Students from the Texas State’s Society of Geographical Information Science (SOGIS) along with the Department of Geography and Environmental Studies and University Libraries are hosting this year’s celebration of GIS Day on Thursday, November 16.
The organizers invite everyone on campus to come learn, network and have fun with us as we explore how GIS is being used to solve real world problems. The day-long celebration will be held in Alkek One, the library’s first-floor creative technology hub and will feature events and activities that will help students, faculty and staff from all academic disciplines discover applications of GIS for data gathering and presentation for their projects and research.
This year the event’s keynote speaker is Melissa Ruiz who is a GIS Specialist for the Texas Department of Emergency Management’s Geospatial Services. Her presentation entitled GIS in Disaster Response and Emergency Management will delve into how GIS serves as a pivotal tool for decision-making at local, state, and federal tiers. At the center of the discussion is the lifecycle of GIS data transitioning through all four stages of emergency management: Preparedness, Response, Recovery, and Mitigation.
Exhibitors from various industries will provide demonstrations of how GIS is used by their organizations and will have booth displays. These exhibitors include: City of San Marcos, HEB, Texas Division of Emergency Management, Bad Elf, City of Austin, Texas Department of Transportation, Alamo Area GIS, Woolpert, AEG, GVEC, the Meadows Center, 4WARD, NOAA, P2, and SCAUG. Come network with these representatives and learn how they use GIS.
Here is the schedule of events:
GIS Day @ Texas State University
November 16, 2023
Alkek One, Alkek Library
9 – 10 a.m. Coffee & Snacks (Immersion Studio)
9:30 – 10:45 a.m. Meet with Vendors
Drone Flight Demo (Alkek 105)
10 a.m. – 3 p.m. Vendor Booth Displays (Alkek One Floor)
11 a.m. – Noon Panel Discussion (GeoSpace Alkek 105)
Noon . – 12:45 p.m. Lunch Break (Immersion Studio)
1 – 2 p.m. Keynote by Melissa Ruiz (GeoSpace)
GIS in Disaster Response and Emergency Management
2-3 p.m. Drone Workshop Award Presentation (SOGIS Booth)
5-8 p.m. Happy Hour at Tantra, San Marcos (Organized by the City of
San Marcos)
Co-sponsors of this year’s GIS Day include: the College of Liberal Arts; the departments of Anthropology, English, History, Political Science, Sociology, and World Languages & Literatures; the Center for Diversity & Gender Studies, and the Center for the Study of the Southwest.
This article was contributed by University Libraries Marketing and Communications Coordinator.