UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State University Libraries will observe GIS Day — an annual event celebrating the technology of geographic information systems (GIS) — with a virtual event from 4 to 5 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 12.
Penn State GIS Day brings together those who work with GIS, geospatial technologies, remote sensing, maps, and location-based research to foster greater geospatial awareness throughout the University, within the community, and beyond. Both new and experienced users of geospatial information across disciplines are encouraged to participate.
This year’s speakers will be Susan Powell, GIS and map librarian at the University of California, Berkeley, and Patricia Solís, associate research professor in the School of Geographical Sciences and Urban Planning at Arizona State University. Complete information about the speakers and their presentations is available at the Penn State GIS Day website. Advance registration is required for both sessions, which are free and open to the public.
The event is co-sponsored by Penn State’s Department of Geography and the University Libraries. For more information about the event, contact Heather Ross at hdr10@psu.edu.
Schedule:
4–4:30 p.m.: Guerrilla Cartography’s “Atlas in a Day” Experiment. What happens when you ask people to dream up and actually create a map in just 24 hours? That was the idea behind the nonprofit organization Guerrilla Cartography’s experiment with their “Atlas in a Day” project. Collaboration and crowdsourcing were key to the creation of these atlases. Susan Powell will provide an overview of the project’s inspiration and the logistics of planning and running the events.
4:30–5 p.m.: YouthMappers Everywhere: How a Global Student Movement Creates Geospatial Data, Knowledge and Community. YouthMappers is an inclusive international network of university chapters led by students who organize, collaborate and implement mapping activities that respond to actual development needs around the globe by creating and using spatial data and information made publicly available through open platforms. Patricia Solís shares the experiences of the YouthMappers as they learn, lead and make a difference in the world through geospatial technologies.