For the 14th year, over 150 high school geography students and teachers will get a special hands-on look at geographic information systems (GIS), GPS technology and 3D Remote Sensing at McMaster University on Tuesday, Dec. 4.

Hosted by the School of Geography & Earth Sciences, this event fulfills part of the Ontario geography curriculum for Grade 9. Three high schools from Hamilton, Grimsby and Oakville will be participating in the daylong workshop.

The high school students will participate in hands-on ArcGIS workshops in the computer labs, and will learn how to work with digital formats of geographic data. They will learn how to compare temperature data and explain how latitude, altitude, and proximity to water affect temperatures. The exercises taught on GIS Day are consistent with the curriculum in Grade 9 Geography.

Additional workshops include: learning how to use GPS systems during a campus-wide scavenger hunt; developing and improving paper map skills; demonstration of the Imperial Oil 3D Visualization facility with satellite remote sensing, geophysical and geological data.

McMaster’s GIS Day is part of the School of Geography and Geology’s High School Outreach Program, which raises the visibility of the field of Geography, Earth Sciences and Geomatics among high school students and their teachers.

Special thanks to all of the graduate and undergraduate volunteers, Imperial Oil Group at McMaster, ESRI Canada, ESRI Redlands, Mills Memorial Library and the University’s School of Geography & Earth Sciences, for their assistance in helping make GIS Day 2012 a success.