Lead image courtesy of https://www.gisday.com/en-us/overview.

Tomorrow (November 17th) is World GIS Day!

Geographic information systems (GIS) is “a scientific framework for gathering, analyzing, and visualizing geographic data to help make better decisions” (GIS Day).

GIS Day is a chance to learn about the real world applications of GIS that can save the planet and change the world for the better! There are lots of ways to celebrate GIS Day, but here are some of my favorites…

• Attend an event near you & meet local GIS professionals and enthusiasts! Check out this page to learn more & scroll to the world map at the bottom to find events near you
• Talk to friends & family about GIS! Lots of people haven’t heard of GIS, so spreading the word helps raise awareness of how GIS can be used to visualize data, share information, and spur change
• Explore ArcGIS StoryMaps! StoryMaps are a fantastic and increasingly popular way to convey location-based information and stories linked together by geography & time
• Make a map! Check out this simple beginner tutorial of QGIS, an open-source GIS software, or follow along this tutorial from SheetMapper if you already have data you’d like to display
• Watch a documentary from the GIS Film Festival! A collaboration between Esri and National Geographic to “celebrate geography and inspire a new generation of digital explorers”, this documentary mini-series features the work of National Geographic Explorers like Jane Goodall using GIS

Let me know what you're doing to celebrate the power of GIS!