Geographic Information Science (GIS) Day

The GIS Lab in the School of Earth, Environment & Society will celebrate GIS Day on Wednesday, November 17, 2021. 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
High School Students

University Students/Staff/Faculty
High School Students

University Students/Staff/Faculty

GIS DAY - Wednesday, November 17, 2021 - For University Students/Staff/Faculty

McMaster's GIS Day this year consists of 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 watch any or all 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)

Date: Wednesday, November 17, 2021
Time: All Day
Location: Videos will be available below for the foreseeable future

Lightning Talks, Online

Time	Presenter	Title
	Patrick DeLuca, GIS Specialist, School of Earth, Environment & Society	Welcome to GIS Day 2021!
	Patrick DeLuca, GIS Specialist, School of Earth, Environment & Society	Why Students in Earth Science & Environmental Science Students Should Care About GIS?
	Daniel Van Veghel, ECCE Student Associate, School of Earth, Environment & Society	Space-Time Prisms of Carer-Workers Juggling Unpaid Care and Paid Work
	Patrick DeLuca, GIS Specialist, School of Earth, Environment & Society	Why Environment & Society Students Should Care About GIS?
	Sherry Chen, ECCE Student Associate, Biology	Calculating marsh volume and area using digital elevation models (DEMs) considering fluctuating water levels
	Jonathan Spence, ECCE Student Associate, iSci	Above-Ground Biomass Mapping of Ontario Forests Using Varying Sets of Remotely Sensed Data and Machine Learning Analysis
	Raj Ubhi, School of Earth, Environment & Society	Are Dominant Routes the Safest Routes in a Bike Share System? An Investigation of Hamilton Bike Share using Weighted Level of Traffic Stress
	Christine Davidson, Classics	Mapping Farmstead-Sanctuary Connectivity using Least Cost Path
	Prabha Rupasinghe, Biology	Change Detection of Wetland Vegetation Under Contrasting Water-level Scenarios in Coastal Marshes of Eastern Georgian Bay
	Dr. Hamid Mehmood, UNU-INWEH	Geo AI, Big Data and Cloud Computing for a More Flood-Resilient Global South
	Christine Homuth, Spatial Information Specialist, Mills Library, Maps, Data, GIS	GIS and Geospatial Data Services at McMaster University Library
	Emma Sherwood, ECCE Student Associate, School of Earth, Environment & Society	Shore Line Change of Hudson Bay and James Bay Lowlands
	Matthew Brown, McMaster Monitoring My Mobility (MacM3)	Assessing Older Adult Mobility Using Wearable Devices (Smartwatches)

High School Students

GIS DAY - Thursday, December 9, 2021 - For High School Students - CANCELLED FOR 2021, We hope to see you in 2022!

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.

The sessions will run concurrently at:

9:45 am - 10:45 am
10:55 am - 11:55 am
12:05 pm - 1:05 pm
1:15 pm - 2:15 pm

Please provide the following information when registering:

Workshops you would like to attend
Number of Students Attending
Students' Grade Level

A customized agenda will be sent to you once you have indicated the workshops you would like to attend.

Workshop A:Creating your First Map with ArcGIS Online

One-hour Session

This workshop is for students who do not have GIS knowledge. Following a short Introduction to ArcGIS Online, students will use the ArcGIS Online Map Viewer to create and symbolize point, line and polygon features for a map in an area of their choice. They will also learn how to add a title, description, image and a URL to a map. After completing this workshop, students will be able to:

Create new map features in ArcGIS Online
Add data to map features in ArcGIS Online
Symbolize map features in ArcGIS Online

Workshop B: Story Telling with Maps

Workshop C: GPS Field Workshop

One-hour Session

This workshop is geared towards the grade 11 curriculum in Geotechnologies with a focus on operating a GPS unit. A maximum of 30 students for each session is recommended.

There will be a short presentation on GPS and Remote Sensing, and then students will walk around McMaster University to various points. Each student using a GPS unit must leave a piece of identification which they will have returned to them once the GPS has been returned. Since this is an outdoor activity, students in this workshop are advised to dress weather appropriate.

Workshop D: 3D Remote Sensing Lab Demonstration

For more information please email Patrick DeLuca

Story Map Activity - What is GIS?

Story Map Presentation - Canadian Careers in GIS