Kenney Middle School Sponsors GIS Career Day Event
Submitted article
HANNIBAL, NY — Kenney Middle School will host guest speakers from local organizations, businesses, individuals, and colleges that use GIS (Geographic Information Systems). The goal is to share with students how GIS technology is used in the real world to manage geographic information and solve problems.
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| Daniel Rupert, Computer Education, Michael Brannigan, Home and Careers and Robert Jones, Technology Education |
Wednesday, November 14, 2007, has been selected as GIS Day. The goal of GIS Day is to help educate children as well as adults on the applications of geography and computer-aided mapping. GIS Day is a global event for thousands of users of GIS technology to educate the public and demonstrate GIS technology at schools and organizations around the world.
Held each year on the Wednesday of National Geographic Society’s Geography Awareness Week (November 11-17 in 2007), GIS Day is a global event that celebrates geographic information system (GIS) technology, the innovative technology that uses geography to bring countless benefits to the world. Kenney Middle School Sponsors GIS Career Day provides an opportunity for those curious about GIS to see its applications in action. GIS is a computer-based mapping tool that takes information from a database about a location, such as streets, buildings, water features, and terrain, and turns it into visual layers. The ability to see geographic features on a map gives users a better understanding of a particular location, enabling planners, analysts, and others to make informed decisions about their communities.
Although you may not be aware of it, GIS touches our lives daily. It is used throughout the world to solve problems related to the environment, health care, land use, business efficiency, education, and public safety. The power supply directed to homes, the patrol cars and fire trucks that keep neighborhoods safe, and the delivery trucks on the road all function more efficiently because of GIS. This technology can also help businesses place ATMs and restaurants at more convenient locations, allow people to pull maps off the Internet, and help farmers grow more crops with less chemicals.
Most recently we have seen how GIS technology can be used to aid Homeland Security initiatives, map the debris field following the Space Shuttle Columbia tragedy, and monitor the spread of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS). The applications of GIS technology are endless, limited only by the imagination of its users. From border patrol agents to doctors, and from federal agency employees to local city planners, people in nearly every profession all over the world are reaping the benefits of this extraordinary technology.
GIS Day serves to make people aware of GIS technology and the important contributions it is making in the fields of science, technology, information, and the humanities. It is a grassroots event and a reflection of the enthusiasm and commitment of individual GIS users everywhere.
Two area colleges will be sending representatives to the event from. Individuals will be attending from Rochester Institute for Technology, and Cayuga Community College. Oswego County Soil and Water Conservation District, Oswego County Planning and Oswego County 911 will have GIS specialists participating in the event at Kenney Middle School. Entergy Corporation is supporting the event through a grant. In conjunction with SUNY Oswego, Entergy is committed to raising the community awareness of the need for MST advancement in area schools including career opportunities.
