Library of Congress offers GIS demo
- By Patrick Marshall
- Nov 06, 2008
The Library of Congress will kick off Geography Awareness Week Nov. 19 with a demonstration of uses for geospatial information systems from 10:30 a.m. to noon in the Geography and Map Reading Room in the basement of the James Madison Building, 101 Independence Ave. S.E. in Washington.
The program's GIS Day presentations will focus on mapping technology applications to resolve geographic conflict in historic maps and charts. John Hessler, a senior reference librarian in the geography and maps division, will discuss computer modeling and the statistical research that he has been conducting on medieval charts of the Mediterranean Sea from 1250 A.D. to 1600 A.D.
An additional presentation by cartographer Jacqueline Nolan will focus on software tools available for data analysis, as applied to population data, disease statistics and geospatial data. A final presentation will offer a hands-on demonstration of software technology available to patrons who are interested in developing their own GIS projects.
The event is free and open to the public. No tickets or reservations are required.
Geography Awareness Week was established in 1987 to promote awareness about the importance of geography education, while demonstrating the breadth of geography and its relevance to almost any other subject.
About the Author
Patrick Marshall is a freelance technology writer for GCN.