The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford will celebrate Geographic Information Systems Day Nov. 15 with undergraduate research projects, invited guest speakers, demonstrations and participatory GIS activities.

Activities will take place from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Mukaiyama University Room of the Frame-Westerberg Commons. Speakers will make presentations from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. The public is welcome, and light refreshments will be provided.

GIS Day is an internationally observed day designed to demonstrate the uses of Geographic Information Systems in society. GIS is essentially the mapping of data sets to geographical locations in order to study, manage, analyze and interpret geographical relationships and trends.  GIS attaches information to a specific location in a way that can be used to build complex interdisciplinary maps to illustrate data and reveal patterns.

Speakers for this year’s event are Cary P. Kuminecz of StratResources Geologic Consulting, who will talk about “Using GIS Technology in Geologic Consulting”; Kurt Barclay, GIS director at the North Central Pennsylvania Regional Planning and Development Commission, talking about “GIS Technology for Environmental Applications”; and Devon Weiss, a senior energy science and technology major, will talk about “GIS Mapping of Abandoned and Orphaned Oil and Gas Wells from Historic References.”

In addition to guest speakers, Pitt-Bradford students studying GIS will present posters of their projects.

An interactive exhibit will allow participants to explore different applications for GIS technology.

Finally, there will be a geocaching activity for participants to use GIS technology on their smartphones to locate items in the real world and earn prizes.