GIS Day Email and Website Announcement

Keynote Speaker Press Release

On November 18, 2009, IU will celebrate GIS Day in the lobby of the Herman B Wells Library in Bloomington, with a host of informational booths and activities to show off the exciting work that Indiana researchers and staff, businesses and government agencies are doing with Geographic Information Systems. A 5pm keynote address at the Neal-Marshall Black Culture Center by the 2009 Nobel Prize Laureate in Economic Sciences, Elinor Ostrom, will follow the main event .

This is the 11th anniversary of GIS Day, the worldwide, annual event celebrating GIS technology and its applications. Geographic Information Systems, or GIS, connects people with the geointelligence they need to work more efficiently and make better decisions. GIS supports a geographic approach to problem-solving. From Google Maps technology, to systems that monitor the spread of disease, GIS technologies are tools that help people do a better job and make a difference.

At IU’s local event, GIS professionals and educators will talk with attendees about the GIS job market, training opportunities, internet mapping, ongoing projects and the many ways that GIS technologies are shaping the way we live, learn and do business. GIS professionals from the Bloomington area will showcase topics including the IndianaMap, deforestation and reforestation studies, environmental applications, and mapping services for the City of Bloomington and Monroe County. In addition, the celebration will feature fun, GIS-based games and giveaways.

The highlight of this year’s event is the keynote presentation by Elinor Ostrom, the 2009 Nobel Prize Laureate in Economic Sciences. Professor Ostrom’s presentation is entitled Using GIS and Remote Sensing to Study the Effects of Diverse Institutions. Ostrom, the Arthur F. Bentley Professor of Political Science and Senior Research Director of the Workshop in Political Theory and Policy Analysis, will make her presentation at 5pm in the Grand Hall of the Neal-Marshall Black Culture Center.

IU’s GIS Day Celebration will also include the annual “Earth as Art” contest, which showcases images of the earth with an artistic perspective. This year’s contest permits multi-media entries, and it is open to the general public. All participants are encouraged to base their artwork on geographic data, imagery or map features from around the world. The winner will receive a $50 VISA gift card provided by 39 Degrees North.