Spend a day with maps at the Library of Congress

The Library of Congress is going to the map next week.

Geographic Information Systems Day, or GIS Day, returns Nov. 14. The Library of Congress will celebrate the annual library symposium on geographic technology event with a full day talking about maps and 21st century careers in mapmaking.

Congressman Mark Takano (D-CA), a member of the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology, will deliver the keynote address, titled “IS and Geospatial Data for Policy in Congress.”

In the afternoon, Owen Williams of ESRI will discuss Story Maps, a new tool from the company that it used to document the lives of Super Commuters earlier this year. Then, reps from Library of Congress divisions will present their own work with the tool.

A geographic information system is how maps are made. It stores, analyzes, manipulates and displays digital data that is linked to positions on the Earth’s surface.

GIS Day was included with Geography Awareness Week (the third week of November) in 1999, and celebrates all aspects of GIS technology, research and the applying tech to improve and grow the industry.

The event, which is free and open to the public, will take place in the Library’s Montpelier Room, starting with coffee at 8:45 a.m. and an introduction from a librarian. The Congressional Research Service and Senate legislative staff will make presentations on using GIS in Congress and guests will be shown rare maps as part of the open house.