GIS Day 2017: Putting Northeast Ohio on the Map

Northeast Ohio, like most places in the world, is not fully mapped. While some characteristics such as hospitals, flood zones, roads, and rivers are usually well-documented, other important aspects of our community are not (e.g., sidewalks, stores selling fresh produce, community centers, and even small clinics or individual physician’s offices). Not having these data on the map limits our knowledge of research opportunities, of where government and non-profit agencies should allocate their resources, and of general public awareness of the state of our community. Therefore, the purpose of “Putting Northeast Ohio on the Map” is exactly that - to crowdsource these data from students focused on mapping specific variables to improve our collective knowledge base, and to ultimately contribute toward improving quality of life in Northeast Ohio.

• Date: Friday, Nov. 17
• Location: 4th floor McGilvrey Hall, Kent State University
• Schedule:

10.00am-10.30am: Local government agencies and non-profits discuss their mapping needs
10.30am-11.00am: Training and practice mapping in Google Earth
11.00am-12.00pm: Mapping Session 1
12.00pm-12.30pm: Lunch is provided - FREE
12.30pm-1.30pm: Mapping Session 2
1.30pm-2.00pm: Data Submission and Presentation

This year the focus is on serving our own community with spatial data,  so we will hear from local organizations that use GIS and then help them fill some of their data needs through mapping in Google Earth (no GIS experience required). This will be a fun and meaningful service event - you will be trained and fed!