During New Year holidays people want to take their mind from serious work issues and long technical science-oriented posts.This is why we decided to take advantage of somewhat relaxing holiday atmosphere and make a retrospective post about one of the most interesting events of the past year – GIS Day 2015 in Ukraine.
World GIS Day, which is celebrated every third Wednesday of November at the initiative of ESRI company, is becoming more and more popular among Ukrainian educational and manufacturing establishments related to GIS.
In 2015 seven organizations, that celebrated GIS Day, registered on the GIS Day official website. Among them there were higher educational institutions, secondary schools, state institutes and private companies. However, despite quite different forms of organization, budgets, auditoria and activities, all of them were united with the common goal of popularization of GIS in Ukraine.
We asked representatives of different GIS organizations about interesting details of GIS Day celebration, and prepared a small review for you to know exactly where to go in November this year.
Intetics Co (Kharkiv)
Kharkiv office of Intetics Co celebrated GIS Day for the seventh time.
During GeoWeek (16-20 November 2015) 7 workshops on relevant GIS aspects were held. More than 90 students, teachers and experienced GIS specialists participated in these workshops.
On 18 November the Open Day for everybody interested in GIS technologies was held. Company representatives prepared short presentations «Discovering the World Through GIS» for guests, and told about the initiative of creating the GIS blog that is supposed to unite all the progressive GIS specialists of Ukraine.
Invited speakers from Navigational Geodesic center gave a presentation on “more than just GPS” – Leica Zeno 20, and partners from Here company told about peculiarities of GIS projects management. Traditional competitions, presents, thematic cake and non-informal communication at a cup of tea were also involved.
GIS Day 2015 presentation at Intetics Co.
A. Barsukov from Here.
Presentation of Blog 50 North, O. Achkasova, Intetics Co.
Traditional GIS-cake. More photo is here.
2GIS (Kharkiv)
GIS specialists from the Kharkiv office of 2GIS company celebrated their professional day for the first time, but it was decided to celebrate it long before the key event. No wonder, because the very name of the company shows the relation to GIS product creation.
GIS Day was held in the format of a team-building, and only company members could participate. The purpose was to introduce GIS team and peculiarities of their work to other employees. All participants have got nice memories from the event.
GIS team members face the future with confidence. They point out the growing popularity of GIS technologies that more and more often become integrated not only to highly specialized spheres, but also to ordinary users’ lives.
Tetiana Ozerska, GIS team leader: “On behalf of GIS specialists working at 2GIS I wish the growth of professional level, commitment and time for learning new trends in GIS area, and also increase of interest in our activity”
National Mining University, GIS department (Dnipropetrovsk)
GIS Day celebration at the initiative of the GIS department of the National State University became a good annual tradition since 2000. GIS Day is organized for students, department teachers, and guests from Geological prospecting faculty of the university.
This day the celebratory concert and awarding of the best students of the department is organized. Apart from the official program, students and teachers have informal communication, that stimulate students’ interest in the future profession and exchange of experience and knowledge.
For many years GIS Day activities inspire department employees to continue working and developing, so that next year they may celebrate the progress of the favorite work, and observe the formation of the new generation of modern and demanded specialists.
«We wish GIS technologies to develop and flourish, and their developers and users to reach new heights».
N. E. Zhukovski Kharkiv National University “KHAI” (Kharkiv)
The department representatives tell about GIS Day at KhAI:
O.M.Beketov National University of Urban Economy, the department of GIS, land and real estate evaluation (Kharkiv)
GIS Day in format of the international students’ conference is held annually for more than 15 years already. Students, teachers and invited GIS specialists participate in it. Every year organizers conduct different competitions: choose the best report or the tastiest thematic cake.
The National University of Water Management and Nature Resources Use (Rivne)
Interview with Alina Lagodnyuk, the member of GIS Day organizing committee:
① Please, tell about GIS Day at your organization. Is this the first time you celebrate it?
This is the tenth consecutive year that we celebrate GIS Day. This year we registered in advance, and received promotional materials from ESRI. Though these materials arrived in a week after the celebration, we are going to use them next year.
② How the idea of GIS Day celebration was born? Who was the initiator of activities devoted to this event?
Initiators and organizers of GIS Day at the university were the department of geodesy and cartography, and the department of land management, cadastre, land monitoring and nature usage of the National University of Water Management and Nature Resources Use in Rivne city.
③ Please, tell a bit about GAS Day participants.
Participants are our students, teachers and invited guests involved in geographic information science.
④ In which format is GIS Day held?
This is a conference that introduces modern GIS technologies and their meaning in people life to participants.
⑤ Do you have any interesting traditions related to GIS Day celebration?
Every time we organize an exposition of new geodesic equipment (our partners’ and ours) and real GIS projects, and serve the traditional GIS cake for all participants. This year we had the biggest cake, which weighed 8 kg.
⑥ What is the goal of such events at your university?
Of course, the goal is to popularize GIS technologies and to demonstrate real projects that our students can participate in.
⑦ What results do organizers expect this year?
The best result is motivated students 
⑧ Was there something special about GIS Day celebration?
This year GIS Day was special because our speakers and teachers participated in GIS Day celebration at the University of Technology in the Polish city Kielce. Next year we are going to welcome a Polish delegation and organize a televised link-up with the friendly Polish university.
Among speakers I would like to distinguish Darina Nesterenko, geoanalyst from HERE maps Ukraine, Oleg Kostyukevich, the leading participant of Google support forums, and our graduate Victor Kuliba. Victor presented the interactional map of fire and fighting at the anti-terrorist operation zone. Together with another our graduate Nazar Polyshchuk they created this map on request of the Ukrainian crisis media center and Ministry of Defense of Ukraine.
The novelty of the celebration was the lottery with valuable prizes and souvenirs of the university. It was a great experience, and we are going to make it a tradition.
⑨ Well, please tell a few words about your view on the future of GIS technologies in Ukraine and plans for GIS Day celebration in 2016.
We suppose GIS technologies will develop and become integrated to all trades of our country.
Every year more and more people join our celebration. Next year we are going to hold it at different buildings of our huge university simultaneously in order to introduce GIS technologies to more people.
Alina Lagodnyuk: «I wish you interesting opportunities and finding your place in GIS area»
We hope, you already know for sure where to celebrate GIS Day 2016. You are welcome to comment on the article and write about GIS Day in your city, organization or educational institution, share the photos and future plans.
