Purdue Libraries to host treasure hunt, other GIS Day activities
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Purdue Libraries will host several events leading up to and centered around the fourth annual Geographic Information Systems Day at the university on Nov. 9.
GIS Day is a global celebration of geospatial research and GIS, which uses a collection of software applications, GPS receivers and data sensors to combine maps and statistical data in a digital mapping environment to answer research questions. The international event, which is on Nov. 17, includes celebrations by more than 80 countries worldwide.
Purdue Libraries and co-sponsor Purdue Employees Federal Credit Union will again host a community-wide geocaching event - a high-tech scavenger hunt using GPS devices to find specific locations and prizes around campus.
Additional events leading up to and on GIS@Purdue are designed to illustrate how GIS can amplify the impact of research, as well as to demonstrate the applications of GIS research in our everyday lives.
Activities, which are free and open to the public, include:
* 5 p.m. Friday (Oct. 29). Cache locations will be announced and posted on the GIS Day website, https://gisdaypurdue.org
* 11 a.m. to noon Saturday (Oct. 30). High-tech treasure hunting for families. John W. Hicks Undergraduate Library, Room G959. The family-friendly introductory session introduces novice geocachers to modern scavenger hunting with GPS devices used to locate hidden treasures. Session participants will learn about GIS technology and its diverse applications and have an opportunity to experiment. Participants are encouraged to bring their own GPS receivers. Several libraries-owned devices also will be available for participants to use. Participants will learn how the GPS devices work, and coordinates for the 2010 GIS Day geocaching contest will be announced.
* Nov. 8. Geocaches will be removed and results tallied in the afternoon.
* 8-10:30 a.m. Nov. 9. Mark Ehle, Tippecanoe County GIS expert, will lead a workshop on pictometry in the Management and Economics Library Learning Lab in Krannert, Room 250.
* 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Nov. 9. Poster and demonstration session at Purdue Memorial Union, Room 118.
* 2-5 p.m. Nov. 9. Question-and-answer session with Purdue alumni from Oak Ridge National Laboratories in Stewart Center, Room 318.
GIS@Purdue sponsors are: Office of the Provost, Office of the Vice President for Research, College of Agriculture, College of Engineering, College of Science, Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Department of Forestry and Natural Resources/HEMA Lab, Purdue Employees Federal Credit Union and Purdue University Libraries.
For more information on GIS Day and sponsors, visit https://gisdaypurdue.org
Contact: Chris Miller, assistant professor of library science, 765-596-9474, ccmiller@purdue.edu