Media Contacts:
Rita Hagevik, 919/513-0175
Chad Austin, News Services, 919/515-3470

Nov. 18, 2003

Conference to Spotlight Everyday Impact of GIS Technology

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

As part of national GIS Day, faculty and staff members from North Carolina State University are engaging in a series of local events to showcase how geographic information systems (GIS) can help educators use this technology as a tool for teaching and learning.

Several members of the NC State community are sponsoring and participating in the GIS Live interactive online conference on Wednesday, Nov. 19, a day that will feature a number of events related to the use of GIS technology in dealing with issues such as crime analysis, meteorology, urban planning, school bus transportation, redistricting and campaign planning, among other applications.

This year’s events include students from Carnage Middle School presenting their work on The Tumbleweed Project, a NASA project being conducted at NC State that required designing a wind-driven sensor device that takes atmospheric soil measurements on Mars with the goal of discovering life on the planet and sending data back to Earth. WRAL-TV’s chief meteorologist, Greg Fishel, will highlight how GIS is used to map and predict weather patterns with a group of students at Centennial Campus Middle School.

For a complete listing of local events, visit www.GISliveNC.net. Events can be followed via a special GIS Live Webcast. For more information on how to be a part of this real-time Webcast.

GIS Day is a national, grassroots event that connects GIS users with schools, businesses and the general public to emphasize real-world applications of GIS technology.

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