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Faculty of Science

School of Earth, Environment & Society

Geographic Information Science (GIS) Day

Overview

GIS Day logoThe GIS Lab in the School of Earth, Environment & Society will celebrate GIS Day on Thursday, November 17, 2022. Researchers across several departments at McMaster University have shown innovative application of technology, data collection, geospatial information visualization, and thought leadership through geographic information systems.

Over 20 years ago, consumer advocate Ralph Nader presented an idea to Esri founder and president Jack Dangermond: dedicate one day to show how geographic intelligence touches everyone. That led to the establishment of GIS Day, which was first observed in 1999. The explosion of geospatial technology since then has expanded that idea into a global event that demonstrates how far GIS extends into people’s lives, and a forum for users to showcase their unique GIS accomplishments.

This November, the GIS Lab at McMaster University will join hundreds of organizations from North America, South America, Europe, Africa, Asia, and Australia in hosting virtual gatherings that will serve to ignite the imagination of the future geospatial innovators who will move the planet forward using GIS.

“This is an amazing event where all our users around the world get together to appreciate each other’s work, whether it’s jumping to action as first responders in flood zones and wildfires, or finding the best place to open a new business,” said Dangermond. “We should be proud of the achievements our users make in the field of GIS, and this is a way to celebrate that. So thank you for all your work.”

For more information please email Patrick DeLuca

Story Map Activity – What is GIS?

Story Map Presentation – Canadian Careers in GIS

GIS DAY – Thursday, November 17, 2022 – For University Students/Staff/Faculty

McMaster’s GIS Day this year consists of a mix of live lightning talks, demonstrations and a small number pre-recorded videos by members of the University community using GIS, talks focusing on themes relevant to both the social sciences and natural sciences. You are invited to attend in person for the lightning talks and then watch any of the videos that will be released on GIS Day. If anyone has any questions or would like to get in touch with any of the presenters, please send an email to Patrick DeLuca (delucapf@mcmaster.ca)

Date: Thursday, November 17, 2022
Time: 1:00PM
Location: BSB 331

Lightning Talks, BSB 331

Presentation order and titles will be updated in the coming weeks.

Time Presenter Title
1:00PM Dr. Rodrigo Narro Perez, Post Doctoral Fellow, Faculty of Science Using Uncrewed Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) to analyze glaciated systems in Perú and Iceland
1:15PM Henry Gage, Hons. BSc Integrated Science Contemporary Climate Change in Tropical Glaciers: Remote Sensing as a Tool to Explore Paleoclimatic Records.
1:30PM Jonah Lehman, MSc Candidate, Biology An Open-source Approach to Classification of Freshwater Turtle Habitat using Object-Base Image Analysis of High-Resolution Satellite Imagery
1:45PM Kangyu So, Reasearch Assistant, Gonsamo Remote Sensing Group, School of Earth, Environment & Society Impact of forest management on foliage biomass and carbon uptake
2:00PM Alex Furukawa, PhD Candidate, ECCE Student Associate, School of Earth, Environment & Society From Water Levels to UAVs: GIS and Remote Sensing in Support of Peatland Hydrological Studies
2:15PM Elliot Jeyaseelan, Facility Technology Administrator, Facility Services Out introduction to GIS, digitizing operations one at a time
2:30PM Imran Gulamhussein, Research Assistant, Gonsamo Remote Sensing Group, School of Earth, Environment & Society Mapping the Earth from Space: using Satellite Imagery and Machine Learning to Monitor Ecological Change
2:45PM Christine Homuth, Spatial Information Specialist, and Saman Gourdazi, Cartographic Resources Librarian, McMaster University Library How can the Library support your GIS project?
3:00PM Dr. Alex Peace, Assistant Professor, School of Earth, Environment & Society McMaster Structural Geology and Tectonics Group: Overview for GIS Day
3:15PM Patrick DeLuca, GIS Specialist, School of Earth, Environment & Society Teaching a Modern GIS
3:30PM Angelina Abi Daoud, MSc Candidate, School of Earth, Environment & Society eastQuake: Visualizing Earthquakes in Eastern Canada (ECCE App Challenge, 2022)
Online Kelton Adderley-Heron, PhD Candidate, Department of Biology Comparison of habitat selection and movement patterns by Blanding’s Turtles impacted by wildfire in Eastern Georgian Bay
Online Daniel Van Veghel, MSc Candidate, ECCE Student Associate, School of Earth, Environment & Society Are All Bike Lanes Built Equal? Using Bike Share GPS Data to Quantify Cycling Infrastructure’s Ridership Effects in Hamilton, Ontario
Online Olivia Maddigan, Hons BSc Geography & Environmental Sciences CO-OP, School of Earth, Environment & Society Code Greenspace: Changes in Respiratory Health Over the Course of a Decade in Hamilton, Ontario
Online Madina Sulaymanova, Hons. BSc Environmental Sciences CO-OP, ECCE Student Associate, School of Earth, Environment & Society Particulate Matter and Cycling Routes: A Case Study of Hamilton Bike Share Users

GIS DAY – TBA – For High School Students

Hosted by the School of Earth, Environment & Society; GIS Laboratory, this event fulfills part of the Ontario geography curriculum for grade 8, 9, 11, and 12 students. The annual GIS Day assists in raising the visibility of the field of geomatics among high school students and their teachers. High school students participate in various hands-on computer activities with ArcGIS, GPS, Map Skills and 3-D Lab demos.

Four hands-on workshops will be offered throughout the day. Registration is free and works on a first come, first served basis – please email delucapf@mcmaster.ca to register. Workshop titles are tentative as we are still determing contents.

The sessions will run concurrently at:

  • 9:45 am – 10:45 am
  • 10:55 am – 11:55 am
  • 12:05 pm – 1:05 pm
  • 1:15 pm – 2:15 pm

Please provide the following information when registering:

  • Workshops you would like to attend
  • Number of Students Attending
  • Students’ Grade Level

A customized agenda will be sent to you once you have indicated the workshops you would like to attend.

Expandable List

One-hour Session

This workshop is for students who do not have GIS knowledge. Following a short Introduction to ArcGIS Online, students will use the ArcGIS Online Map Viewer to create and symbolize point, line and polygon features for a map in an area of their choice. They will also learn how to add a title, description, image and a URL to a map. After completing this workshop, students will be able to:

  1. Create new map features in ArcGIS Online
  2. Add data to map features in ArcGIS Online
  3. Symbolize map features in ArcGIS Online

One-hour Session

If a map could tell a story, what would it say? This workshop is for students who have basic to advanced knowledge of ArcGIS Online. We will explore the new StoryMap builder as a group and each student will learn tips and tricks to create their own story map.

Students who have taken Workshop A can also take Workshop B.

One-hour Session

This workshop is geared towards the grade 11 curriculum in Geotechnologies with a focus on operating a GPS unit. A maximum of 30 students for each session is recommended.

There will be a short presentation on GPS and Remote Sensing, and then students will walk around McMaster University to various points. Each student using a GPS unit must leave a piece of identification which they will have returned to them once the GPS has been returned. Since this is an outdoor activity, students in this workshop are advised to dress weather appropriate.

One-hour Session

A demonstration of the 3D visualization facility will include an introduction to 3D stereo imaging with Google Earth 3D, and then an interactive tour of geologically significant sites around the world.