GIS DAY 2005 EVENT -- PRESS RELEASE This year, Women In GIS will be sponsoring a map gallery with accompanying demos and presentations at the State Capitol. Representatives from various public and private agencies will be available to discuss their GIS projects. Mark your calendars for Wednesday, November 16th! The open house exhibit will take place at the Galleria-Rotunda in the Capitol building from 10 am until 3pm. Address: 900 Court St NE, Salem, Oregon There are entraces to the Galleria on both Court St and State St. The event is open and free to the public. Schools are encouraged to bring students to tour and experience this informative celebration. At this time, the following organizations will be represented at this year’s event: City of Salem USGS Marion County Department of Education OWEB Oregon Department of Transportation GEO Council of Governments The National Guard CH2M Hill Oregon Bridge Delivery Partners Metro NOAA Fisheries What is GIS and GIS Day?? GIS (Geographic or sometimes Geospatial Information Systems) is a ‘super map’, which links where things are with what they are like…their descriptive information. Unlike a map’s paper version, the user may layer many sets of data to be viewed and/or analyzed. GIS is a proven tool, which is accepted internationally. Modern management approaches have demonstrated the value of GIS as both an organizational and assessment tool. Its applications include but are not limited to construction, natural resources, and agricultural management. Safeco Field in Seattle was planned and executed with the use of GIS and software extensions, allowing managers to plan multiple construction tasks with this visual aid. This technological advance in construction management saved the companies involved a great deal of time and money. It has also created research and development into 4D construction techniques, the fourth dimension being ‘time’. All managers and their audiences may gain a more thorough understanding of data in context via layers of available information, visual linkage, ease of use, cross-referencing, as well its methodology. The flexibility of GIS software is such that it may easily be employed in association with other software. 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. The event is principally sponsored by the National Geographic Society, the Association of American Geographers, University Consortium for Geographic Information Science, the United States Geological Survey, The Library of Congress, Sun Microsystems, Hewlett–Packard, and ESRI. For more information on GIS Day, please visit: http://www.gisday.com. For more information on WIGIS or if you would like to join WIGIS, please visit: http://www.orurisa.org/wigis/ If you need more info, please contact Michelle Donahue.