GIS Day 2002

It's that time of year again to be creative and celebrate GIS Day--mere weeks away--on Wednesday, November 20, 2002. It is time for you to put on your "GIS Day coordinator hat" and make your final plans.

Read on to see how a few of the many GIS organizations around the world are planning to spend GIS Day 2002!

Reliant Energy Powers Up for Fourth Annual GIS Day Celebration

For the past three years Reliant Energy, an international energy services and delivery company based in Houston, Texas, has been celebrating GIS Day. Many Reliant employees did not know what GIS was, about its power, or what it could do for them. To answer these spatial questions for its internal audience, Reliant decided to use GIS Day to showcase existing applications, demonstrated by GIS users. Reliant's past GIS Day celebrations have included activities such as live demos, map galleries, and hands-on interaction with new technologies such as ArcPad. Last year Reliant also invited Rice University students to listen to a presentation and receive a tour of its GIS floor.

More than 100 people attended Reliant's first GIS Day in 1999, which doubled to more than 200 the following year. This year, in addition to continuing the education of its clients on the vast potential of GIS, Reliant plans to expand its efforts by having its employees visit schools to educate children.

Moi University's GIS Day to Focus on Sustainable Development

Students at Moi University in Kenya, Africa, are finalizing their plans for a variety of demonstrations and workshops on GIS Day to examine and discuss the use of GIS technology to manage the natural environment for sustainable development.

After receiving news that he would be the lead coordinator for this year's GIS Day activities at the university, student Peter Ndunda exclaimed, "Good news, I have been given the responsibility of coordinating and organizing this year's 2002 GIS Day. I understand that it is a very challenging task, especially in Kenya where GIS is still relatively new. It is one of the greatest opportunities to bring about a positive change in my community�I will give it my best!" We anxiously await news from Peter and his classmates to hear about their GIS Day 2002 successes.

USGS Asks "Do You Love Maps and GIS?"

Joseph Kerski, a geographer at the USGS and veteran to GIS Day coordination, is busily planning his fourth GIS Day celebration, focusing his activities on USGS's 2002 theme, "Do You Love Maps and GIS?"

Participants at the USGS national mapping facility in Denver, Colorado, will be invited to tour the building where more than 50,000,000 maps, posters, books, and digital data are shipped to data users around the world. USGS scientists and educational staff will conduct GIS, GPS, and mapping workshops throughout the day.

New activities this year will include a map contest open to all elementary, middle, high school, undergraduate, and graduate students. Winners will receive the honor of having their maps displayed in the USGS International Map Sales Center where thousands of center visitors will be able to view them during the month of November. In addition, chosen entries will receive other special USGS prizes. For more information about how to participate, please visit rockyweb.cr.usgs.gov/public/outreach.

North Carolina State University to Host GIS LIVE via the Web

North Carolina GIS professionals, educators, and students will celebrate GIS LIVE, demonstrating the power of GIS applications to solve real-world problems. GIS LIVE will include a variety of live Web broadcasts throughout the day including a showcase of exemplary projects on a variety of topics. From health care to critical response and from coastal management to travel and tourism, site visitors will be able to see projects important to all industries. Students from Leesville Road Middle School will demonstrate how to collect and analyze data in a GIS activity with live reports throughout the day on their project.

The GIS LIVE celebrations will close with an electronic forum for educators led by teachers and students from local middle schools and high schools. Educators from across North Carolina will be able to participate at selected North Carolina information highway sites via two-way video-conferencing. The eForum will also be Web cast. GIS LIVE is a collaborative effort of many government agencies, educational institutions, and professional organizations. Teachers and students are invited to visit NCSU's Web site at www.ncsu.edu/scilink/gislive for pre- and post-GIS LIVE activities.

Reminder: 2002 GIS Day Materials Online

The GIS Day committee offers a variety of materials to assist you in planning your event including PowerPoint presentations, logos, sample agendas, press release templates, banners, certificates of participation, international translations, and many age-specific activities for students in K-12 as well as higher education. The materials have been updated for 2002, so once you register your event, feel free to download what you need and take advantage of these wonderful tools.

Now it is your turn to participate in this global mission to educate the world about geography and GIS technology. Remember that GIS Day can make a difference in the world and be the impetus for change within your organization. Now that you have read how others are planning to celebrate, it is time for you to visit the GIS Day Web site at www.gisday.com and register your event today. Following your event, submit photos and followup articles by visiting gis.esri.com/gisday/successstory.cfm.