GIS Day is an annual event that brings geospatial professionals together to share ideas, collaborate, and recognize the people helping to advance the geographic information systems field.
More than just a 24-hour period, GIS Day is a global movement focused on increasing geospatial literacy, promoting geospatial technology use, and solving problems with geospatial technology.
In this blog post, we will introduce you to GIS Day, why you should celebrate it and how you can participate in your local celebration this year.
What is GIS Day?
GIS Day is an annual observance largely credited to Ralph Nader, an American political activist, and environmentalist who inspired GIS Day as a day for geography awareness.
The first-ever GIS Day occurred on November 19, 1999, during Geography Awareness Week. After that, the National Geographic Society, Association of American Geographers, and Esri further cemented the annual celebration.
This global grassroots initiative aims to increase geospatial awareness and literacy while celebrating the people who use geospatial technology to improve their organizations and communities.
GIS Day is the perfect opportunity to network with your colleagues, meet new people in the GIS community, and raise awareness about the importance of geography and GIS technology.
Why Celebrate GIS Day?
GIS Day is an excellent opportunity to learn from and network with geospatial professionals from various industries and disciplines. In addition, the day provides a chance to reflect on the history and accomplishments of the geospatial industry and celebrate the people helping to advance the field.
Celebrating GIS Day is also a great way to promote geospatial technology in your organization and to increase geospatial literacy among your colleagues and peers. If you work in a non-GIS-related department, celebrating GIS Day can help you explain geospatial technology to your colleagues and show the value GIS can bring to your organization.
How to celebrate GIS Day?
An Ormoc Junior High School student shows off her GIS Day face paint. Nobel Systems sponsored the event to raise awareness about the importance of geographic intelligence in everyone’s lives.
There are many ways to celebrate GIS Day, and we encourage everyone to participate in the global movement.
Attend GIS events – You can attend GIS events such as conferences and seminars or GIS user group meetings. You can also organize your own meetups and workshops to bring GIS professionals together.
Learn about geospatial history – Celebrate GIS Day by learning about the history of geospatial technology. For example, you can read biographies of GIS pioneers, such-as Dr. Roger Tomlinson, considered the father of GIS, or articles about essential milestones in the history of GIS.
Share knowledge online – You can also share knowledge and ideas online by joining social media conversations about GIS or writing blog posts about your GIS experiences.
Celebrate GIS Day with your colleagues – Finally, you can celebrate GIS Day at work by educating your colleagues about geospatial technology.
Here are some resources and more ideas on ways to get involved: GIS Day Resources
Conclusion
GIS Day is an annual event that brings geospatial professionals together to share ideas, collaborate, and recognize the people helping advance the field.
GIS Day is a global movement focused on increasing geospatial literacy and promoting using geospatial technology to solve problems.
To fully celebrate GIS Day, we encourage you to attend GIS events, learn about the history of geospatial technology, share knowledge online, and organize quick GIS Day events in your organization.
With these activities, you will fully experience what a GIS Day celebration is all about.