New Video Series Gives People a Window into GIS

The four- to eight-minute videos on the GIS Day Video Kiosk CD will help presenters explain the important roles of GIS in analyzing and mapping data in fields such as public safety, firefighting, health care, and retail marketing.Using slides or video of maps or GIS users at work, narrated segments show, for example, how ·Scientists and other researchers use GIS to map outbreaks of avian flu in birds and humans and mark flyways to decide where to set up sites to monitor for infected birds. ·Fire agencies use the technology to map wildfires and show where the blazes may potentially spread.·Law enforcement officers use GIS to map and analyze crime patterns, helping to decide, for instance, where to increase patrols.The CD will be available by contacting GIS Day coordinator Maria Jordan at [email protected]. GIS Day organizers can play one or all of the videos at their events, which may include workshops, corporate open houses, community expos, school assemblies, GPS scavenger hunts, and even GIS-inspired baking contests.The videos on the CD will be especially helpful to GIS Day organizers who do not have Internet access during their presentations.GIS Day will be November 15, 2006, though people in some parts of the world celebrate at other times of the year. Besides using the videos, GIS Day organizers can obtain free promotional materials such as color posters, flyers, name tags, and business card templates to help them advertise their programs. These materials can be downloaded at www.gisday.com.Held as part of the National Geographic Societyâs Geography Awareness Week and Geography Action! program, GIS Day is an international grassroots event designed to promote geographic literacy in schools, communities, and organizations.GIS Day enables GIS users and vendors to open their doors and sponsor events that spread knowledge about the capabilities of the technology and the importance of geography.GIS is a collection of computer hardware, software, and geographic data for capturing, managing, analyzing, and displaying all forms of geographically referenced information. ESRI president Jack Dangermond believes GIS teaches as much about the world around us as words and photographs, which is why he strongly supports GIS Day events that spread the word about what the technology can do. âGIS technology can be thought of as a new medium for communication, not unlike newspapers, radio, television, and the Web,â says Dangermond. âIt is important for GIS users to share this message with schools, businesses, and the community through the GIS Day program.âFor GIS Day event registration, support, and ideas or to find a program near you, visit www.gisday.com.

Author: Carla Wheeler

Bio.: ESRI

For more information visit:

www.gisday.com