About GIS Day

GIS Day is playing a powerful role in creating geographic awareness throughout our world. GIS Day provides an international forum for users of geographic information systems (GIS) technology to demonstrate real-world applications that are making a difference in our society. More than 80 countries will participate in holding local events such as corporate open houses, hands-on workshops, community expos, school assemblies, and more.

The National Geographic Society has sponsored Geography Awareness Week since 1987 to promote geographic literacy in schools, communities, and organizations, with a focus on the education of children. GIS Day is held on the Wednesday during Geography Awareness Week. In 2010, hundreds of organizations hosted GIS Day events in countries all around the world. Read the 2010 success stories. (Based on GIS Day web pages www.gisday.com).

In Estonia the first GIS Day was held in 1999 by Tartu University. Since 2005 the international GIS Day has been celebrated in National Library of Estonia. The idea was initiated by Inge Nael (Statistics Estonia, www.stat.ee) and the event has become the largest GIS event in Estonia targeted to educational and academic institutions. Since then GIS Day has been held in each year in the third week of November on Wednesday in National Library of Estonia (www.nlib.ee). From year 2011 the GIS Day has been organized by Estonian Geoinformatics Society (www.estgis.ee) in co-operation with many partners of local GIS companies and authorities active in the field in Estonia. There are many interesting events organized on the day: conference, teachers computer lab with GIS courses, exhibition of companies and GIS related institutions, map contest, sightseeings to exhibitions by National Library of Estonia etc.