both the momentum and reach of this event, but you’ll also be able to tap into the official GIS Day team for help by emailing them at gisday@esri.com and, as an event host, you’ll be eligible to receive three ArcGIS for Personal Use subscriptions. You can also access the official GIS Day Resources for Event Hosts page at any time for self-serve support.
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There’s never been a more exciting time to celebrate GIS and we look forward to hearing all of your GIS Day event questions, ideas, and stories right here in Esri Community!