GIS Day is a day set aside to celebrate and recognize the contributions of Geographic Information System technologies and the GIS professionals worldwide. Traditionally, it is celebrated on the third Wednesday of November every year in line with the National Geographic Week. The first GIS Day was introduced in 1999 by Jack Dangermond, the president and founder of ESRI who got this inspiration from Ralph Nader. He considered the event a good initiative for people to learn about geography and the many uses of GIS. He wanted GIS Day to be a grassroots effort and open to everyone to participate. Today, the event provides an international forum for users of GIS technology from across the GIS industry to demonstrate real-world applications that are making a difference in society. GIS Day Celebration in Fiji began in 2022 which was the first ever national event hosted by the Ministry of Lands & Mineral Resources alongside the GIS fraternity. The event was held at the Government Referral Center and was officiated by the Honorable Jone Usamate, Minister for Lands and Mineral Resources at that time. Leading up to the day of celebration, GIS Users in Fiji visited selected schools in Fiji to raise awareness on GIS and there were media releases, media talk shows and competition. It was also an opportune time for organizations to come together and show case their work to the people of Fiji.
The GIS Day in Fiji will be celebrated on October 16th at the Civic Center Lower Auditorium. The event will be hosted by the Ministry of Lands & Mineral Resources and will be officiated by the Dr. Raijieli Taga, Permanent Secretary for Lands and Mineral Resources. She will be accompanied by Mr. Timoci Samisoi, Deputy Secretary for Lands & Mineral Resources and a selected GIS champion from the GIS Sector who will deliver the key note address. The theme selected for this year is "Mapping Minds, Shaping the World".
This event is opened to all the GIS organizations in Fiji whether it is from the public sector, private businesses, NGO’s or institutions. On this day, the GIS Sector is free to engage the public in the current geospatial products and services they offer. They are welcome to come and set up a booth!
In collaboration with the Ministry of Education, Heritage and Arts, GIS Officers from the Ministry of Lands & Mineral Resources will be visiting selected schools from the Western, Northern and Central Division to help educate the students from Form 3 – Form 7 on GIS. The officers will be speaking to the students on the benefits of GIS to Fiji’s economy backed up by real world application and also discuss the career paths, programs offered by local tertiary institutions and scholarships. There will be competition for tertiary, secondary and primary schools students with amazing prizes to be won. Click Here to view competition categories and criterias.