Join the CMU Libraries Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Services team on Wednesday, November 15th in Hunt Library for “GIS Day 2023: Sustainable Cities and Communities” to celebrate the positive impact of GIS applications. The Libraries and the Sustainability Initiative, along with the Allegheny County GIS Office and GIS software company Esri, are hosting a day-long symposium exploring the connections between GIS, spatial inquiry, and Sustainable Development Goal/Global Goal 11: sustainable cities and communities.
GIS are computer-based tools used to store, visualize, analyze, and interpret geographic data. GIS Day is celebrated on the third Wednesday of November as an international forum for users of GIS technology to demonstrate real-world applications that are making a difference in society, and for people to learn more about GIS and its benefits. This year, the Libraries’ GIS Services team has teamed up with the Sustainability Initiative to create programming that connects GIS with the Global Goals.
“Engaging with our students often means relating practical tech skills to their interests in content outside their disciplines. Partnering with the Sustainability Initiative is a way for us to help them learn about specific societal issues that can be addressed with mapping, like sustainable cities,” said Data Curation, Visualization, and GIS Specialist Emma Slayton. The Sustainability Initiative was established by CMU Provost James Garrett in 2019 to advance efforts to achieve the Global Goals, a set of 17 goals all countries agreed to achieve by 2030. Last year, Provost Garrett opened the Sustainability Studio in Hunt Library as a collaborative open space on campus to discuss how research, education and other activities contribute to the Global Goals.
“Everyone contributes to at least one of the Global Goals, but sometimes it is hard for people to determine how their expertise can help address some of the world’s greatest challenges. This is an excellent opportunity to demonstrate how GIS can be employed to make the world more sustainable for all of us,” added Sustainability Initiative Director Alex Hiniker.
The day begins in Hunt Library Studio B with a morning session from 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. Lunch will be held from 12–1 p.m. in the Sustainability Studio, followed by an afternoon session in Studio A from 1–3 p.m. The final hour of the symposium is an Open House in the Sustainability Studio, with spatial-themed activities and prizes.
Programming includes lightning talks and short talks from the CMU community and the wider western Pennsylvania region and an afternoon panel highlighting the use of maps for advocacy. To increase networking opportunities for the day, Esri will host the morning session and an end-of-day happy hour.
This is the second year the Libraries’ GIS Services team has collaborated with the Allegheny County GIS Office for GIS Day. “I am delighted that Allegheny County’s GIS Office is partnering with CMU Libraries, the Sustainability Initiative, and other local GIS organizations again this year for GIS Day,” said Eli Thomas, head of Allegheny County’s GIS Office. “I believe collaborations like this will strengthen the GIS community and advance the use of GIS technology in our region.”
“GIS Day 2023: Sustainable Cities and Communities” is an in-person event. Register to attend.
This fall, the GIS Services team also planned two additional talks as part of the partnership with the Sustainability Initiative. The first, which took place on October 12, focused on understanding air pollution exposure and environmental injustice using high spatial resolution data and mapping. Presenter Albert Presto, a research professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering and a member of the Center for Atmospheric Particle Studies, examined using spatially-resolved measurements and geospatial data to understand how people’s exposure to air pollution varies across neighborhoods, cities, and the United States.
The second talk, “Geographic Choice and Housing Mobility in Allegheny County,” is scheduled for November 1 from 12–1 p.m. Join guest speakers Colleen Cain and Nick Cotter, analysts at the Allegheny County Department of Human Services, to learn about the importance of neighborhood context in childhood outcomes, and the role of housing mobility services in reducing barriers to residential choice.
“We are excited to share the work happening across CMU and the region during this event. Pittsburgh benefits from the good data infrastructures created by the Allegheny County GIS Office and the Western Pennsylvania Regional Data Center and we are thankful to contribute to this wider data community,” said Librarian and GIS Specialist Jessica Benner.
Register to attend the in-person talk in Hunt Library 308, and keep an eye out for additional programming coming up this spring. If you are interested in working with the GIS Services team or presenting your work, reach out to ul-gis-services@andrew.cmu.edu.
by Sarah Bender, Communication Coordinator | Feature image by Alexander Abero on Unsplash