“Crossing Borders” A column by Doug Richardson, Executive Director, Association of American Geographers GIS COMMUNITY NEWS 43 Help Others Discover the World Through GIS GIS Day 2010 Event Registration Now Open GIS users across the globe can now register their 2010 GIS Day event online (www.gisday.com). GIS Day is an excellent opportunity to share how a government, organization, institution, or individual is using GIS technology to better understand our world. The 12th annual GIS Day celebration will be held Wednesday, November 17, 2010. This grassroots event is held every year on the third Wednesday of November, during Geography Awareness Week, a geographic literacy initiative sponsored by the National Geographic Society. Events that celebrate GIS Day have been held in more than 80 countries, involving public officials, professionals, educators, and students. Thousands of GIS users around the world invite guests to attend GIS workshops, tour map galleries, receive hands-on GIS technology training, learn about educational and career opportunities, and much more. The event continues to gain momentum each year, thanks to the GIS user community. Goodhue County, Red Wing, Minnesota, USA Each year, the Goodhue County GIS Department holds a map/poster display during National Geography Week and GIS Day. Staff and citizens like to view the various maps, and many stop by the GIS office to ask staff questions about them. Some staff have even mentioned that GIS Day is their favorite event during the year. The GIS Department feels the best way to explain GIS is through visuals such as finished maps from a GIS project. Needed: A National Blueprint for GIS and Geography Education in Our Schools The Obama Administration recently released its blueprint for revising the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), commonly known as No Child Left Behind. Last reenacted in 2002, the law funds K–12 education in the United States and has been long overdue for congressional reauthorization, but political clashes have prevented action until now. With the debate over health care reform—which had been sucking all the oxygen out of political Washington—finally over, the administration has started to turn its focus to other policy issues, and the ESEA is near the top of the list. The AAG has been actively engaged with key officials on Capitol Hill regarding No Child Left Behind in recent years. Our biggest concern is that geography is the only core academic subject identified within the law that does not receive a specific funding allocation for implementing programs to further the teaching of geography at the K–12 level. The AAG and many others throughout the GIS community have been working with individual members of Congress, as well as the leadership of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) and the House Committee on Education and Labor, for several years now to respond to their requests for information, and we have gained some traction. The Senate HELP Committee, which is chaired by Tom Harkin (D-IA), has already begun hearings on the ESEA reauthorization and recently hosted Education Secretary Arne Duncan for a discussion of the topic. Duncan noted that the current eight-year gap between reauthorizations is the longest in the 45-year history since the law was first enacted and that it is crucial that Congress act now to fix flaws in the law. Senator Michael Enzi (R-WY), the ranking Republican on the HELP Committee, applauded the administration’s initiative in releasing the blueprint and especially commended the focus on the special needs of rural school districts. He specifically cited the lack of attention to rural needs in the program, asserting, “No Child Left Behind has been criticized as a one-size-fits-all law, a claim that has rung especially true in rural areas.” This line of argument should work well for geography and GIScience education in that we can argue that geography and GIS, of all subjects, are especially suited to adapting to the places where they are taught. The general Obama ESEA blueprint for education reform does not mention geography or provide any dedicated funding for the teaching of geography or GIS at the K–12 level. The blueprint, however, is generic in nature and offers only a big-picture look at the major changes the administration is seeking. These changes include a request to the states to adopt college- and career-ready standards and reward schools for producing dramatic gains in student achievement. The focus on careers is especially valuable for geotechnologies, which have been recognized by the Department of Labor as one of three critical growth fields. On a promising note for geography, the document does challenge the nation to embrace educational standards that would put America on a path to global leadership. In addition to reaching out to members of the administration in the coming weeks and months, the AAG will continue to work with Congress to respond to congressional requests for information on the importance of teaching geography and the funding of geographic education. At the recent AAG Annual Meeting, we hosted several special sessions focused on geography education and federal education policy. Speakers included Congressmen Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), who holds an influential House leadership position, and Tim Walz (D-MN), a former high school geography teacher. Van Hollen and Walz applauded the efforts of geographers and GIS users to promote geography education at the K–12 level and urged our community to continue to reach out to members of Congress. As an integral part of our long-term effort to address K–12 geography education and the ESEA reauthorization, we have released a draft AAG Blueprint for Geography Education to complement President Obama’s initiative and lay out a more comprehensive strategy for enhancing geography education in the United States. We view this blueprint as an evolving document, and we invite the Esri user community to review it and make comments or suggestions for improvements at www. aag.org/blueprint. Separately, the AAG will also continue to engage with other decision makers, including the National Governors Association (NGA), the Chief State School Officers, and other leading state officials, to advance and support key geography education programs. The NGA serves as the leading voice of the states in Washington and is attuned to the critical issues being debated on Capitol Hill, including the reauthorization of the ESEA. Perhaps of greater importance, the NGA runs a center on best practices that can be a key starting point for promoting ideas. We will work through the NGA and other avenues to bring attention to the importance of geographic education at the K–12 level and the value of this education to GIS and related careers involving geotechnologies. Ultimately, we at the AAG will be looking to the GIS community for assistance and leadership during this process. We suggest that you consider contacting your members of Congress to provide your own perspectives on the need for teaching geography and GIS in U.S. schools and the importance of dedicated federal funding for this purpose. The effort to bring attention to geography at the federal level has been an important cause to the AAG in recent years. As we engage in the reauthorization debate this year, we will redouble our efforts and ask you to join us in this crucial undertaking. To learn more about how you can help support the teaching of geography and GIS in our schools, visit www.aag.org/NCLB. Doug Richardson and John Wertman drichardson@aag.org For several years, the Center of Advanced Spatial Technologies located at the University of Arkansas has participated in GIS Day by inviting speakers from nearby organizations to show examples of their work and provide demonstrations using the latest GIS technology. Every year, the center also bakes a GIS Day cake for the students and speakers to enjoy. This cake was made by Nani Verzon, Carrie Davis, and Maci Edwards for GIS Day 2009. Timor-Leste Geographic Information Group, Dili, East Timor Timor-Leste is the newest country in Asia with 1 million people. It held its first GIS Day event in November 2009. Thirteen organizations participated with an estimated 500 visitors. Six seminars were held, and approximately 20 people attended each seminar. Organizers held a map exhibition and gave out brochures. Because this event was the first GIS and map exhibition in Timor-Leste, the purpose was to raise awareness about GIS and the mapping industry. Resources Available There are many more event examples and success stories available at www.gisday.com/success, including hands-on GIS workshops, training seminars, special presentations and talks, map galleries, treasure hunts, and field trips. Once an idea is in the works, users are encouraged to access the free resources and support Esri provides online, including sample agendas, proposal letters, white papers, how to do a GIS Day proclamation in your area, and even how to create your own GIS Day cake. Users can also host more than one event, such as an open house at a business as well as a demo at a local school. Remember, registering all your events ensures that each occasion can be found in the event finder—this is useful to the general public and members of the press. More Information For more information, visit GIS Day events online at www.gisday.com. URISA Connects GIS Professionals The Urban and Regional Information Systems Association (URISA) is the association for GIS professionals. It is an international association that offers educational programs, publications, and other resources. In addition to producing the URISA Journal; The GIS Professional newsletter; and all the association’s conference offerings, including GIS-Pro 2010, URISA strives to be the go-to organization for GIS professionals around the world. But URISA is also organized to connect professionals locally. URISA has more than two dozen state, provincial, and regional chapters. Chapter meetings, workshops, conferences, and social events occur regularly throughout the United States and Canada and also in the Caribbean. Chapters connect GIS professionals locally, and the networking and education are invaluable. Workshops, “happy hours,” and multiple-day conferences are all provided by URISA chapters. More Information To find information about your local URISA chapter, visit www.urisa.org/urisa_chapters.