There’s nothing quite like a map for conveying the things we know or discover about a place. In conjunction with National Geography Awareness week and National GIS Day, the Cornell community and Ithaca area public are cordially invited to drop by Mann Library on November 15 for a multi-media celebration of maps both old and new, the technologies that create them, and the worlds they help us see and understand. GIS Day @ Mann will feature:

• A new exhibit to browse: “Then & There, Here & Now: The Stories Maps Tell” ( 8:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m., Mann Lobby)

• Information tables and interactive displays to explore: Stop by to learn about some of the many ways that Cornell researchers and campus groups engage with mapping tools in a wide variety of fields. Participating programs include: Dept. of Earth & Atmospheric Sciences, Dept. of Landscape Architecture, Cornell's Spacecraft Planetary Image Facility,  Campus Tree Inventory, Cornell Program on Applied Demographics, Olin/Uris Map Collection, Mann Library  (10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m., Mann Lobby)

• Maps & Wraps: Featuring a light lunch buffet and lightning round presentations for a closer look at how GIS applications are being used to explore and understand our environments here on Earth and on those on other planets. (12:00 p.m. - 1:30 p.m. Room 160; hybrid event - to register for virtual attendance: Maps & Wraps) .  Speakers will include: 

  • Maria Taylor (Landscape Architecture): Applying GIS to urban environmental history of the USSR;

  • Andie Gomez-Patrón (Earth & Atmospheric Sciences): Global study of volcanoes with GIS; 

  • Zoe Learner Ponterio (Astronomy): Work of Cornell’s Spacecraft Planetary Image Facility in applying GIS to other planets; 

  • Diego Lobos (Earth & Atmospheric Sciences): Volcano surface changes at Cordón Caulle volcano in Chile as mapped with GIS in the field, by drone, and satellite

• Lidar Elevation Workshop: A basic introduction with Keith Jenkins (Cornell University Library GIS Librarian). (2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m., Stone Classroom; registration required: lidar-workshop-registration)

• Geoguessr Jam: Fast-paced rounds of team Geoguessr with the Mapping Society at Cornell. From the Alps to Australian Outback, refine your geography skills and learn how to locate yourself on Earth within seconds. Bring your own laptop and we'll provide the snacks!  (4:00 - 5:00 p.m. Room 160; all are welcome.) 

Free and open to all. Whether you're a seasoned GIS user or someone just a little curious about cartography, its sometimes surprising applications, and its intriguing new developments, this event is for you. Please join us!