GIS Day is an annual event celebrating geographic information systems (GIS) based technologies on the third Wednesday of November. The event first took place in 1999.[1] It was initiated by spatial analytics software provider Esri. Esri president and co-founder Jack Dangermond credits Ralph Nader with being the person who inspired the creation of GIS Day.[2] He considered the event a good initiative for people to learn about geography and the many uses of GIS. He wanted GIS Day to be a grassroots effort and open to everyone to participate.
| GIS Day | |
|---|---|
 NOAA Earth System image, a GIS example | |
| Also called | Geographic Information Systems Day |
| Observed by | Worldwide |
| Significance | To promote awareness and understanding of Geographic Information Systems technology and its application. |
| Celebrations | Educational workshops and seminars, map exhibitions and competitions, community mapping projects, guest lectures and panel discussions, interactive demonstrations, etc. |
| Date | Third Wednesday in November |
| 2023 date | November 15 |
| 2024 date | November 20 |
| 2025 date | November 19 |
| 2026 date | November 18 |
| Frequency | Annual |
| First time | November 1999 |
| Related to | Geography Awareness Week |
Today, the event provides an international forum for users of GIS technology from across the GIS industry to demonstrate real-world applications that are making a difference in society.[3] Originally the Canada Geographic Information System developed in the 1960s by Roger Tomlinson, it is now used worldwide.
Original sponsors of GIS Day included the following organizations:
- National Geographic Society
- American Association of Geographers (AAG), formerly Association of American Geographers
- University Consortium for Geographic Information Science (UCGIS)
- United States Geological Survey (USGS)
- Library of Congress
- Sun Microsystems[citation needed]
- Hewlett-Packard
- Esri
- King Saud University
Additional resources
editReferences
edit- ^ Esri. "History of GIS". Esri. Retrieved 2024-11-21.
- ^ "Discovering the World on GIS Day". Esri. 2014. Retrieved 2024-04-10.
The first formal GIS Day took place in 1999. Esri president and cofounder Jack Dangermond credits Ralph Nader with being the person who inspired the creation of GIS Day.
- ^ Esri. "GIS Day | Mapping Minds, Shaping the World". GIS Day. Retrieved 2024-11-21.