The Library of Congress will celebrate GIS (Geographic Information Science) Day on Nov. 13. GIS Day, which is held during Geography Awareness Week (Nov. 12-18), is an annual, global celebration of GIS and mapping technology. Formally started in 1999, GIS Day aims to provide a forum to promote the benefits of GIS research, demonstrate real-world applications of GIS, and foster open idea sharing and growth in the GIS community.
The 2019 event will include an all-day series of talks on the use of GIS technology and 3D mapping in cultural heritage preservation and disaster response. The discussions will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. in LJ-119 on the first floor of the Thomas Jefferson Building, located at 10 First St. SE in Washington, D.C.
The morning session of the event will open with a keynote speech by Sen. John Boozman of Arkansas, co-chair of the Congressional French Caucus focusing on Cultural Heritage Preservation Mapping and Congressional Policy. The morning will also feature takes about the Notre Dame Cathedral fire and the use of GIS and computer vision in disaster response planning and cultural heritage preservation.
The afternoon session will concentrate on on applications of the technology with case studies on historic building and engineering archives in cultural preservation, advanced spatial analysis and 3D mapping of UNESCO World Heritage sites.
There will also be an open house in the Geography and Map Division from 3:30-4:30 p.m.
GIS Research Methods provides a solid introduction to research methods using GIS.
Scientific data that’s spatially analyzed produces highly useful information for academics, scientists and other researchers, helping them answer questions and make well-informed decisions, according to a new book published by Esri.
Authors Sheila Lakshmi Steinberg and Steven J. Steinberg explain how to incorporate spatial thinking and GIS into research design and analysis. The book introduces readers to the value of thinking spatially, GIS basics, research design and ethics, data sampling and collection, volunteered geographic information, spatial analysis with Esri ArcGIS technology, and more. The authors are scientific researchers who have used GIS in their academic work.
“A unique aspect of this book is that we focus specifically on how to integrate GIS into both qualitative and quantitative research,” the Steinberg’s wrote in the book’s foreword. “Our objective in writing this book is to provide a foundation for GIS research methods and, more specifically, to integrate spatial thinking and spatial analysis into a research tool with clear methodological techniques.”
The book, which was written for social and physical science professionals and academics, provides an introduction to research methods using GIS. For example, readers will learn how to develop useful, spatial information-based interviews and surveys for collecting data in the field; select the right tools for spatial analysis; visualize spatial information; and communicate the results of analyses, Esri said.
The book also outlines what to consider — for example, geographic boundaries, the data, and a diverse group of stakeholders—when creating strong place-based policies. “Policy makers who consider space and place will be more likely to generate policy that is effective in the long run because it has a better opportunity to consider the concerns, needs, and perspectives that tie to data, people, and place,” said the Steinberg’s.
Sheila Lakshmi Steinberg is a professor of social sciences at Brandman University, based in Irvine, Calif. She earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Santa Barbara; her master of science degree from the University of California, Berkeley; and her doctorate from Pennsylvania State University. Her research interests include environmental sociology, culture and GIS.
Steven J. Steinberg is a principal scientist at the Southern California Coastal Water Research Project, a public environmental research agency based in Costa Mesa. He received his Bachelor of Science degree from Kent State University, his Master of Science degree from the University of Michigan and his doctorate from the University of Minnesota.
