Geographic Information Science (GIS) Day

The GIS Lab in the School of Earth, Environment & Society will celebrate GIS Day on Thursday, November 17, 2022. Researchers across several departments at McMaster University have shown innovative application of technology, data collection, geospatial information visualization, and thought leadership through geographic information systems.
Over 20 years ago, consumer advocate Ralph Nader presented an idea to Esri founder and president Jack Dangermond: dedicate one day to show how geographic intelligence touches everyone. That led to the establishment of GIS Day, which was first observed in 1999. The explosion of geospatial technology since then has expanded that idea into a global event that demonstrates how far GIS extends into people's lives, and a forum for users to showcase their unique GIS accomplishments.
This November, the GIS Lab at McMaster University will join hundreds of organizations from North America, South America, Europe, Africa, Asia, and Australia in hosting virtual gatherings that will serve to ignite the imagination of the future geospatial innovators who will move the planet forward using GIS.
"This is an amazing event where all our users around the world get together to appreciate each other's work, whether it's jumping to action as first responders in flood zones and wildfires, or finding the best place to open a new business," said Dangermond. "We should be proud of the achievements our users make in the field of GIS, and this is a way to celebrate that. So thank you for all your work."
University Students/Staff/Faculty
GIS DAY - Thursday, November 17, 2022 - For University Students/Staff/Faculty
McMaster's GIS Day this year consists of a mix of live lightning talks, demonstrations and a small number pre-recorded videos by members of the University community using GIS, talks focusing on themes relevant to both the social sciences and natural sciences. You are invited to attend in person for the lightning talks and then watch any of the videos that will be released on GIS Day. If anyone has any questions or would like to get in touch with any of the presenters, please send an email to Patrick DeLuca (delucapf@mcmaster.ca)
Lightning Talks, BSB 331
Presentation order and titles will be updated in the coming weeks.
Time | Presenter | Title |
1:00PM | Dr. Rodrigo Narro Perez, Post Doctoral Fellow, Faculty of Science | Using Uncrewed Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) to analyze glaciated systems in Perú and Iceland |
1:15PM | Henry Gage, Hons. BSc Integrated Science | Contemporary Climate Change in Tropical Glaciers: Remote Sensing as a Tool to Explore Paleoclimatic Records. |
1:30PM | Jonah Lehman, MSc Candidate, Biology | An Open-source Approach to Classification of Freshwater Turtle Habitat using Object-Base Image Analysis of High-Resolution Satellite Imagery |
1:45PM | Kangyu So, Reasearch Assistant, Gonsamo Remote Sensing Group, School of Earth, Environment & Society | Impact of forest management on foliage biomass and carbon uptake |
2:00PM | Alex Furukawa, PhD Candidate, ECCE Student Associate, School of Earth, Environment & Society | From Water Levels to UAVs: GIS and Remote Sensing in Support of Peatland Hydrological Studies |
2:15PM | Elliot Jeyaseelan, Facility Technology Administrator, Facility Services | Out introduction to GIS, digitizing operations one at a time |
2:30PM | Imran Gulamhussein, Research Assistant, Gonsamo Remote Sensing Group, School of Earth, Environment & Society | Mapping the Earth from Space: using Satellite Imagery and Machine Learning to Monitor Ecological Change |
2:45PM | Christine Homuth, Spatial Information Specialist, and Saman Gourdazi, Cartographic Resources Librarian, McMaster University Library | How can the Library support your GIS project? |
3:00PM | Dr. Alex Peace, Assistant Professor, School of Earth, Environment & Society | McMaster Structural Geology and Tectonics Group: Overview for GIS Day |
3:15PM | Patrick DeLuca, GIS Specialist, School of Earth, Environment & Society | Teaching a Modern GIS |
3:30PM | Angelina Abi Daoud, MSc Candidate, School of Earth, Environment & Society | eastQuake: Visualizing Earthquakes in Eastern Canada (ECCE App Challenge, 2022) |
Online | Kelton Adderley-Heron, PhD Candidate, Department of Biology | Comparison of habitat selection and movement patterns by Blanding's Turtles impacted by wildfire in Eastern Georgian Bay |
Online | Daniel Van Veghel, MSc Candidate, ECCE Student Associate, School of Earth, Environment & Society | Are All Bike Lanes Built Equal? Using Bike Share GPS Data to Quantify Cycling Infrastructure’s Ridership Effects in Hamilton, Ontario |
Online | Olivia Maddigan, Hons BSc Geography & Environmental Sciences CO-OP, School of Earth, Environment & Society | Code Greenspace: Changes in Respiratory Health Over the Course of a Decade in Hamilton, Ontario |
Online | Madina Sulaymanova, Hons. BSc Environmental Sciences CO-OP, ECCE Student Associate, School of Earth, Environment & Society | Particulate Matter and Cycling Routes: A Case Study of Hamilton Bike Share Users |
High School Students
GIS DAY - TBA - For High School Students
Hosted by the School of Earth, Environment & Society; GIS Laboratory, this event fulfills part of the Ontario geography curriculum for grade 8, 9, 11, and 12 students. The annual GIS Day assists in raising the visibility of the field of geomatics among high school students and their teachers. High school students participate in various hands-on computer activities with ArcGIS, GPS, Map Skills and 3-D Lab demos.
Four hands-on workshops will be offered throughout the day. Registration is free and works on a first come, first served basis - please email delucapf@mcmaster.ca to register. Workshop titles are tentative as we are still determing contents.
The sessions will run concurrently at:
Please provide the following information when registering:
A customized agenda will be sent to you once you have indicated the workshops you would like to attend.
For more information please email Patrick DeLuca