November 16, 2005, will mark the seventh annual, global GIS Day celebration. Each year, participants all over the planet just keep getting better and better at spreading GIS awareness and knowledge to the citizens of the world.

There are many opportunities to contribute. You can sponsor an open house to orient others in your organization to the value of GIS. You can show a group of junior high school students how GIS technology is used to monitor and map wildlife, inventory trees, or site a new building to minimize its impact on the environment. You can mentor a group of high school students and teach them how to use GIS to conquer a community mapping challenge in their own neighborhood. You can discuss pollution, planning, law enforcement, commerce, health, education, or agricultural concerns with local civic leaders and hold an expo or open house to educate the entire community about your strides using GIS in these areas. These are just a few ideas touching on the countless ways you can contribute to GIS Day.

If you're still not sure what to do to celebrate GIS Day 2005, it's time you visit the GIS Day Web site at www.gisday.com where you will find a variety of ideas and support materials to help you plan a GIS Day event for your organization or community. Peruse the listing of GIS Day success stories from past year celebrations or simply use the Find an Event Near You tool to locate details about GIS Day activities scheduled in your area.

GIS Day is principally sponsored by the Association of American Geographers, Esri, Hewlett–Packard, the United States Library of Congress, the National Geographic Society, Sun Microsystems, the United States Geological Survey, and the University Consortium for Geographic Information Science.

Visit www.gisday.com for more information.