The University of California, Riverside Library and campus partners will host several events in celebration of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Day.

This year, UCR will observe GIS Day on Thursday, Nov. 15.

GIS Day, first established in 1999, provides an international forum for users of geographic information systems technology to demonstrate real-world applications that are making a difference in our society.

The 2018 event will showcase the variety of disciplines using GIS, illustrate how GIS is used in both academic and community settings, and provide students opportunities for learning and networking.

“We’re excited to see that student interest in GIS at UCR is growing,” said Janet Reyes, the UCR Library geospatial information librarian who is coordinating GIS Day at UCR. “We hope this year’s GIS Day programming will inspire even more students to learn about the power of GIS to analyze and display location-based data, and will underscore that GIS is a sought-after skill for a multitude of career paths and disciplines.”

"GIS offers exciting opportunities for researchers, especially in the Humanities,” said Ademide Adelusi-Adeluyi, an Assistant Professor of History who uses GIS to analyze indigenous use of urban space in 19th-century West Africa. “It allows us to bring a sense of space and place to our work. Whether you’re in Gender and Sexuality, Ethnic Studies or Anthropology, there’s a meaningful place for you.” She added that she hopes that students and faculty from CHASS will come by this year and check out our posters, talks, and tables, and learn how GIS is already at work in the UCR community.

GIS Day 2018 at UCR will feature talks by researchers and community members who will share how they use GIS to advance their work. The talks will be held in Tomás Rivera Library, Room 140 between 1:00 and 3:00 on the afternoon of Nov. 15.

This is the second year a poster contest for students is being held. (Details on how to enter the poster contest are provided here. Abstracts are due by Nov. 1.)  Contest posters will be exhibited in the lobby of Rivera Library throughout the week, and the winners announced on the afternoon of Nov. 15.

Apart from the contest, the entire UC Riverside community is welcome to provide a GIS-related poster for a separate display in Rivera. Posters that have been used or will be used at other events are acceptable. The deadline to sign up is Friday, Oct. 26. To submit a poster to the display, contact Janet Reyes (janet.reyes@ucr.edu) or Margarita Yonezawa (margarita.yonezawa@ucr.edu) at the Orbach Science Library’s Map Collection, or call (951) 827-6423.

The campus community is encouraged to stop by an informational table near the bell tower during lunchtime on November 13 and 14 to learn more about GIS and enter a raffle. The drawing for raffle prizes will take place on November 15 at 3:45 pm in Rivera 140.

Cosponsoring the GIS Day events are the Center for Geospatial Sciences, the School of Public Policy, the Department of Computer Science and Engineering, the Department of Environmental Sciences, the Department of History, GradQuant, and Capital Asset Strategies.

More details about the GIS Day event schedule will be posted soon on the UCR Library website.