(GISP and CEU Credits available for Professionals and Teachers!)
GIS Day is a grassroots event that formalizes the practice of Geographic Information
Systems (GIS) users and vendors of opening their doors to schools, businesses, and the general public to showcase real-world applications of this important technology. Internationally, the event is principally sponsored by the National Geographic Society, the Association of American Geographers, University Consortium for Geographic Information Science, the USGS, the Library of Congress, Sun Microsystems, Hewlett-Packard, and the Environmental Systems Research Institute. Join industry professionals and the public to see how GIS technology affects you every day and is helping to make better business decisions, educate our children and improve the overall quality of life in Charlotte-Mecklenburg and surrounding counties.
GIS Day 2012 Expo Events and Venues
- Complimentary Breakfast Café for Attendees - (Morning Session and Lunch Break)
- GIS Exhibitors Hall – Spirit Square Atrium (All Day)
- K-12 School and College GIS Project Presentations - McGlohon Theater (Morning Session)
- National Geographic's Giant Traveling Map Exhibit! – All Day on the 2nd Floor Spirit Square
- GIS Internet Applications Workshop- Middleton Gallery (Morning Session)
- ESRI ArcGIS Online Showcase – Middleton Gallery (Morning Session)
- Ignite Spatial – Middleton Gallery (Afternoon Session)
- Go Geocaching Uptown! – BB&T Room (Morning and Afternoon Sessions)
GIS DAY 2012 Expo Materials for Organizing Your Day at the Event.
GIS Day 2012 Expo Concurrent Program Schedule including Presentation and Workshop Details Available Here
GIS Day Morning Plenary Welcome by John Ahrens
10:00 a.m. in McGlohon Theater
John Ahrens joined the Eyewitness News weather team in September of 2006.
John, an AMS certified broadcast meteorologist(CBM), is in his element in the center of a storm. During his years as a Meteorologist for WCBD-TV in Charleston, SC, John covered several hurricanes that plowed into the Carolinas including Isabel and Ophelia. He also went down to Mississippi to witness Katrina’s wrath.
Prior to coming to the Carolinas, John also served viewers as a Meteorologist at KTVO-TV in Kirksville, Missouri, right in the heart of “tornado alley.” He has taken viewers through numerous tornadoes, baseball size hail events and ice storms.
In 2002, John received the Seal of Approval from the American Meteorological Society. In 2009, he earned the American Meteorological Society's Certified Broadcast Meteorologist (CBM) designation, a professional recognition of the quality of his weather broadcasts. John also carries a degree in Broadcast Journalism from Kent State University.
When he is not at work, John enjoys running, sports, singing and the theater. He’s an avid Frank Sinatra fan and you may just catch him singing a few standards from time to time.
GIS in the Schools Project Showcase (9:30 AM Morning Session in McGlohon Theater)
Many schools and education groups in our community are adopting GIS Technology into their curriculum. GIS is helping our students to become better thinkers and more creative in solving both community and environmental problems. It is a technology tool that they can learn from and grow their knowledge academically for future professions.
The Morning Session of the GIS Day Expo will highlight local education groups and their GIS Projects that they have worked on.
Here is more information on the student presentations.
ESRI ArcGIS Online Technology Showcase (11:00 AM Morning Session - Middleton Gallery)
Example Presentations: ArcGIS Online. Learn how to create a map that can be viewed in a browser, desktop or mobile device. Share it on a blog, via email, or embed it in a website.
Ignite Spatial (1:30 PM Afternoon Session - Middleton Theater)
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Ignite is an entertaining, rapid-fire presentation style! Each speaker gets five minutes, and 20 slides set to auto-advance every 15 seconds. Ignite Spatial takes the Ignite style and adds a geospatial bent – come to the expo to check this out!
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National Geographic's Giant Traveling Map On-Site Exhibit (South America)
National Geographic's Giant Traveling Maps tour the country's schools, bringing hands and feet-on geography education to tens of thousands of students each year. Designed to combat geographic illiteracy by igniting students' interest in geography, the maps and accompanying activities incorporate physical movement and games to teach students place name geography, physical geography, and cultural geography as well as map reading skills. National Geographic is loaning its map of South America to Mecklenburg County GIS. The map will tour Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, after-school programs and will be on display during GIS Day. For more information, please contact 704-336-4442
Technology Workshops at the GIS Day Expo 2012
“GIS Internet Applications” Workshop (Morning Session in Middleton Gallery)
Come to the Middleton Gallery at Spirit Square and learn how the County’s Geographic Internet applications including ERSI’s ArcGIS Online can help you do a better job in finding answers to your business questions!
Sign up for a Free 3 Hour Morning GIS Internet Applications Technology Workshop for Commercial and Residential Business Professionals
Geocaching Workshops (BB&T Meeting Room: Morning and Afternoon Sessions)
Geocaching is a high-tech treasure hunting game played throughout the world by adventure seekers equipped with GPS devices. The basic idea is to locate hidden containers, called geocaches, outdoors and then share your experiences online. Geocaching is enjoyed by people from all age groups, with a strong sense of community and support for the environment. A group will venture out on the streets of Charlotte to look for some map caches.
Sign Up Here
See: http://www.geocaching.com/ for more information.
GIS Day 2012 Expo Program Committee
GIS Day 2012 Sponsors
Earth Fare is providing coupons for GIS Day Participants for a free chicken when they register for the "once-a-week" freebie email coupon here.
GIS Day 2012 Expo Exhibitors
Professionals showing how they use GIS Technology to do their business
Mecklenburg County GIS Services
CPCC - GeoTech Center
ESRI
City of Charlotte Enterprise GIS
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools
Catawba Lands Conservancy
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Planning Dept.
Charlotte Engineering & Property Mgt.
Charlotte Storm Water
Charlotte Fire Department
Charlotte Area Transit System
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Utilities
Charlotte-Dept of Transportation
Map and Parking Information
Cars and Vans:
- 7th St. Parking Deck - Before 9am is $6 for the day. After 9am is $16 max per day.
- Discovery Place Parking Deck - $8 for the day.
- Spirit Square Parking Lot - $5 for the day.
- 700 N. Tryon St. Free. Park and walk.
- Ride LYNX or the GoldRush.
Bus Parking Options:
Drivers may let students off in front of Spirit Square at either the Tryon St. entrance or College St. entrance. Drivers may park buses at one at one of following locations:
- Hal Marshall Annex, 618 N. College St. (use spaces closest to the Corner of 9 th and College St). Max 4 buses.
- Phifer St. (connects College St. with N. Tryon at 700 N. Tryon St). Max 5 buses.
- Drivers that intend to stay with the bus may park at Bob Walton Plaza, 700 E.
Stonewall St.
- Little Rock A.M.E. Zion Church, 401 N. McDowell St. has space for 10 buses. $10.
Payment is required in advance. Contact 704-336-4442 to arrange.
Drivers that intend to stay with the bus may park at one of the following locations:
- Bob Walton Plaza, 700 E. Stonewall St.
- Grady Cole Center circular drive, 310 N. King’s Dr. Max 10 buses.
Questions, please call 704-336-4442