GIS Day to Showcase Variety of Uses for Digital Mapping Technology
GIS, or Geographic Information Systems, is a technology used to create, collect, analyze and map data. It’s used in a wide variety of fields from governmental agencies to research scientists to historians.
“GIS Day is an annual event, not just for campus, but it is a worldwide day of celebration for diverse people using GIS to solve problems and create positive change in communities around the globe,” said Kelly Huh, chair and associate professor of geography and anthropology. “We want to celebrate real-world applications of GIS technology, which is used in analysis, visualization and for gaining insights. We want to bridge all possibilities to the future.”
The Nov. 20 event, which will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Bronco Student Center’s Ursa Major, is open to the entire CPP community, and also will welcome high school students from the Pomona Unified School District.
Themed as “Connecting Community,” Pomona Mayor Tim Sandoval will give the keynote address, and industry leaders will participate in a variety of activities. Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs Terri Gomez also will speak at the event and Camille Johnson, dean of the College of Letters, Arts, and Social Sciences will give the welcome remarks.
Employees from the Environmental Systems Research Institute (ESRI) will participate in the hands-on activities. The Redlands-based company was founded by CPP alumni Jack Dangermond (’63, landscape architecture) and his wife Laura Dangermond (’74, social sciences), who are digital mapping pioneers. Also planned is a Careers in GIS/Intro to Pathways panel session geared towards high school students.
The hope is to demonstrate that GIS spans a variety of majors from geography to environmental design to agriculture and is very crucial in many fields, Huh said, adding that CPP has alumni working at agencies such as Caltrans, Cal Fire and FEMA, among others.
“Without GIS, it takes a longer time to know what to do when trying to solve a problem,” she said. “GIS pushes us very fast to know. When there is a disaster, you can analyze before and after in a day. We can take fast action and make changes.”
The event is open to all. Register for GIS Day. For more information about the event, email Professor Kelly Huh at khuh@cpp.edu.