GIS Day
GIS Day is an annual event celebrating geographic information systems (GIS) based technologies. The event first took place in 1999.[1] It was initiated by spatial analytics software provider Esri. Esri president and co-founder Jack Dangermond credits Ralph Nader with being the person who inspired the creation of GIS Day. He considered the event a good initiative for people to learn about geography and the many uses of GIS. He wanted GIS Day to be a grassroots effort and open to everyone to participate.
Today, the event provides an international forum for users of GIS technology from across the GIS industry to demonstrate real-world applications that are making a difference in society. Originally the Canada Geographic Information System developed in the 1960s by Roger Tomlinson, it is now used worldwide.
Original sponsors of GIS Day included the following organizations:
- National Geographic Society
- American Association of Geographers (AAG), formerly Association of American Geographers
- University Consortium for Geographic Information Science (UCGIS)
- United States Geological Survey (USGS)
- Library of Congress
- Sun Microsystems[citation needed]
- Hewlett-Packard
- Esri
- King Saud University
GIS Day is celebrated on the third Wednesday in November; upcoming dates:
- Wednesday, November 15, 2023