< Back | Home

Sam Thomas, senior in geography and education, leads a group of kids on a GPS Hike during Wednesday's GIS Day which was part of National Geology Awareness Week.

Mapping waypoint Corvallis

Information system finds uses in mapping, assessment, navigation

By: Alex Beale

Posted: 11/15/07

Nowadays, navigation systems come standard equipped with any luxury vehicle.

This car gadget functions on a geographic information system, which is capable of storing, editing, integrating, sharing and displaying geographically referenced information.

Nov. 14 is GIS Day, an annual event put on by professionals intended to inform people on the uses of GIS, and forecasting future possibilities for the technology. Oregon State University promotes the day through an event called "Discovering the World Through GIS."

"This event brings awareness of current GIS projects," said Michelle Kinzel, a student majoring in geography.

"GIS Day is worldwide and OSU puts on this event every year."

GIS is used not only in professional settings, but also in learning institutions.

OSU is currently organizing a project involving 60 high school students who are responsible for constructing a map of Dixon Creek using GIS. Students participating in the Dixon Creek Project are charged with mapping environmental changes in land.

"The idea is this is a service learning project. Students learn about soil conservation, water quality, wildlife, and project presentation while serving the community," Kinzel said.

The participating students presented the project on GIS Day to over 460 middle school students.

Middle schoolers had the opportunity to use GPS devices and learn about the ways GIS is used by people every day. The presentation put on by the Corvallis High School students detailed all the steps of gathering digital geography data all the way from field to lab.

"Advanced mapping techniques continue to grow, and has stepped into the world of 3-D and mapping trends," Kinzel said.

Popular online programs such as Google Earth and local.live.com employ this technology.

In addition to OSU, 2,000 schools and organizations around the world celebrate GIS Day. Janet Ohmann, for the USDA Forest Service Pacific Northwest Research Station, gave a presentation, in addition to a number of other activities planned for the day.

The Corvallis mobile mapping truck was available for tours. The events were sponsored by the Department of Geosciences, the Department of Forest Science and the Valley Library.