Just about anyone or anything can be associated with a known location in the world...a street address, a service region, a climatic zone, a voting district, or a latitude/longitude coordinate. Geography is a basic component of most, if not all decisions that people make on a daily basis and it constitutes more than 80% of the information that companies have or collect. Geographic Information Systems (GIS) combines geography and technology to significantly improve decision making that involves the location, distribution, or impact of people, places, and events in the world. Proximity of customers to a store location, the routing of emergency vehicles to an incident, and the change over time in a habitat all share the common component of geography. GIS Day showcases how geography and geographic information systems are helping to manage complex issues related to customer service, our environment, public health and safety, economic development, and how we educate ourselves and our children.

November is GIS/Geography Awareness Month
Exhibits about Geography and the many uses of GIS applications will be at the Main Library during the entire month of November. Related presentations are scheduled throughout the month also. Check www.plcmc.org/programs for dates and times. For complete GIS Day details, schedule of presentations, and links for more information visit http://gisday.charmeck.org.

• GIS & Our Region - Economic Development: If you are a commercial developer, planner or neighborhood leader free GIS training is available. Identify available commercial property, vacant property, trends in housing value in Mecklenburg County and your neighborhood.
• GIS & Our Region - School Education: GIS supports NC Curriculum Standards in Science and Social Science by applying critical thinking to solve real-world problems. This session includes GIS presentations by middle and high-school age students.
• World Town Planning Day: GIS technology combined with responsible planning can help you as a citizen contribute to a sustainable strategy for the future of your community. See presentations and exhibits about local planning initiatives. Exhibits throughout the month of November.
• Tradeshow and Career EXPO with over 35 exhibitors.
• ArcGIS ModelBuilder Workshop presented by ESRI.
• Geography Bee for students in 4th through 8th grades. Contact Stephanie Wodarski at 704-577-4418 for more information.
• Introduction to GPS Technology.
• GIS and Homeland Security: See GIS in action as the City of Charlotte Fire Department showcases their mobile emergency services vehicles and GIS applications. Parked on the street outside of the library November 19th, 9:30am to 3:30pm.
• A Footprint for the Future: Using Mapping Technology to Assess the Past and Visualize the Forthcoming--Join us as we wrap up GIS Day with an engaging discussion about growth in the Charlotte Mecklenburg region and how GIS modeling techniques are being used to forecast where this growth will take place and how it could shape future public policy decisions. Sponsored by the Renaissance Computing Institute (RENCI) at UNC Charlotte, in conjunction with Mecklenburg County and the Public Library System, this session will host local leaders discussing the role of urbanization and growth in defining Charlotte Mecklenburg’s footprint for the future. This will be an open discussion and questions from the audience will be welcomed. Get a peek at new research from RENCI at UNC Charlotte that shows how land around the region has changed in the last 30 years and even more, what the region could look like in 2015 or even 2030! Learn more about RENCI at UNC Charlotte .

Books available for you to check out at the Public Library:

Geographic Information Systems (GIS)

Geography

Using Maps Land Navigation Handbook: the Sierra club Guide to map, compass & GPS By W.S. Kals

Children Up North and Down South: Using Map Directions By Doreen Gonzales

Read Articles from the Public Library’s Online Resources
(Click on the link, type in your PLCMC library card number, copy and paste the search)
Here are some examples:
Business
Database: Business Source Premier
(hotlink)
Search: “Geographic Information System” and management
Title: Smart Trucks Hit the Road
Author: Wolf, Gene
Source: Transmission & Distribution World; Sept2008, Vol. 60 Issue9, p65-69, 5p
The article features incorporating geographical information system (GIS) with geographical positioning system (GPS), which had capabilities to produce true mobile workforce management systems. The Southern Co. decided to add GIS/GPS to its Southern Co. Transmission Operation and Maintenance Program (STOMP) software. Moreover, the said technologies are important for line technicians in their everyday jobs to be more efficient and safe.

Ecology
Database: Electric Library
(hotlink) Search: “Geographic Information System” and nonprofits Title: Researchers Unearth Hundreds of Previously Unknown Species in Smokies Authors: Bruce Henderson Source: McClatchy - Tribune News Service 08-06-2008 The park's geographic information system lab can pinpoint where hooded warblers are expected to nest and predict when caddis flies will hatch at different elevations.

Health
Database: Academic Search Premier
(hotlink) Search: “Geographic Information System” and health
Title: A Procedure for Detecting Childhood Cancer Clusters Near Hazardous Waste Sites in Florida
Author: Kearney, Greg.
Source: Journal of Environmental Health, May2008, Vol. 70 Issue 9, p29-34, 6p
Distance served as a proxy for exposure; a geographical information system (GIS) was used to determine the number of clusters within a predetermined distance of an NPL site. Spatial clusters were found to occur randomly throughout the state, with most clusters being identified in the more populated counties, and clusters less likely to occur near an NPL site.