Wednesday, Nov. 15, Lakeland Community College will join hundreds of organizations worldwide in celebrating GIS Day to recognize the impactful work of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) professionals. Both students and community members alike are welcome to participate in GIS Day’s free festivities from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. in HIVE, located on the ground floor of Lakeland’s H-Building at 7700 Clocktower Drive, Kirtland, Ohio, 44094.

Celebrated annually, Lakeland’s Geography and Geospatial department will be hosting a humanitarian mapathon and live drone demonstrations. They will also provide information on how to enter a student mapping competition, with cash prizes for the winning students.

For those interested in seeing the large-scale applications of GIS, attendees will have the opportunity to interact with an augmented reality sandbox, a 3D interactive tool to help people of all ages better understand mapping, topography, natural hazards and more.

There will also be geospatial industry vendor exhibits, as well as professionals leading discussion panels on career paths in the field.

“One of the reasons we look forward to celebrating GIS Day is because it introduces people to the vital roles that geospatial technology plays in a vast range of industries, from marketing, logistics and real estate to disease profiling and global emergency management,” says Bobby Oliver, professor and chair of Lakeland’s Geography and Geospatial Technology department.

GIS Day was first observed in 1999 by Esri, the global market leader in GIS software. Esri’s founder, Jack Dangermond, envisioned the idea after realizing the positive, real-world implications of geospatial technology. The event has since grown into a phenomenon of industry professionals collaborating on ways to advance global progress in agriculture, business and government affairs.

In recognizing Nov. 15, 2023, as National Geographic Information Systems Day, Governor Mike DeWine and Lieutenant Governor Jon Husted noted in an official release, “The State of Ohio recognizes that an understanding, use, and application of geospatial technology is crucial to operating our infrastructure, sustaining our natural resources, and stimulating economic growth, thus, benefitting the welfare of the general public throughout Ohio.”

“Our hope is that through these demonstrations of our state-of-the-art technology, people realize Lakeland is equipped with the tools and expertise to inspire future innovators in the field,” Oliver concludes.

To register for the day’s activities, as well as for more information about Lakeland’s Geography and Geospatial Technology program, visit lakelandcc.edu/geography.

By: Charles Hegedus, Mrktg and Commun Specialist