On November 12, more than 170 members of CMU and the wider Pittsburgh community gathered in Rangos Hall for the Libraries’ largest GIS Day event yet. Students, staff, faculty from multiple universities, local government, and industry professionals alike celebrated the positive impact of GIS applications at the day-long symposium, which was dedicated to exploring resources, sharing research, and networking.
“GIS and Spatial Data Librarian Jessica Benner and I are very committed to building this community, and it’s been a privilege to watch it grow over the years as our GIS Day efforts have expanded,” said Data Education Librarian Emma Slayton, one of the event’s organizers. “Every year exceeds expectations, and this year is our biggest yet — people are coming from as far away as Erie, and even out of state, and mingling with the local community and local government. Students are finding opportunities to locate an internship, or presenting their work for the first time to people who use this technology on a daily basis. Overall, it’s a great opportunity to break down our individual little silos and connect with a wide range of peers.”
New this year, a panel discussion brought together representatives from local data repositories to talk about the importance of data access. Speakers included Maurie Kelly from Pennsylvania Spatial Data Access (PASDA), Steve Saylor from the Western Pennsylvania Regional Data Center (WPRDC), Eli Thomas from Allegheny GIS, Rachel Weeden from Esri, and Paul Yoder from the Larson Design Group.
Institutional Repository Specialist Katie Behrman moderated the discussion, which explored methods of sharing data publicly, how to use metadata and documentation effectively, and where to turn when sources of data disappear. The theme of the session was the power of community, emphasizing people’s ability to come together to seek other sources of data and information when challenges arise.
“This idea of accessing the data we need is more important this year than ever,” Slayton said. “As a centralized resource, the Libraries is excited to be able to connect people to resources that might otherwise be hard to find.”
To one side of Rangos, local organizations and companies set up tables to connect with attendees during an Open House session. Groups like Esri, the Larson Design Group, Pittsburgh Water, and ALCOSAN made connections and advertised their work in GIS-related fields.
At the Pittsburgh Regional Transit (PRT) table, new member of the GIS Day planning committee Sam Buckley shared information about initiatives like PRT’s recently relaunched open data portal and the upcoming university line.
“This is a great forum for sharing resources and hearing about the work that our partners have been doing,” he said. “I’ve connected with folks who want to learn about the work that we’ve been doing at PRT. It’s a wonderful opportunity to connect with peers — we’re excited to be here.”
The symposium also featured a number of maps provided by various members of CMU and the wider Pittsburgh community.
11 group project posters on display were created by students from a Dietrich College Grand Challenge first-year seminar titled “Reasoning with Evidence: Using Data to Inform Scientific Discovery and Public Policy.” The course, taught by Benner and Statistics & Data Science professor Joel Greenhouse, focuses on understanding how evidence is used to support scientific conclusions. It also explores spatial data and how location and visualization can play a role in how we think about and reason with data.
Posters presented as part of this Grand Challenge Expo used county health data to illustrate relationships between different factors like rainfall and heat, food insecurity, drug overdoses, and infant mortality rates. Students then visualized the data in scatterplots, maps, and other models to tell a story.
One group looked at data from the state of California to explore the relationship between mental health, physical health, and income. “We were trying to validate previous findings about correlations between better mental health and better physical health, as well as better mental health and better median income,” explained Dietrich first-year Sydney Montgomery, who is studying Social and Decision Sciences.
“I’d never heard of ArcGIS tools before this class,” admitted fellow Dietrich first year and group member Parker Merritt. “But now that I’ve learned how to use and leverage GIS tools, I’ve been able to create really meaningful results. Seeing all of these professionals here today has been a great experience as well — it’s illustrated that there’s a path forward in this field, and what it can look like.”
Across Rangos, the Map Gallery showcased additional maps, contributed by student researchers and professionals working with GIS. View the maps featured in the print gallery and the full set of submissions in the Virtual Map Gallery for the event.
College of Engineering senior Aleena Siddiqui shared a map with findings drawn from her summer internship with a nature conservancy in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She took a variety of data from the area, including flood risk, heat vulnerability, and tree canopy, and combined it into a comprehensive climate risk index.
“We used this data, along with the helpful context of my supervisor’s local knowledge, to identify priority areas where our work could be the most helpful,” Siddiqui explained. “We could illustrate why we wanted to plant trees in a certain area, or the necessity of storm water management.”
For Mellon College of Science Special Lecturer Diane Turnshek, GIS Day was an exciting opportunity to network with leading GIS experts in the area. Turnshek, who teaches in the Department of Physics and is also an adjunct faculty member in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Pittsburgh, is a leading dark sky advocate working to address light pollution in the city.
“This conference has been a phenomenal way to connect with people who really know how to make an impact using this technology,” Turnshek said. “I have data that shows the effectiveness of Pittsburgh’s Dark Sky Lighting ordinance — including areas that aren’t being held accountable and where the city hasn’t followed up. Just a minute ago, I spoke to someone from the Department of Mobility and Infrastructure, who is going to reach out to me and help me make a map with the data. This will help city officials more clearly see where they have to go.”
CMU students, faculty, and staff don’t have to wait until next year’s GIS Day celebration to get involved with the GIS community. The Map and GIS User Group (MUG) meets the second Thursday of every month, from 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. in the Sorrells Library Den, to ask questions, get feedback and present, and get to know others interested in GIS on campus. MUG is open to people of all skill levels, disciplines, and backgrounds. Reach out to Jessica Benner to be added to the calendar invitation.