The emerging field of Geographic Information Systems – GIS for short – will be spotlighted at a free conference Nov. 14 at the University Business Center at California State University, Fresno.
GIS Day 2001 conference organizer Dr. Kathy Moffitt of Fresno State’s Interdisciplinary Spatial Information Systems (ISIS) Center and professor in the Information Systems and Decision Sciences Department, said the basics and the future of GIS will be discussed in a non-technical context.
Geographic Information Systems (also called Spatial Information Systems) is a technology that allows data to be stored, viewed, queried and analyzed spatially. The system is a tool that can be used in almost any industry to develop geographic knowledge on timely issues.
GIS technology can be used for scientific investigations, resource management and development planning. For example, GIS technology might allow emergency planners to easily calculate response times in the event of a natural disaster. It also could help find wetlands that need protection from pollution.
The conference will be held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and will include information on how to get started and use GIS in various businesses, teaching and research.
Thirty presenters will show uses of GIS in such things as emergency response to the World Trade Center terrorist attack, racial profiling, the study of asthma, traffic modeling, natural resource management and precision agriculture.
Local professionals will discuss their latest projects with GIS. Most talks will be geared toward those with no experience in GIS. However there will be a few technical discussions available regarding new software (ArcGIS 8.1).
The GIS Day Conference is a community service provided by the ISIS Center, California State University’s Geographic Information Systems Center. The ISIS Center provides a full range of GIS services and analyses.
Pre-registration (due by Nov. 7) and information about GIS Day 2001 are available at www.isis.csufresno.edu.
