GIS Day is a global event for thousands of users of GIS technology to educate children and adults about how geography makes a difference in our lives through the technology of GIS and to demonstrate GIS technology at schools and organizations around the world.

A GIS, or geographic information system, represents computer software, data, and solutions that are used by people worldwide in government, education, and business.

GIS Day is sponsored by the National Geographic Society, the Association of American Geographers, UCGIS (University Consortium of Geographic Information Science), United States Geological Survey, The Library of Congress, Sun Microsystems, and ESRI.

The University of South Florida in St. Petersburg, Florida hosted a GIS Day event on November 16, 2005. More than 160 guests, including high school students, were exposed to the latest technology known as GIS.

Mike Holmes, GIS Manager (USGS), and Kristine Martella, GIS Specialist (IAP World Services, Inc./USGS National Wetlands Research Center), showcased research being done by USGS Tampa Bay Study scientists using Lidar, or Light Detection and Ranging which is used to map the effects of hurricanes in the Gulf of Mexico.

Also on display were the USGS real-time water resources data http://waterdata.usgs.gov and our hydrologic data Web portal http://hdwp.er.usgs.gov.

It was fun and educational for all ages!

For more information on global GIS Day, visit: http://www.gisday.com