(Miami, Florida) — The City of Miami’s GIS Team will host a full day of activities in celebration of 2007 GIS Day. The event is slated to be held on Wednesday, November 14th, 2007  from 8 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. at the Miami Riverside Center Lobby, 444 SW Second Avenue, Miami, Florida. This year’s theme is Geography & GIS: Communicating our World. The event is free and open to the public.

Mayor Manny Diaz will recognize Wednesday, November 14th, 2007 as GIS Day as part of National Geographic Society’s Geography Awareness Week celebrations. GIS (Geographic Information System) is celebrated worldwide during National Geographic Society’s Geography Awareness Week on the third Wednesday in November.  In celebration of 2007 GIS Day, attendees will have the opportunity to interact with the City of Miami GIS team, ask questions, learn how GIS (Geographic Information System) technology helps improve services to the community, and view City of Miami’s map gallery created using GIS technology from city departments including Sustainable Initiatives, Public Works, Planning, Fire, and Police.

GIS Day is a global event that celebrates geographic information system (GIS) technology, the innovative technology that uses geography to bring countless benefits to the world. GIS Day provides an opportunity for those curious about GIS to see its applications in action. A GIS is a computer-based mapping tool that takes information from a database about a location, such as streets, buildings, water features, and terrain, and turns it into visual layers. The ability to see geographic features on a map gives users a better understanding of a particular location, enabling planners, analysts, and others to make informed decisions about their communities.

GIS Day serves to make people aware of GIS technology and the important contributions it is making in the fields of science, technology, information, and the humanities. It is a grassroots event and a reflection of the enthusiasm and commitment of individual GIS users everywhere.

For more information, contact Regina Hagger at gisday@miamigov.com or 305- 416-1749.