How much does GIS Day cost?
This event is FREE, both to attendees as well as presenters, vendors, and folks who want to show a map. The County’s Enterprise GIS Program and County departments fund this event to showcase the work they are doing and promote the value of geography in making governments and organizations more efficient.
When and where is the event?
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
9:00am to 3:30pm
Los Angeles County Department of Public Works Headquarters
900 S. Fremont Ave
Alhambra, CA 91803
Who is our audience?
This year’s event is titled GIS – the Power of Location. We are reaching out to County residents, government employees, and students to show them how county and city governments use GIS to make better decisions. We are inviting colleges to showcase their programs in GIS for folks who want to learn more. Our audience varies in its understanding of GIS, so we are looking to illustrate that the use and value of GIS are limited only by imagination.
Do you need help with publicity?
Absolutely. Please direct interested people to the LA County GIS Day Page (http://gis.lacounty.gov/gisday).
This page will be a resource where you can access and download flyers and other promotional materials that we hope can be distributed. Feel free to post about the event internally, blog about it, send the info to your local newspaper or find other ways to publicize the event. We would love to have a constant crush of attendees. The international GIS Day website has a wealth of materials you can download.
Our ad will appear on the back of the upcoming County Digest and the County Portal will post the flyer when the event date nears. This is just a start, so please do what you can to help raise awareness about the event.
How do I sign up to participate (have a booth, bring a map, or give a presentation)?
This year we have an online registration form for participants who want to do more than attend. If you only plan on attending there is no need to register.
What will my booth set up be?
The Department of Public Works has a wonderful facility, with booths, a map gallery, and all necessary facilities. No worries about sunburn, should we get the same balmy weather we had last year, which appears to be the norm for mid-November.
Each “booth” is actually a 3′ X 6′ table, with a tablecloth and skirt, two folding chairs and an easel, if you wish. We will try to have a few extra easels on hand, if some want to have two in their booth. We will also supply power and wireless Internet.
Here are some items you may want to consider bringing:
- Laptop with power cord and extra batteries
- Wi-Fi card for Internet access
- Projector and screen or large monitor,
- Banner with your entity’s name and logo to pin to the front of table. If you have your own table skirt, feel free to bring it.
- Posters for display behind table, if desired – must be rigid enough to display on easel
- Brochures or sample map handouts, if desired
- Paper, pens, business cards
- Tape, binder clips, paper weights
- Bowl of candy or other swag, if desired
What’s the setting up situation?
We’ll have people at the location as early as 7:30am to help you find your booth. You’ll be able to drive to the back of the facility to drop off and pick up your equipment and stuff. The event begins at 9:00am, so you’ll want to arrive well before then to set up and be ready.
What about the booth staffing?
This is a 6 ½ hour event, so please consider assigning shift coverage for your booth. Two people per shift works well, so each can wander around a bit without leaving the booth unstaffed.
Do we have to be there the entire time?
No, but we would appreciate knowing what your intentions are. Please be sure to let us know right away if you will staff a booth only part of the day.
What about parking?
Parking for participants with a booth is provided at the DPW facility. Validated parking for attendees will be across the street at the Alhambra complex. We’re asking that people drive County cars if possible. We will distribute that map closer to the event date.
Click here to see a map of GIS Day Parking
Who is participating?
We anticipate a similar turnout to last year, when we had 48 various agencies, including County departments, cities, the federal government, colleges, and vendors.
Each of these groups will represent themselves in one or more of the following ways: a booth, maps in the gallery, a GIS-equipped emergency response vehicle or a presentation in the Speakers’ Tent.
County Departments included:
| ACWM | DHS | FIRE |
| Assessor | DMH | ISD |
| BH | DPH | LAR-IAC |
| CEOOEM | DPSS | LASD |
| CIO | DPW | Parks |
| DCFS | DRP | RRCC |
At the Federal level, The Census Bureau and USGS will have booths. So will the City of Los Angeles’ Bureau of Engineers and Recreation & Parks. A number of schools, including Cal Poly Pomona, Rio Hondo College, UCLA and USC, are anticipated. HealthyCity will be there and so will a number of GIS companies (ESRI, Google, Manley Solutions and Thomas Brothers).
While there are plenty of others we would have wished to have participate, we ran out of space, so make sure that you reserve your spot quickly. We have a list of others to approach, should anyone on this list need to cancel; we anticipate a full house.
Who gets into the map gallery?
The map gallery is open to anyone who has a map. We have 48 4′x8′ panels – each organization is limited to one panel. Please let us know if you are a non-County group and wish to display a map or maps in the gallery.
Who is in the Speakers’ Tent program?
We look forward to having County CEO Bill Fujioka open the day. After that, we will have a series of short (10-20 minute) presentations by County staff. Topics range from LAR-IAC to Web 2.0 technologies to how individual departments use GIS. In addition to their brevity, these presentations will need to target a lay audience.
What is this year’s GIS game?
We anticipate, once again, having a game with prizes where contestants must correctly identify at least six of the nine Los Angeles County landmarks we will select from our beautiful 2008 aerial imagery. If we can get enough donated prizes (items in the $10 to $15 value range, hint, hint) we will have a drawing each half hour. We will empty the hopper after each drawing, so contestants have a single chance to win; we will not keep the entries. Winners need not be present to win; they just have to give us decent enough contact information so we can reach them.
Last year, we found that some enterprising folks entered family, friends and co‑workers, who didn’t have a clue why we were calling them. Those folks were disqualified and another name drawn. This year, we will devise a question to help us ascertain whether winning contestants actually attended the event.
Will there be any refreshments for booth staff?
We haven’t yet tackled this. Last year, some of our vendors donated cash so we could buy water and bags of chips or provided coffee. We are hoping for something similar this year but haven’t yet asked. We will do our best.
Is there anywhere to eat nearby?
The facilities include a cafeteria which serves great fresh food. You should easily find something satisfactory.
Other questions?
Please contact Mark Greninger by phone (213 253-5624) or email (mgreninger@cio.lacounty.gov) with other questions or issues. We look forward to your participation in this event.