BATON ROUGE, LA – Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome has proclaimed November 13, 2019, as GIS Day. GIS stands for Geographic Information Systems. This is the fifth year in a row Baton Rouge has hosted the event, which is also part of National Geography Week. GIS Day Baton Rouge will take place at the Main Library at Goodwood, and will begin with GIS and geography activities for 100 students from local middle and high schools. This year, GIS Day debuts a gallery of posters by local students.
From 4-6 p.m. in the Main Library’s large meeting room, there will be a series of speaker presentations by industry professionals, which is free and open to adults. Speakers will present on topics that demonstrate innovative uses of GIS technology and how intricate challenges have been solved using GIS applications. Mayor Broome encourages residents of Baton Rouge and the surrounding area to attend this educational event focused on geographic information systems, location-based data, and associated career opportunities.
“GIS is an integral part of our internal operations at City-Parish. From dispatching public safety first responders to planning efforts, our processes rely heavily on location-based data and applications,” said Mayor-President Broome. “Learning about real-world applications of GIS technology should be of interest to people of all ages and backgrounds, and GIS Day Baton Rouge offers this opportunity to students and citizens in the Baton Rouge area.”
GIS Day is an international, grassroots event celebrated every November. Baton Rouge will join other global communities in promoting geography and the use of GIS. This year’s activities at the Main Library are provided to residents at no charge by the City of Baton Rouge – Parish of East Baton Rouge, the East Baton Rouge Parish Library, Global Geospatial Institute, and Baton Rouge Green. Additionally, GIS Day organizers recognize the Association of Professional Educators of Louisiana, the Louisiana Community Forestry Program, and Santangelo Photography for their contributions to this event.
For more information on Baton Rouge’s celebration of 2019 International GIS Day, send an email to gis@brla.gov or visit the websites at http://gisday.brla.gov and https://www.gisdaylouisiana.com/.