Spotlight to Shine on Geographic Information Systems Nov. 14

Fairfax County Office of Public Affairs
12000 Government Center Parkway, Suite 551
Fairfax, VA 22035-0065
Contact: Merni Fitzgerald, Director of Public Affairs
703-324-3187, TTY 711, Fax 703-324-2010
Media Pager: 703-324-NEWS (6397)
publicaffairs@fairfaxcounty.gov

Oct. 19, 2007

Spotlight to Shine on Geographic Information Systems Nov. 14

Fairfax County’s Geographic Information Systems will be showcased on Wednesday, Nov. 14, as part of a worldwide day of events. GIS, a computer-based tool used to map and analyze features and events, combines the power of a database with the visualization capabilities offered by maps.

GIS Day activities in Fairfax County, which are free and open to the public, will be held from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Fairfax County Government Center, 12000 Government Center Parkway, Fairfax. Activities will include award presentations; exhibits; live demonstrations of GIS products, services and internal business processes; the GIS Excellence Awards Map Gallery; and drawings for GIS Day T-shirts and hats.
The GIS Exhibit Hall in the Government Center’s North Atrium will feature employees from 19 Fairfax County departments, including public schools, highlighting their use of GIS.

Board of Supervisors Chairman Gerald E. Connolly and Department of Information Technology Director Wanda Gibson will recognize individual county employees, teams and departments with GIS Excellence Awards at 11 a.m. Winners have used GIS to improve business processes, perform geographic analysis, visualize projects, improve efficiency and communicate with the public.

GIS Day is a global event during which users work to expand the understanding of how GIS technology and geography make a difference. Hundreds of thousands of people in the world use GIS to solve problems in areas such as environmental protection, pollution, health care, land use, asset deployment and routing, natural resources, conservation, business efficiency, education and social inequities.
For more information on Fairfax County’s GIS Day, visit www.fairfaxcounty.gov/maps/gisday.htm or call 703-324-4366, TTY 711.

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For more news and information, visit www.fairfaxcounty.gov/news.