GIS DAY 2010 HAWAII - November 17, 2010
"GIS Day is part of the National Geographic Society's Geography Action, a year-long initiative encompassing key educational achievements such as GIS Day and Geography Awareness Week... The National Geographic Society has sponsored Geography Awareness Week since 1987 to promote geographic literacy in schools, communities, and organizations, with a focus on the education of children..." GIS Day website
We held two exciting events for GIS Day in Hawaii.
1) GIS Day Hawaii Webcast offers students tools for planning their future.Teachers around Hawaii joined classrooms and specialists from across the Islands and across the country in a GIS Day Hawaii Webcast, linking participants in interactive presentations on use of Geographic Information Systems.
GIS is an information tool that expands on the familiar GPS – Global Positioning Systems – that identify locations around the Earth. Global Information Systems are a way of correlating data about an area to identify causes of problems and strategies for solutions, or to prepare comprehensive programs for restoration of natural areas or development of resources.
County planning departments in Hawaii are turning increasingly to GIS to be able to direct growth in ways that reduce impacts on natural resources and existing communities. GIS is a key tool to identifying important factors in building the economy of the Islands while preserving cultural resources and maintaining important social connections.
GIS Day Hawaii Webcast was coordinated by Women In Technology, a project of the Maui Economic Development Board. The program was open to any classroom equipped with Internet access, a compatible computer with speakers, projectors and screens.
The Webcast was broadcast from different locations, with nine segments dealing with different ways GIS is being utilized.
Among the featured subjects:
• “Envision Your Hawaii,” with UH Hilo educational specialist Noelani Puniwai at 9:30 a.m.
• “Mapping Our World,” with Kauai County GIS analyst Garrett Johnson at 10:15 a.m.
• “Innovative Uses of GIS in K12 Education,” with ESRI Education Manager Charlie Fitzpatrick at 1:15 p.m.
More information also can be found at geotechhawaii.blogspot.com. The project is supported by the Hawaii Geographic Information Coordinating Council (HIGICC) and the U.S. Department of Education
2) Field Day at Bishop Museum.
Co-sponsored by HIGICC and the Bishop Museum, students and the general public participated in several different geospatial activities. Activities for schools and students ran from 8:30 am to 12:30 pm. Activities for the general public ran from 12:30 to 3:30 pm.
Click here for more information on the Bishop Museum Field Day.
Co-sponsored by HIGICC and the Bishop Museum, students and the general public participated in several different geospatial activities. Activities for schools and students ran from 8:30 am to 12:30 pm. Activities for the general public ran from 12:30 to 3:30 pm.
Click here for more information on the Bishop Museum Field Day.