TBSL, in collaboration with Esri and BTL, is hosting the 1st Annual WORLD GIS Day EXPO to celebrate GIS Day on Wednesday, November 16, 2011 here in Belize City. This year’s World GIS Day is being celebrated under the theme “Discovering the World through GIS.”  Geographic Information Systems (GIS) is used throughout the world to solve problems related to the environment, health care, land use, business efficiency, education, and public safety. The power supply directed to homes, the patrol cars and fire trucks that keep neighborhoods safe, and the delivery trucks on the road all function more efficiently because of GIS. GIS technology even helps police officers map crime activity, which allows them to be more efficient. People personally reap the benefits of GIS whenever they pull a map off the Internet, or call emergency services such as 911.

The objective of the World GIS Day EXPO is to educate students as well as adults on the important role GIS plays in our daily lives. We are inviting schools throughout Belize to participate in this exciting and educational event. The EXPO will illustrate how geography is a part of our everyday lives and will feature organizations from the private and public sectors demonstrating GIS applications and geospatial technologies.