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Get ready for GIS Day 2018! It’s never too early to begin planning

Before the school year ends, consider what your plans are for GIS Day. It’s officially held on Wednesday November 14, 2018, but it can be celebrated any time in the new school year! Find out how Esri Canada can support your event, and take time to explore some of our ready to use education resources.

GIS Day is a time to celebrate the importance of maps and spatial thinking. Since GIS can be used in all industries, a variety of applications can be showcased on this special day! If you’re new to GIS or an avid user, it’s a great opportunity to promote students’ work, highlight interesting projects created using ArcGIS Online or invite a GIS professional to present to your students.

Students working on a GIS activity at Esri Canada’s Toronto office in 2016.

What type of event are you interested in hosting at your school? Here are some ideas:

  • Invite a GIS Ambassador from your community to present about the importance of GIS
  • Host a student activity at your school
  • Invite a GIS professional or higher education student to discuss their GIS career and education
  • Create a field study survey for students to use to collect data around their school

Esri Canada’s K-12 group has created resources that you can use for your event:

GIS Ambassador Paul Mosner talking about maps to local elementary school students. GIS Day, 2016.

Don’t forget to register your GIS Day event and to request a GIS Ambassador if you want support for a school visit. Email k12@esri.ca to receive support in the form of resources or activity suggestions.

Before your event, get your ArcGIS Online accounts by requesting your student and teacher accounts at k12.esri.ca/#access.

About the Author

Angela Alexander is a K-12 Education Specialist in the Esri Canada Education and Research group. She has over 15 years of experience working with educators across Canada. Angela focuses on producing geographic information system (GIS) and curriculum-specific resources, and conducting and creating custom workshops for educators. She manages the GIS Ambassador Program and is the Technical Chair for the annual Skills Ontario GIS competition. Angela also writes monthly posts for the Esri Canada Education and Research blog, highlighting K-12 educators and partners, new ArcGIS resources and GIS-related events.

Profile Photo of Angela Alexander