TEC Participates in GIS Day Event

Published Dec. 11, 2011

Dec. 11, 2011

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ALEXANDRIA, Va. - For this year's Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Day, members from ERDC Topographic Engineering Center (TEC) and the Army Geospatial Center (AGC) joined to celebrate the Nov. 16 event with students at Belleview Elementary School in Alexandria, Va.

"Our objective in this joint community outreach effort was to show students how geography is everywhere," said GIS Day Coordinator Lisa Delmonico, AGC. "From maps to math, imagery to physics, sociology to forestry… geography is everywhere."

The National Geographic Society has sponsored Geography Awareness Week since 1987. The purpose of the week is to promote geography in schools, communities and organizations. GIS Day is held the third week of November each year, on Wednesday during Geography Awareness Week.

Cartographer Katy Kash, TEC, volunteered for GIS Day because she saw it as an excellent opportunity to recognize Geography Awareness Week. "The school visit was a great way to get the word out to the youngest students about geography and why it's important. The students in the classes I worked with had a great interest in the project of drawing a map of the school. I was impressed with their knowledge of the cardinal directions, the fact that they knew to label specific features on the map, and the interest they expressed in participating and showing their map," she said.

One reason Geographer Nikki Wayant, TEC, choose to participate in GIS Day is that her mother is an elementary school teacher. "I know what a difference classroom volunteers can make for children in broadening their worldview. In a way, the day's experience also made me feel closer to my mom," she said. Wayant and Engineering Psychologist Justin Stahl, AGC, worked with a first grade class instructing students to create a map of the school.

"I was impressed with how quickly the students grasped the concepts of creating a map. Many of students already knew what a compass rose was! The students were also eager to draw their maps and insert significant locations that I hadn't even thought of," she said.

Many other TEC and AGC employees took part in this event.