GIS Solutions celebrates GIS Day 2021

Global circumstances require GIS Day to be virtual this year, therefore, the event will be a free webinar held from 2-4 p.m. on 17 November. GIS Solutions will celebrate innovative applications of Geographic Information System (GIS) technology by their clients. There will be presentations by public sector organisations on how they are using GIS. GIS day is a day, to help others learn about geography and the real-world applications of GIS that are making a difference in our society. 

GIS Solutions, the organisers of the virtual event, are the sole authorised distributor in Sri Lanka for the world’s number one software platform for GIS called ArcGIS. ArcGIS is developed by an organisation called Esri (acronym for Environmental Systems research Institute – USA).

You may wonder what GIS is. GIS is an acronym for Geographic Information System which is a computer software system consisting of different electronic (or digital) information in the form of maps. These digital maps that have layers of data or information added to them to visualise things from a “place or location” perspective. GIS maps can be changed to show specific information about a place. Information layers can be shown as: area shading – sections of the map are shaded to show patterns. You can click on the map and information/data pertaining to that specific place can be seen. 

You may ask why is GIS is important to us. GIS helps in identifying the impact of human behaviour on natural resources and leads to enable smarter informed decision making and more effective utilisation of the resources. This can help save time, money, resources and life itself. It has become a science and subject area that many people study and master as it’s very important that is why there is a World GIS Day. 

Over 22 years ago, Jack Dangermond, the founder and president of Esri, envisioned people collaborating and sharing how GIS affects everyone. This 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 shows how geography and the real-world applications of GIS are making a difference in business, government and society. It’s a chance for organisations to share their accomplishments and inspire others to discover and use GIS.

This 17 November, GIS Solutions will join hundreds of organisations worldwide in hosting virtual gatherings that will celebrate the impactful work of that can or that can be done using ArcGIS, and serve to ignite the imagination of the future innovators who will further advance global progress using GIS. 

“GIS Day is a wonderful opportunity for professionals from around the world to get together to share the amazing things they are doing,” said Dangermond. “This year, more than ever before, the work of GIS has helped the world better understand and mitigate the impacts of unprecedented crises, including climate change and COVID-19. Organisations across the globe are taking part in grassroots events that help celebrate geospatial science and how it impacts the real world for good. Our users should be proud of the work they do, which GIS Day is meant to showcase.” 

For more information on attending GIS Day 2021, visit https://www.facebook.com/GISSolutions370.

GIS Solutions is a 100% Sri Lankan company that has led this specialised technology market and employs some of the best local GIS graduates, and provides training and technical support locally. All of Sri Lanka’s authoritative mapping is done on the ArcGIS Platform and the company has comprehensively the largest GIS customer base of over 200 organisations. They work with almost all the GIS community of Sri Lanka.