GIS Day, (Geographic Information System)

["Student Information" <stuinfo@mail.auburn.edu>]

Auburn University Libraries is sponsoring a variety of lectures on GIS Day, (Geographic Information System) November 20, 2002. All events will take place between 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. in the RBD Library Auditorium, 231 Mell Street, Auburn, Alabama.
Held each year on the Wednesday of National Geographic Society's Geography Awareness Week (November 18–22), GIS Day is a global event that celebrates GIS, the exciting technology that uses geography to change the world. If you are curious about GIS, you will be able to see it in action at Auburn University Libraries.
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.
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 day for GIS professionals in more than 80 countries throughout the world to teach individuals and organizations how to reap the amazing benefits of GIS technology. GIS Day is a grassroots event; it is a reflection of the enthusiasm and commitment of individual GIS users everywhere. More information on GIS Day is available at www.gisday.com.
Programmed events will include a variety of speakers from several of Auburn University's departments and institutes, along with members of the city and the state GIS communities. Confirmed to speak are: Rusty Ham, City of Auburn; Danny Helmberg and Phil Oswalt, Montgomery Water Works & Sanitary Sewer Board; and Scott Lysle and other members of the Alabama Department of Transportation. Campus speakers organized by the AU Institute of Environmental Studies  include: Selima Sultana from Geology and Geography; Mark MacKenzie and Kevin Kliener, Forestry and Wildlife Sciences; James Baier and Steve Taylor, Biosystems Engineering; Eric Reutiebuch, Fisheries and Allied Aquacultures; and  Osei Yeboah, Agricultural Economics and Rural Sociology. 
There will be door prizes, demonstrations and a host of other informative and interesting activities. A calendar of events can be accessed at the following web site http://frontpage.auburn.edu/rbd_library/gis/index.html.