Celebrate GIS Day!
When was International GIS Day?
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International GIS Day was celebrated on Wednesday, November 17, 2004. |
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What is GIS Day?
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GIS Day is a worldwide grassroots event that formalizes the practice of users and vendors of geographic information systems (GIS) opening their doors to schools, businesses, and the general public to showcase real-world applications of this important technology. Students will learn to locate their homes, to discover community facilities, to measure distances and areas, and how to use GIS to locate a business. |
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What happened in Lambton on GIS Day?
| The County of Lambton cooperated with local schools
to show GIS to Grade Nine students. Six County employees visited high schools
throughout Lambton County, and led students through an exploration of their
community by looking at the County atlas and the economic development site.
Students participated in lab exercises that allowed them use the County atlas to
see their own homes from the air, and to gather information about community
services. Students also used the economic development site to work out where
they could establish a business, by considering their competition and their
market. |
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| Ontario was the first jurisdiction in the world to
make GIS and associated technologies a part of its standard curriculum. These
events will help make GIS come to life for Lambton students by showing them
geographic information about their homes and communities. The presentations also
showed students how GIS skills can open new careers to them. |
| The Sarnia-Lambton Economic Partnership held three
informal demonstration sessions on November 17 to show participants how to use
the economic development function of the County’s on-line GIS, as well as the
county atlas and driving instructions tools. Business people in attendance were
very excited to learn of the powerful demographic and marketing tools available
on the GIS. |
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Why does GIS matter?
Learning GIS is important because it is a tool that can be used within many different jobs. The following is a list of possible ways a career may be impacted by GIS:
- public health - the County of Lambton used GIS to develop its West Nile tracking and control programs;
- engineering and construction - GIS is used to design roadways and GPS devices are used on board construction equipment;
- Most utilities across North America, including Bluewater Power and Hydro One, use GIS to track their investments;
- electricians, plumbers or pipefitters use GIS;
- GIS is a vital tool for urban planners and for land developers;
- Ambulance dispatchers use GIS to track where emergency vehicles are and police and fire services use it to track incidents and to locate dangerous sites;
- planning or tracking forestry practices utilize GIS and it is used for protecting the environment.
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How does GIS affect municipal infrastructure?
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From the design process to construction, many of the roads throughout the province rely on GIS. Engineers use GIS to design the road network, to track their projects and then to inform the public about the planned jobs and their progress. GPS (Global Positioning Systems) is now used to ensure that road construction equipment contours the roads to the right profile. The GPS devices are used in construction, where machine operators use them to control the profile of the area that they are grading. GPS is also used in agriculture to ensure the maximum efficiency in the use of materials.
GPS is also used to track other municipal infrastructure. In the summer of 2003, Human Resources Development Canada helped fund the collection of 120,000 GPS locations of such items as road signs, hydrants, and streetlights. This project also collected 130,000 pictures. The GIS organizes this information so that municipalities can use it to assess their infrastructure and plan their maintenance. |
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How can GIS affect your health?
In the summer of 2004, the County of Lambton placed larvicide in catch basins to combat the West Nile virus. GIS was used to print out maps that showed every catch basin in Lambton County. (An example in Petrolia can be viewed by clicking here.) GPS devices were also used to track the location of dead birds and to locate the mosquito pools that were tested for the virus.
GIS also allows for the live tracking of vehicles to ensure that emergency services and road maintenance are completed in the most quick and efficient manner. The County will be implementing such a system this year to track where ambulances are, and this same technology may be used with Lambton's snowplows in the near future.
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How does GIS affect the environment?
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In the summer of 2003, a crew recorded the locations of about 28,000 trees on road allowances across the County while looking for evidence that the Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) was attacking ash trees. Fortunately, the EAB wasn't found, and the GIS will continue to help municipalities locate pests more efficiently. The green dots all over the map indicate trees that are found in Point Edward.
GIS also impacts the forestry industry. Foresters can plan what species should be planted or replaced and forestry applications using satellite imagery can also be used to monitor the health and harvestability of forests. That allows forestry companies to be more effective at their jobs while safeguarding the environment. |
This picture shows Point Edward. You can see the Bluewater Bridge down in the left hand corner. The green dots all over the map indicate trees. |
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What else can GIS do?
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Land planning is another area where GIS will have a big impact. GIS can be used to help developers go through the planning process and municipalities can then ensure that builders are complying to their approved plans. Inspectors can also look for violations or complete partial inspections using GIS.
GIS has a host of other applications as well. For instance, GIS can be used to represent the coverage areas for cellular phone service. GIS is used by engineers to project where they have to build towers and by service personnel to track performance.
GIS is also a valuable business tool. Companies can use GIS to track customers and then use that data to assign sales territories. The companies ensure that their customers get the support that they need at the lowest possible cost. |
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How can I access Lambton's GIS?
Visit www.lambtononline.ca/maps.
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How can I learn more about GIS Day?
Further information about International GIS Day is available at www.gisday.com.
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