History of GIS Day Savannah
Held each year on the Wednesday of National Geographic Society’s Geography Awareness Week, GIS Day is a global event that celebrates GIS technology. GIS Day serves to make people aware of GIS technology and the important contributions it is making in the fields of science, technology, information, and the humanities. It is a grassroots event and a reflection of the enthusiasm and commitment of individual GIS users everywhere. GIS Day Savannah provides an opportunity for those curious about GIS to see its applications in action.
In 2007, a group of local professionals created a subcommittee of the SAGIS Technical Advisory Committee to organize the first annual GIS Day in our area. What started as a small idea grew into a large event in just a few months due to the enthusiasm of everyone involved. The first annual GIS Day Savannah highlighted the use of GIS in our community by government agencies, businesses, and educational institutions through technology demonstrations, a map gallery, and hands-on activities. Event participants and sponsors included Chatham County, City of Savannah, Coastal BETA, Coastal Georgia Regional Development Center, EMC Engineering, Georgia Power, Georgia Southern University, Georgia Tech Savannah, HGBD, NOAA Gray’s Reef National Marine Sanctuary, Pictometry, Saussy Engineering, Savannah Chatham County Public Schools, Chatham County – Savannah Metropolitan Planning Commission, Savannah Multi-List Corporation, Sligh Environmental Consultants, Spatial Engineering, The Creative Coast Initiative, and Thomas & Hutton Engineering. Over 200 8th grade students and 150 local professionals toured the booths and exhibits. The event would not have been possible without the assistance of HostSouth in the organization, set up, and break down of the exhibit space.
In addition to the annual event, the goal of GIS Day Savannah and its sponsors is to develop and nurture a GIS Program within our local schools. By making the first large donation of software, ESRI identified the site of the initial GIS Lab in the Savannah Chatham County Public Schools: DeRenne Middle School. Along with ESRI’s donation, a total of $250,000 in software was donated to kick off this first program. In addition, all proceeds from the annual event each year will be used to continue to support and expand the GIS Program within our local schools. DeRenne Middle School now has GIS software installed in 2 computer labs. Interested teachers have participated in an Introduction to GIS workshop. The GIS Day committee is excited to see how the teachers and students use GIS in their classrooms to benefit the learning standards and curriculum.
GIS Day Savannah Committee
Sarah Barlow, Environmental Planner
Environmental Affairs Office, City of Savannah
Sue Brown, Volunteer & Past President
Savannah Multi-List Corporation
Lara Hall, GIS Technician – halll@thempc.org
SAGIS, Chatham County – Savannah Metropolitan Planning Commission
Thomas Jeanquart, GIS Analyst
Engineering Department, City of Savannah
Michael King, Data Manager
Thomas & Hutton Engineering Co.
Chris Mercer, Social Studies Specialist
Massie Heritage Center, Savannah Chatham County Public School System
Noel Perkins, Director – perkinsn@thempc.org
SAGIS, Chatham County – Savannah Metropolitan Planning Commission
Melinda Sutton, Senior GIS Technician
Georgia Power Coastal Region
Amanda Taylor, Project Manager
Savannah Economic Development Authority
SAGIS Board of Directors
Chairman: Dr. David Frost, Director
Georgia Tech Savannah Campus
Vice-Chairman: Michael Brown, City Manager
City of Savannah
Russ Abolt, County Manager
Chatham County
Truitt Eavenson, Transmission and Distribution Area General Manager
Coastal Region Georgia Power
Paul Hinchey, CEO
St. Joseph’s /Candler
Joe Ross, Environmental Manager
WPC Engineering
James J. Collins, III
