GIS Day 2026: Powering Purpose and Innovation.

One Day, Countless Maps.  Come celebrate GIS Day at Lafayette college with events that showcase GIS teaching at Lafayette, and the use of GIS across the world.  This year, the theme for GIS Day is Powering Purpose and Innovation.  Geographic Information Systems, and other geospatial technologies allow information about the world (people, places and things) to be viewed and analyzed by anyone wanting to learn more about the world around them.

GIS day at Lafayette College will be celebrated by the following Events

8:00am-9:15am: Van Wickle 120
Geology 229 class will receive a guest lecture from Caleb Gallemore (IA) speaking about his work using geospatial technologies and coding to understand coffee plantations.

10:35am-11:25am: OCGE 107
IA 310 class will receive a guest lecture from John Wilson (GEOL) on the development of aerial photography and aerial photo interpretation.

4:00pm-5:00pm: Location TBA
GIS Day keynote Presentation.  Cassie Bongiovanni (University of Texas)

will speak on her work mapping the deepest parts of the ocean basins.  Cassie’s work can be read about in the book “The Deepest Map: The high-stakes race to chart the world’s oceans”(copies available in the College Store).

Cassie was the lead cartographer of the Five Deeps Expedition, and identified the deepest locations in the five ocean basins (Arctic, Atlantic, Indian, Pacific, Southern).

5:00pm-6:00pm: Location TBA
GIS Day poster session.  Students from IA 310, Mapping World Cities will be presenting maps highlighting their work on projects about the growth of cities around the globe.  Additionally, students from GEOL 229 will be presenting maps showing their work mapping the Lafayette Campus.