A Reflection on GIS Day

The 2045 School District Forecast Explorer is one example of the valuable information we are able to visualize at SEMCOG thanks to GIS.

For most people, the holiday season kicks off Thursday with Thanksgiving. For me, it began on November 14 with GIS Day. I celebrated by attending an event at University of Michigan-Dearborn.

GIS Day provides an international forum for users of geographic information systems (GIS) technology to demonstrate real-world applications that are making a difference in our society. This is an annual worldwide event, and University of Michigan-Dearborn celebrated for the fifth year.

Many GIS Professionals attend this event as an opportunity to expose students to the geospatial industry and introduce some of the ways this technology is used within a wide variety of fields. The day-long event featured presentations covering a diverse range of topics – archeology, public health, forestry, and government, to name a few.

I participated on a panel discussion on the topic of Careers and Trends in GIS. Six of us told our stories of how we got involved in GIS, where we see the industry going, and how students can get involved. While our stories were all different, we agreed on two things:

1. In this great economy, GIS jobs are plentiful.
2. The opportunities within the State of Michigan to get involved and network with the GIS community are abundant.

In my experience, GIS professionals are eager to share with and learn from each other. Peer exchange communities such as SEMCOG’s GIS User Group, the State of Michigan’s GIS Meeting, and a couple of nonprofit organizations are a few examples. The IMAGIN and MiCAMP conferences and various meet-ups also bring together GIS professionals.

Two SEMCOG members also took this opportunity to showcase how GIS is making a difference in their communities:

• Mapping Detroit Food System – Alex B Hill, Detroit Health Department
• Multimodal Transportation Planning and GIS for the City of Dearborn – Moe Ayoub, City of Dearborn

Later this month, Oakland County will also be promoting GIS careers at MiCareerQuest Southeast.

Having had the opportunity to learn so much from other GIS professionals in Michigan and beyond, it was great to be a part of this opportunity to expose the next generation of geospatial professionals to the wide variety of industries that use this technology. Mapping is an incredibly useful, rich, and fulfilling endeavor, and it was a real pleasure to have a chance to potentially inspire others to choose a career path in GIS.