Celebrate the “mappiest” day of the year on November 14

On Wednesday, November 14, Grey County and partners are hosting a geographic information system (GIS) open house from 3:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at the Grey County Administration Building, 595 9^th Avenue East, Owen Sound. GIS experts from Grey County, The City of Owen Sound and the Grey Sauble Conservation Authority will be on-hand to share and demonstrate the real-world applications of this technology and how it is making a difference in our society.

“GIS has become one of the foundations of daily business within municipalities and conservation authorities. It provides accessible mapping, analysis and reporting tools, greatly improves staff efficiency and offers countless benefits,” said Gloria Dangerfield GIS and database coordinator at the Grey Sauble Conservation Authority.

GIS systems combine data and locations to create informative maps. The specific type of map depends on the data being used. Municipal map themes include municipal zoning, land parcels and road allowances, winter road conditions and more. Conservation Authorities can use GIS systems to support many functions like water management, planning and more.

 “It doesn’t matter if you’re a GIS enthusiast or you’re just curious to see what projects are underway, the open house is a great way to learn about the power of GIS,” said Jody MacEachern, Director of Information Technology at Grey County. “If you can’t make it to the open house you can still explore Grey County’s public maps online at maps.grey.ca.”

In addition to the open house, staff will be inspiring the next generation of potential GIS specialists through a series of interactive learning sessions with students from Hillcrest and École East Ridge Community School.

“While most GIS maps deal with large and complex data, the basic principles of GIS are simple,” explains MacEachern. “We have a lot of fun activities planned to capture the students` attention and hopefully inspire them to consider GIS as a hobby, or someday a career.”

About World GIS Day

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 society. The first formal GIS Day took place in 1999.  More than 640 events on are officially registered worldwide for 2018. Learn more at www.gisday.com.

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For media inquiries contact Rob Hatten, communications manager, at rob.hatten [at] grey.ca (rob[dot]hatten[at]grey[dot]ca) or 519-372-0219 ext.1235 or 519-373-1592.