Blog Post #4 - GIS Day

For my GIS Day event, I had the opportunity to discuss GIS in two different settings: first with friends while on a weekend trip, and then with my family which including my wife and son.

I had the opportunity to explain what I do as a GIS Analyst to a group of friends who live in the same city I now work for. Like many people outside the field, they had heard of “GIS” before but did not really understand what it meant or how it is used in everyday life. I tried to approach it in a way that connected directly to their daily experiences.

I started by explaining that GIS, or Geographic Information Systems, is essentially a way of combining maps with data to help people better understand what is happening in a specific location. I told them to think of it as layering different types of information, like utilities, zoning, crime data, or infrastructure on top of a map so that patterns and relationships become easier to see and analyze.

To make it more relatable, I pulled up some of the city’s public-facing web maps and dashboards. This really helped bridge the gap between theory and real-world application. For example, I showed them interactive maps where they could view things like flood data, zoning and future land use, and parcel data. I also showed them a city development activity dashboard that presents near real-time data in a visual format, such as charts and maps, which help city staff and the public quickly understand what is going on without digging through spreadsheets. This dashboard shows all the development activities going on in the city and provides statuses and contact information as well as access to documents such as architecture/landscape plans and surveys.

What seemed to resonate most with them was how practical GIS is. They began to see that it’s not just about making maps, it is about supporting decisions that affect their community. Whether it is being part of the city’s emergency response team, assisting code enforcement officers in the field, or allowing residents to explore city data online, GIS plays a role in improving efficiency, transparency, and communication.

By the end of the conversation, they had a much clearer understanding of what I do and why it matters. It was rewarding to see that shift, from thinking GIS is something abstract or technical to recognizing it as a powerful tool that directly impacts the city they live in. This experience also reminded me how important it is to communicate technical concepts in a way that is accessible and relevant to a general audience.

For my discussion with my family I started with the Esri video titled “What is GIS.”Links to an external site. I always thought this was a solid introduction for those outside the field. Naturally this video generated some good questions which I was able to answer more clearly by showing them ArcGIS Pro in action. Since a lot of our data at the City of Port Orange is publicly available on ArcGIS Online I was able to show them some data sets that I will be working with in my position.

The data I showed them included our city’s sewer and water network. Since we live within the city, it was especially impactful to zoom into our subdivision and highlight features they were already familiar with, such as manholes and drainage inlets on our street that they have seen many times. I also introduced them to our stormwater system. Because we have a swale bordering our backyard, along with a few retention ponds and drainage inlets nearby, these served as great real-world examples to demonstrate how GIS is used to map and manage stormwater infrastructure. They were amazed at how the attribute table made it possible to quickly answer questions, like how many drainage inlets exist in the city or within a specific area, and the total length of water lines, all with just a few mouse clicks.

Overall, this was a very successful experience. It not only helped others better understand GIS, but also gave me the opportunity to refine how I communicate its value to a non-technical audience. Seeing their interest and curiosity grow throughout the discussion confirmed that GIS is most effective when it is tied to real-world, relatable examples. Moving forward, I will continue to focus on making GIS accessible and meaningful to those outside the field.