Frequently Asked Questions
Show/Hide All AnswersGeneral Questions
- What is GIS Day?
- GIS Day is a grassroots event that encourages GIS users to open their doors to schools, businesses, and the general public to showcase real-world applications of this important technology. It is a way for GIS users to share their knowledge and passion with others and show the tremendous impact the technology is making in our lives each day. GIS Day began in 1999 and has been celebrated by more than 10,000 organizations in over 80 countries.
- When is GIS Day?
- GIS Day is celebrated annually on the Wednesday of National Geographic's Geography Awareness Week (GAW). GAW is always the third week in November.
- Where is GIS Day located?
- GIS Day is a global event. Organizations all over the world that use GIS, or are interested in GIS, are invited to participate by holding or sponsoring an event of their own.
- Do I have to celebrate GIS Day on the official day?
- No. The third Wednesday in November is the official celebration, but you can celebrate at any time convenient for you. There are many organizations that celebrate several times throughout the year based on specific activities. For instance, 4-H clubs frequently host GIS Day events at local fairs.
- Is there an annual theme for GIS Day?
- There is not a specific theme for GIS Day each year—we leave that up to the organizers to decide for their individual events. Some participants like to focus on a specific industry, while others pick a popular topic in the news. Another common trend is to use one of the National Geographic Society's Geography Action! themes—a wealth of downloadable materials is available from the Geography Action! Web site.
- Does ESRI provide grants for GIS Day events? Is financial assistance available?
- While there are no monetary funds available to underwrite your event, the GIS Day committee has created materials for use in supporting your event. The materials are provided to assist individuals in hosting an event at minimal cost.
Remember, your event does not have to be large. It can be as small as taking an hour to demonstrate GIS to a classroom of students or coworkers. The goal is to educate as many people as possible given your available resources.
ESRI does provide various grants; check them out at www.esri.com/grants.
Questions about Events
- How do I register an event?
- You can register your event here. Registering your event helps us evaluate the success of the year, makes your event searchable to other site visitors, and gives you the option to have it displayed on the interactive map.
- What if I want to register, but I don't know what type of event I will hold yet?
- Go ahead and register your event and select TBD (to be determined) as your event type. You can use the Update Event Information form to update your information at any time.
- If I am holding multiple events, do I need to register each of them?
- We prefer that you register them individually, so each event comes up separately in the GIS Day event locator search results and on the interactive map.
- How do I find an event near me?
- Use the GIS Day event search engine to find an event near you.
- What type of event should I hold?
- We encourage you to hold the type of event that best suits your goals. Some ideas are listed below, but you are free to design your own unique event.
- Host an open house—Conduct facility tours and do presentations or demonstrations on how your organization uses GIS.
- Work with educational institutions—Work with schools, libraries, or museums to do a presentation or demonstration showing what GIS is, how it affects your community, and how people can use GIS.
- Create a map gallery—Put together a map gallery with the help of other users at a library or museum.
- Present at an organizational meeting—Place GIS in your community by having it included on the agenda of a town, Chamber of Commerce, Scout, Junior Achievement meeting, Lions Club, or Kiwanis meeting and give a presentation or demonstration.
- Where can I find event ideas?
- We encourage you to read success stories and subscribe to the GIS Day Watch e-newsletter for ideas.
- Can I send you photos and a write-up from my event?
- Yes, we encourage every GIS Day participant to upload photos and share stories via our success stories form. These stories and photos are posted on the GIS Day Web site and are often printed in ESRI and other industry publications. Keep in mind that in order for photos of students to be posted online, parents must complete a Model Release Form. Complete details and a copy of the form are found here.
- Can I purchase items for my event?
- Yes. Each year the GIS Day team creates new items available for sale at an affordable rate. You can view our current inventory here.
- I want to host a GIS Day event, but I don't feel comfortable leading it. Are there people who volunteer to help at events?
- Although a formal GIS Day volunteer process is not in place, we recommend that people seeking volunteer, or those who wish to be a volunteer participate in the ESRI Education Community GeoMentor Program. A GeoMentor "adopts" a school, class, or club and supports the educator in working with youth. Using paper or digital tools, the GeoMentor helps the educator and youth develop skills in geographic thinking.
A classroom teacher or leader of an informal education group can benefit by developing his or her own skills, getting support problems solved, and providing youth with powerful new opportunities that foster long-term skills. For more information, visit www.geomentor.org. - I want to participate in a GIS Day event, but I don't have a place in mind. Can I volunteer?
- Although a formal GIS Day volunteer process is not in place, we recommend that people seeking volunteer, or those who wish to be a volunteer participate in the ESRI Education Community GeoMentor Program. A GeoMentor "adopts" a school, class, or club and supports the educator in working with youth. Using paper or digital tools, the GeoMentor helps the educator and youth develop skills in geographic thinking.
A classroom teacher or leader of an informal education group can benefit by developing his or her own skills, getting support problems solved, and providing youth with powerful new opportunities that foster long-term skills. For more information, visit www.geomentor.org.